Please pray for the priestly newsletter and for the intentions on the prayer list at the
end of the message.
Contemplating them may aid us in our relationships with others.
You may consider these questions yourself or talk about them with a friend.
We include the following chapters. (Chapters 17-22.)
Excerpt from The Pain and the Joy, by Father
Edward Carter, S.J.
17
Intellect, Will, Emotions
The proper balance of our
intellects, wills, and emotions is most important. Overemphasis, or
neglect, regarding any of these three dimensions creates hindrances to Christian
living.
We can overemphasize the
intellectual aspect of human nature. One example of this goes back to the time
of Socrates. This famous Greek philosopher taught that to know the good is to
achieve it. How many times human nature has proved him wrong! Another fallacy
concerning the intellectual dimension is to think that the more we reason about
an issue or problem, the better we can handle it. This approach fails to realize
that not by intellect alone do we live and cope.
If our intellectual faculty can
be overemphasized, it can also receive too little attention.
Anti-intellectualism assumes many forms and exists in various degrees. To be
intellectual beings is a great gift. To grow in proper knowledge concerning our
existence and growth is a duty, not an option.
The faculty of will can also
receive improper emphasis. There is a favorite axiom in our American
culture—and, no doubt, in other cultures also—which says that if a person
wants something badly enough, he or she can achieve that goal. This is not
always the case, and unnecessary frustration and unhappiness have entered the
lives of many because they have accepted this axiom and acted upon it without
proper qualification.
We must not, however,
underestimate the importance of the will. To use free will properly is crucial
for human existence. Ultimately, our salvation depends on the correct use of
this marvelous faculty called will. With our wills cooperating with God's grace,
we can accomplish wonders for Christ, the Church, and the world. Not all possess
great intellectual ability; this does not mean, however, that they cannot
achieve great things. Our fundamental task is to conform our wills in love to
God's will. The more we do this, the greater Christians we become, and the
greater our achievement for Christ.
The emotions—how often they
have been misused in the course of human existence. For example, uncontrolled
anger has been responsible for so many human wrongs—for murder, for other acts
of unjust physical violence, for all sorts of verbal slander, calumny, and
vitriolic abuse. In considering another emotion, that of fear, we see a long
list of human misery resulting from its improper activity.
Many things have been done which should not have occurred, and many
things have been omitted which should have been accomplished, because fear
reigned improperly in people's lives. We also could give examples regarding
other emotions, but I think the point has been made—the improper use of the
emotions has caused much human misery.
The emotions are good—they come
from God's creative act. Although we must be aware of their misuse, we must not
fail to recognize the importance of the emotions. To fail to give the emotions
their legitimate role in human existence can cause havoc to the personality.
Psychology books are replete with descriptions of what happens when the emotions
are morbidly suppressed. Buried in the subconscious, the emotions can give rise
to various kinds of aberrant behavior. We must not be afraid, then, to admit
that we are in part emotional beings. We must not neglect to give proper
expression to the emotional dimension of one person. Properly following the
guidance of the intellect and will, emotions add a certain lustre, a certain
vibrancy to our activity and our life.
Intellect, will, emotions—let us always strive to
give each its proper place in our Christian existence. The more we do so, the
more closely we follow Christ who perfectly balanced these three aspects of His
human nature. As Jesus walked this earth, He showed Himself to be perfectly
intellectual, perfectly volitional, perfectly emotional. Let us ourselves strive
to respect the type of being God has made us—persons of intellect, will, and
emotions.
18
To Be Free
If we are to follow the lead of
the Holy Spirit as we should, we must possess a distinct spiritual freedom. By
this I mean we must be free enough relative to persons, places, occupations—to
everything—so that we might hear the voice of the Spirit and respond as we
should. To put it another way, we must always be striving to relate to all
things according to God's will. To do so is already to follow the Spirit's lead;
to do so is also to make ourselves more free, more sensitive to the Spirit's
guidance.
Some possess enough of this
freedom (with its proportionate sensitivity), to hear what the Spirit is saying;
but here and now they are not free enough to do what the Spirit is asking. It
may be a question of ridding oneself of a particular practice, or of initiating
a certain course of action. The person, however, is not free enough to respond
to the Spirit's lead.
In the way I am using the phrase
"spiritual freedom," I do not mean to imply the person is not
responsible when this freedom is not operative. I simply mean that because of
inordinate attachments, the person does not use free will properly regarding the
Holy Spirit's requests.
Sometimes the shackles of our
captivity possess such strength that it is only with extraordinary effort that
we break loose from them. Once free, we seem overwhelmed with a new sense of
spiritual vitality. We resolve to preserve our new-found freedom at all costs.
Those who have been deprived of
political or other types of freedom cherish these freedoms once gained or
regained. The freedom we speak of here, the freedom to do whatever God may ask,
is one which calls for the deepest rejoicing; for in possessing this freedom, we
are fulfilling the purpose of our existence. Is this not reason to rejoice from
the depths of our being?
19
To Dwell in Peace
The necessity of maintaining
ourselves in a basic spirit of peace is a key principle of the spiritual life.
If we are striving to follow Christ, if we are earnest in trying to accomplish
His will, then peace is meant to be ours.
There are three basic kinds of
peace. One type is more of a rare occurrence. It is that which we can feel, as
it were, vibrating throughout our entire being. Enjoying this particular type of
peace, we feel completely alive with a joyous serenity, one which we can almost
taste.
As indicated above, however, we
do not often experience this exhilarating kind of peace. Our usual state is a
more subdued sense of peace, one mixed in with the ordinary difficulties,
discomforts, and sufferings of everyday life. If this kind of peace is more
subdued, it nevertheless is a solid one which provides a proper atmosphere for
walking in the way of the Lord.
The third kind of peace is
similar to the first in that it is of relatively rare occurrence. For the rest,
it is strikingly different from the first that we described. The peace we now
speak of is that which can and should exist even in the midst of great
suffering. The suffering may be some intense interior trial, or one inflicted by
an outside source—which, of course, also penetrates to our interior. Whatever
the intense suffering may be, and whatever its source, we should not allow it to
rob us of the fundamental peace which is meant to be ours. Although we may be
very troubled in the more peripheral aspect of our spirit, we can make the
effort to go deep within ourselves, to the center of our being where we more
directly contact God, the source of all peace. Here we stir up the well-springs
of peace within us, allowing that peace to make us stable and strong despite the
great suffering we are currently experiencing.
It is in the atmosphere of peace
that we can best listen to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit, that we can more
assuredly be open to the Spirit's touches. The more we open ourselves to the
Spirit, in turn, the more we will experience peace.
Whichever kind of peace is ours
at any particular juncture of our spiritual life, let us treasure it, let us
pray for its increase, let us rejoice in it from the depths of our being.
20
Spiritual Guidance
Spiritual guidance is an aspect
of the communal dimension of Christianity. We go to God with the help of others,
and we in turn aid others in various ways along the spiritual journey. A
spiritual guide is, then, one who helps us achieve Christian maturity.
The guide in spiritual matters is
not out front, as it were, directing us according to some pre-conceived plan
concerning how the Spirit will guide us. Of course, we must properly understand
this statement. We all must follow the teaching and example of Christ. However,
since we are unique individuals, the assimilation to Christ will always differ
in various ways according to each one's personal uniqueness.
A key task of a spiritual guide,
consequently, is to try to determine how the Spirit desires to lead this
particular individual. A person
seeking spiritual direction, therefore, must be willing to share his or her
prayer life with the guide. This allows the guide to help the person discern the
Spirit's action. A guide should not discern the Spirit's action in order that he
or she may make decisions for the person being directed, but that the person
himself or herself may make the proper decision in the Spirit.
And another important task of a
spiritual director is to be ready to offer correction when needed. When the
directee is going astray, the guide must gently but firmly point out the
person's errant ways.
A common difficulty in the
spiritual life, especially for beginners, is encountering discouragement. A
further responsibility of the guide, then, is to help the person in coping with
this obstacle. The guide must assist in developing the virtue of trust in the
Lord. As trust grows, so does one's conviction that the Lord is present to us to
help us deal with the various difficulties we encounter in the quest for
spiritual maturity.
What about the frequency of
spiritual direction? This will vary somewhat between individuals. For beginners
in the spiritual journey, sessions will be more frequent than for persons more
advanced. This is to be expected. There are numerous principles and practices of
the spiritual life. The beginner not only must become aware of these, but must
also learn how to incorporate them into his or her personal life. This is not an
easy task, and the help of a spiritual director or guide is most advantageous.
Sessions with a director will also be more frequent at critical points along the
spiritual pilgrimage—when severe trials enter a person's life, or when one
must make crucial decisions.
A good spiritual director should
possess requisite knowledge concerning spiritual matters. Different degrees of
knowledge are necessary depending upon the types of persons one directs. A guide
who directs persons blessed with mystical prayer should be conversant with the
ways of mysticism, whereas such knowledge is not strictly necessary for the
guide who works with those traveling the more ordinary paths.
In choosing a director one must
determine as best as possible whether that person seems to possess the knowledge
requisite for giving competent advice.
Good spiritual guidance is a gift
of God. If such guidance is not reasonably available, God will compensate. If it
is available, one should not disdain it, but utilize it as one of the
providential means afforded us in the quest of putting on Christ.
21
Our Weakness and
Our Strength
St. Paul tells us, I will
rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may
dwell with me (2 Cor. 12:9). This brief passage contains one
of the greatest lessons of the spiritual life. As we progress along our
spiritual journey, we become increasingly aware of how weak we are in ourselves,
but how strong we are in Christ.
To experience our weakness
involves suffering. The degree of suffering can vary, culminating in the very
painful experience of the classical "dark night" of the spirit or its
equivalent. St. John of the Cross has vividly described the sufferings of this
classical dark night.
One of the main purposes of the
dark night is to make a person keenly aware of his or her helplessness without
God. This is a most necessary point that mystics must pass through if the
spiritual marriage, or transforming union with God, is to occur. In this
transforming union, there is a profound exchange between God and the mystic.
God's self-communication to the mystic is most profound, and the mystic makes a
profound gift of self to God. In this state the mystic is supremely aware of
living by the life of God, and without experiencing one's helplessness without
God, this lived awareness does not occur.
If not all on the spiritual
journey experience the classic dark night, all must undergo a proportionate
purification which includes increased awareness of personal weakness. In this
process one more and more abandons the self to Christ and increasingly lives by
His life, by His strength. St. Paul says,
. . . I live, no longer I, but
Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the
Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me. (Gal. 2:20).
How much the Christian process of
growth differs from that which many psychologists propose for personality
fulfillment, a process which depends, say these psychologists, solely on the
efforts of one's own will power. The Christian, omitting the errors of
psychology, can, of course, utilize what is helpful from psychological teaching
and properly integrate it into the Christian theology of personality growth.
This theology teaches that God's grace is absolutely necessary. Though our
efforts are indeed indispensable along the spiritual journey, the human effort
can only be correctly understood as a response to God's loving initiative. This
very response is God-assisted, made possible by God's love-given grace.
Our sense of weakness is not a
paralyzing one. It does not hinder our performance of duty. On occasion,
athletes and other performers may, for various reasons, feel very inadequate
regarding the exercise of their particular skill. This sense of inadequacy, in
turn, can detract from performance. In the spiritual life, however, our sense of
weakness does not impair our capacity to function as Christians. On the
contrary. If, sensing our helplessness, we increasingly abandon ourselves to
Christ, we act with greater spiritual vitality. We do this with a basic peace of
which the world knows not.
Indeed, to those who are
unspiritual, the concept of striving to grow through the sense of our weakness
is complete folly, utter craziness. To those who have received the gift of the
Holy Spirit, however, being properly aware of one's weakness is strength and
peace and consolation.
22
Creativity
To be creative is one of the great joys of being
human. We should resolve to more consistently stir up the spark of creativity
which each of us has in various degrees. Most of us cannot be magnificently
creative as was Michelangelo in sculpting his Pieta, which still attracts
marveled attention of thousands as it sits majestically in Rome's St. Peter's
Basilica. Most cannot stir the emotions with the musical genius of a Beethoven,
or breathtakingly portray the inner depths of a person as does a Rembrandt
portrait. We cannot move the minds and hearts of countless people as do the
magnificent literary pieces of William Shakespeare.
These are all obvious examples of the human
capacity for creativity. There are, however, many other less brilliant
possibilities. Being less brilliant does not mean they are not greatly
worthwhile.
There are numerous ways we all can be creative.
One person arranges a yard in very ordinary fashion. A more creative individual
does so in a manner which presents flowers, shrubs, and trees in a most
attractive setting. One teacher presents material in a clear, but unimaginative
way. Another, using diverse and creative methods, stirs up the students'
interest in a manner which makes learning a joy. One director stages a play in
competent but rather uninspiring fashion. Another, directing the very same play
more creatively, draws out the talent of the actors to a maximum degree, and the
applause of the audience to thunderous proportions. One person is not
particularly creative in his or her personal relationships; another manages to
add ongoing vitality with ingenious touches of newness, of creativity.
We do not all have the same talents. Nor will we
find satisfaction in just trying to imitate the special talents of others. We
all need to discover what gifts the Lord has given to us—each of us.
Whatever we do, then, let us strive to bring a
sense of creativity to the task or activity. God has given us a creative
capacity. Let us resolve to use it. In doing so, we will be more alive, and we
will also help those we contact to grow in the appreciation of the vitality of
human existence.
(End of Excerpt from The Pain and the Joy)
Mary's
Message from the Rosary of August 27, 1996
Copyright
© 2000 Shepherds of Christ.