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In this chapter, Father Rolheiser discusses the factors that mitigate against contemplation in our culture; narcissism, pragmatism, and unbridled restlessness. I found it very interesting to read this chapter in light of what the Church teaches about the temporal consequences of sin. Now, we all know that "sin" is a much maligned concept these days. But a different perspective on sin might be helpful. As Catholics, we start from the premise that God is love.....that it is His essence, His being. It was out of this love that He created us. We then, are made by Love, and because He gave us the exquisite gift of His "image and likeness", we are made FOR LOVE. We cannot be complete without it....without Him.
For the sake of love, He stands before us always, offering Himself to us....asking us to choose for love....choose for Him....choose our own good, our own true self, which is embedded in the 'image and likeness' which is planted in our deepest selves. In fact, we cannot be ourselves without giving life to our essential being, which is our fundamental call to holiness. It is in holiness that we are united with Him, and find our fulfillment, our true happiness, our peace and joy.But because one of the most essential parts of our "likeness" to God is our freedom, this fulfillment of our purpose requires our cooperation. He offers us Himself and His love as a gift, and never imposes Himself on us. One of my professors in graduate school, Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio, described this rather bluntly, though certainly memorably, "God is a lover, not a rapist". That kind of statement tends to stay with you! Sin is essentially turning away from Love as He stands there offering Himself to us. In that sense, we are also turning away from "ourselves", from who we were made to be, images of His love. So, infidelity to God, is infidelity to ourselves.
Ultimately, the consequence of sin is death.....eternally rejecting Love, and losing ourselves. But there are temporal consequences, as well. These are the consequences we experience in our daily lives. The Church teaches that when we sin, we experience the "darkening of the intellect, the confusion of the emotions, and the weakening of the will". Effectively, that means that we can no longer "see" the truth. Our understanding is clouded....St. Paul says,"we see in a glass darkly" (1 Cor. 13) We confuse our feelings with reality....calling "lust", for instance, "love". And finally, even if we have a moment of conscience, and know what we SHOULD do, we have no will to accomplish it. St Paul in the 7th chapter of Romans, says, "Those things I wish to do, I cannot do Those things I do not wish to do, I do". These are the very human consequences we live when we turn away from the Truth, and accept illusory truths offered to us by our narcissistic, ailing culture.
When I read this chapter in the light of the Church's teaching on sin, I see how tremendous the battle is for our souls. We must be prepared with the understanding borne of a deeper knowledge of our faith, the clarity and courage that comes from prayer, and the strength of will that is generated in the faithful and sincere reception of the sacraments, especially Reconciliation and the Eucharist.
St. Paul makes us the the gift of a beautiful and 'perfect' prayer for this battle in his letter to Ephesians:
This, then, is what I pray kneeling, before the Father, from whom every family, whether spiritual or natural takes its name.
Out of His infinite glory, may He give you the power through His Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then planted in love, and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth, and the length, the height, and the depth: until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God.
Glory be to Him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory be to Him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever. Amen
With our brother, St. Paul, I pray this for us all! Many blessings and much grace to you all!
Warmly,
Sally
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Sally, such a precious gift to our parish and thank you for all you do. Just a comment on a few things. I read "Shattered Lantern" several years back in a SJN book club and was not a big fan. But I am a simple person and found the book a bit repetitive. I though like to hear other opinions and enjoy debating issues. So for what I have reread with Rolheiser is part of a thread that I believe is being woven through the parish, I can't imagine by accident. I for one am enoying it. Its really Rolheisers style, when simple put what we are surpose to do is be in the world not of the world. Easy to say hard to do. The world continues to draw us in. As Sister Emmnauel so eloguently said "everybody does it" the worst three words in the world, if I quoted correctly. We as Catholic Christians are surpose to be salt and light.
ReplyDeleteI believe with "the between the the masses and our precious new Youth minister and his teaching on the beatitudes, Sister and her fabulous retreat and now Rolheisers book we have a wonderful oportunity to get back to where we need to be. We will never be able to fix all the issues you bring up Phil and I feel your passion and agree with you on so many levels, but alas we all are human and imperfect sinners so we fall short even the Church sometimes in Her infinite wisdom falls short. Jesus told us He chooses to work through us, We are to be His hands and feet so the "we" means me and I so fall short everyday, in what I do and what I fail to do. Praise God we have confession and another day to try again.
Much like the gifts of the Spirit in Galatians 5, the things Rolheiser mentions technology et al can be used for good or evil. Do we throw out the baby with the bath water or do we try to utilize technology for the greater good with the highest calling. That seems to me to be the test God has given us and we do not do well. So as our precious mother Mary tells us through sister and others bang those beads "pray your rosary everyday for and with your family for conversion of the world, and I might add for strength to overcome. We can not change where we have been or where we are but we can change where we are going, how long will we circle,
round this same mountain.
"If my people called by my name will humble themselves and pray,seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then will I hear from heaven and heal their land." 2Chronicles 7:14
....Marcia
Marcia, anybody who says "God is born into life after a gestation period. ... live life in a certain way ... [and] ... eventually [we] give birth to God in [our] lives." is blind to Catholic Truth. But my comments get taken off the blog. Rolheiser loves to quote Matthew 15:21 about Jesus's split personality when he meets the Canaanite woman. But how much does he talk about a few verses before where the disciples say ""Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?" and Jesus said in reply, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides (of the blind). If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit."
ReplyDeleteYou say "We will never be able to fix all the issues you bring up Phil and I feel your passion and agree with you on so many levels". We must fix them in our lives and the lives of others and especially in the lives of our children. From 1 John 3, part of which was read today at Mass - "Children, let no one deceive you. The person who acts in righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. Whoever sins belongs to the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God. In this way, the children of God and the children of the devil are made plain; no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God."
I perhaps would not have chosen that way to express my acceptance of Jesus in my life. For me it was not an acceptance it was a begging please Lord come into my life and fix what I have broken help me change my life, but we are all different. We express our faith and our conversion differently. I like the birthing metaphor in some ways. So many people are born into a family of Christians and can't name a moment when their lives changed. Even though for me it was a specific place and time I see now where God was calling and moving things in my life to bring me to that moment I gave up and let Him take over.
ReplyDeleteI remember a time and I can get back there easily when I thought I needed to fix everything. God whispered to me at first "that is my job" later He was louder "excuse me I thought I was God". I love Sister Emmanuel's "Put the crown back on the King". That was me yanking that crown off His head and taking over. I love it and I believe so does God He knows our heart and He loves our passion though sometimes misdirected but with the right intention. When we receive Him we want to join the army and march to His tune and slay all the giants. Oh yes I was so wore out from slaying giants. Then He said are you tired yet, oh yes Lord and reminded me How long it took Him to get me to change, to receive Him into my heart and then it was still a long time till I let go of some foolish things and still I have much work to do. My heart was His but my mind was still in egypt. I felt the same frustation and still do sometimes then God reminds me, others have fears and hurts inside them that go deeper then mine did and it will take time for Him to reach them. "Be patient as I am patient my child and let me do my work, let me be God and you be you, I have other things for you to do and your so busy doing my job I can't find you."
I am sure many might see that as unrighteous, I see it as a work in progress and I pray the Lord does also......perhaps a seed
..Marcia
Nice words but I'm sure they would not have dissuaded Isaiah or Jeremiah.
ReplyDeleteMaybe God is whispering differently to each of us.
Very few of us are called to be Isaiah, or Jeremiah...but all of us are called to be Christ. He was very patient with the 'broken ones', seeing them as they were, but lovingly calling them to the Truth....without judgment (though He of all "people" had the right to judge).
ReplyDeleteMarcia, your desire for Him is so beautiful....and the knowledge of your "littleness" is a gift of grace. The great theologian, Father Marie-Eugene, wrote in I Want To See God, "When self-knowledge arouses in the soul sorrowful contrition at the same time ardent love, profound adoration and the most elevated aspirations, the feeling of its own powerlessness along with most generous resolutions, one can declare it authentic; it bears the mark of its origin, which is peace, spiritual balance, freedom, and fruitfulness."
Your journey into His life and heart, and His into yours, is by Fr. Marie- Eugene's measure, deeply authentic. He was writing about St. Teresa of Avila, by the way....a burning brand of love, and a Doctor of the Church.
St. Thomas Aquinas said, "Humility is submitting to the gift of God in another." His goodness, and love is very alive in you, Marcia. The more you let Him be born in you, the more beautiful you'll become. It is an honor to walk with you into His Heart, and His life!
with admiration,
your sister in Him,
sally
Sally, I'm not trying to be combative but I see Christ "was very patient with the 'broken ones', seeing them as they were, but lovingly calling them to the Truth....without judgment (though He of all "people" had the right to judge)." as only one side of the story as Rohleiser might put it. The other side is what I quoted from 1 John above.
ReplyDeleteSally, also, truly not to be combative, I'm just asking so I know the answer - how do we know that "very few of us are called to be Isaiah, or Jeremiah" in this day and age. I don't see our times being much different and certainly not better from the times when they lived.
ReplyDeleteDear Phil,
ReplyDeleteI intend to respond to your very thoughtful, and gently stated comment (for which I wish to express my gratitude, and my admiration)....but I confess I have a passel of things requiring my immediate attention, and I don't want to respond without thinking and praying.....precisely because you are right, of course....we DO need prophets who are willing to tell the truth, even when it is a difficult truth to hear or accept. The question is, what does it mean to be a prophet who reflects "the Way, the Truth, and the Life"....what does that require of us....how are we to be a prophet without relishing, or being attached to the role of "truth-teller"...being at the service of the truth, without BEING the truth? You know what I mean?
OK....I have to write the entry for the literary magazine. Blessings to you.
sally
I think this is exactly what I would like to know because certainly Isaiah and Jeremiah didn't always relish being prophets. I look forward to more. Thanks.
ReplyDeletePhil
ReplyDeleteI certainly can not answer for Sally and look forward to her posting. 1 John to me is a love letter and beautiful done I believe. God is Love and first and foremost Love and so on, speaking truth in Love is something I so desperatly am praying for. What I see when I read the prophets are not people thrilled with their calling it seems God was pushing them to speak out, they did not seem to be excited about the prospect, unwilling participents.
I see Mary our precious Mother as one coming to warn us to repent and turn from our wicked ways. She says it so lovingly, Mother Teresa was the same she could call out anyone in a loving way as did our most blessed John Paul II. Yes I think they are with us the Isaiah's and the Jeremiah's.
Marcia, the passage I quoted from 1 John says that there will be people who suffer eternal damnation, they will go to Hell. Some people might not think this is a very "loving" message. Yes, God is Love and God forgives but that doesn't mean that people are forgiven or loved because they don't receive these gifts from God. They don't receive them because their hearts are hardened to sin and they don't act justly, they don't act according to the will of God. What is the will of God? Isaiah - "Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday;" If you do these things you will be forgiven and share in God's love for you and your life will be contemplative. This is the Truth and there is only one Truth.
ReplyDeleteI believe God is begging for prophets of today to proclaim this message loudly and clearly. Jeremiah - "Small and great alike, all are greedy for gain, prophet and priest, all practice fraud. They would repair, as though it were nought, the injury to the daughter of my people: "Peace, peace!" they say, though there is no peace. They are odious; they have done abominable things, yet they are not at all ashamed, they know not how to blush. Hence they shall be among those who fall; in their time of punishment they shall go down, says the LORD." - probably not a very "loving" message.
In response to my posting above someone sent me a pointer to the following article on "Private Religion"
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.adw.org/2009/11/the-problem-of-privatized-religion/
In it Msgr. Charles Pope says "After the Mass a woman approached me and said, “I didn't hear the Jesus I know in your words today.” “But mam,” I said, ”I was quoting Jesus!" Unfazed she replied, “We know he never really said those words, the Church merely invented them to scare us. . . . Many today do not want to be part of a community with clearly defined authority and doctrine. They want instead a private religion that answers to no one. They want a religion they can define on their own and still claim to belong to the community, a community they really want little to do with if it comes to something they don't like. Some go even further and insist on a designer God who has exactly their understanding, their priorities, their views. This god is made in their own image and is an idol [just what all the prophets preached against]. The “Jesus I know” over-rules the Jesus of Scripture. [My] reinvented god trumps the God revealed in the Scriptures." Bingo!