St Alphonsus Rodriguez

Mar272015

Habit increasing the small into the insurmountable

…St Bernard writing upon the words of Job: “I am reduced to such an extremity that the very things I had a horror to touch are at present become ordinary food”. “Would you know”, says he, “what power practice or habit has over us? At first a thing will appear to you insupportable; but if you accustom yourself to it, in time it will seem less hard, afterwards you will find it easy, and in the end it will give you no pain at all, but a great deal of joy and delight”; so that you may say with Job–“I now take pleasure in feeding upon those things, which before I had difficulty to touch”. –Fr. Alphonsus Rodriguez ‘The Practice of Christian & Religious Perfection volume I’

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Mar192015

Perfection discipline, practice greater

St Dorotheus says, that nothing so much helps us to advance in virtue, and to acquire peace and tranquility of mind, as the opposing and resisting of our own will… ‘You are going somewhere…and you have a great mind to turn about and look at something on the way; overcome your curiosity, and do not look at it. You are in conversation—something occurs to your mind, and you think that the saying of it would make you pass for a wit; let it alone, say nothing… By chance you cast your eyes upon something brought into the house that is new, and you wish to know who brought it; ask not who did so. You see a stranger enter—curiosity urges you to know who he is, whence he comes, whither he goes, and for what business; mortify yourself by making no inquiry after him’….this exercise very much helps to produce a habit of mortifying our will; because if we accustom ourselves to renounce it in these small things, we shall the sooner be able to deprive ourselves of greater. –St Alphonsus Rodriguez ‘Christian Perfection’

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Feb162015

Mortification Vitality

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…prayer is an efficacious means of mortification….mortification of ourselves is the true fruit we must reap from prayer; and that we may, with reason, suspect that prayer which is not accompanied with mortification. For as, in order to shape iron, it is not sufficient to heat and soften it in the fire, but it must also be beaten with the hammer before it can receive its proper form; so it is not sufficient to mortify our heart by the heat of prayer, but we must also make use of mortification to fashion our soul…. –St Alphonsus Rodriguez

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Feb082015

Maintaining Fortitude

I have been reflecting upon a statement Myron, a respected spiritual director repeated that one could not retreat, nor cease upon the spiritual path.  Once an individual progresses there is no going back, nor is there a point of termination.  One cannot rest upon one’s laurels.  One never reaches an end.  God always demands more, acutely desiring growth, challenging for continual progress in humility and trust (faith), prayer (hope), and charity; a persistent revealing of the utility of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our contemplative and active lives.  I cannot embark upon the contemplative life with a passion; experiencing sweet consolations, enjoying the blessing of graces for myself and those I love, comprehending a presence within prayer efforts possessing poignant profoundness—only to falter when matters become challenging, or personal situations become demanding.  Boredom, sloth, can be crippling quandaries.  Not only do I become still in my knowing, I learn to remain still, trusting God under all conditions.

My spiritual life must become the foundation of my life.  All other activities and experiences nurturing, pointing back, allowing quietness during properly dedicated times of prayer and devotion.  Well rounded socially—not a spiritual glutton, physically active and participating in the world with secular and religious brothers and sisters, absolutely loving life and creation, I place the Creator above and in proper perspective, while active as an ordinary simple man in the world.  I love my Tuesday and Fridays, days every week I play basketball.  The competition and exercise emboldens my spiritual life, even if I have a terrible day on the court.  Contemplatively, efflorescence occurs when a naturally arising, authentic, love for life and creation pours forth.  I found it impressive that St Jane de Chantal, suffering immense spiritual darkness, conducted herself with no bleakness.  She comprehended the vitality of displaying faith, hope, and charity.

I cannot experience God’s approval for furthering contemplative devotion, then respond with a decision to scale back my efforts.  The softer easier road cannot be embarked upon once the narrower road has been presented.  A calling recognized, I must embrace, trusting in God, focused upon revealing further His desires.  There is a former priest I socially encounter that always leaves me disturbed.  During a Christmas gathering this past holiday season, I encountered the gentleman.  Assuming center stage, he led Christmas carols during the large dinner party.  Articulate, highly educated, adept in foreign languages, knowledgeable in worldly affairs, ardently putting forth liberal ideals, he talked unceasingly.  It never ceases to amaze me how awkwardly false the man appears.  Comically, his clothes always seem too big for him, never quite fitting properly.  His behavior comes off contrived and premediated, overly thought out and self-conscious.  His words are too loud, and his tendency to leer at women make him socially graceless.  I know the man’s story for he shared it with me during a private dinner.  His childhood was marked by an early declaration he would become a priest.  A recognized child genius, an extremely high IQ, he graduated from high school in his early teens, immediately entering the seminary.  I am not sure of his tenure as a priest, yet I do know he left the priesthood after discerning marriage as his proper vocation.  The man is now divorced, a recovering alcoholic, and tragically recently endured the suicide of an adult son.  The whole matter leaves me perplexed, a lasting dark feeling–even now I pause to offer prayers for his peace of mind.  Avoiding judgment or affirmations, I just cannot make sense of matters when this man is near.  Everything seems completely out of order, self-will seemingly making an absolute disaster out of life, chaos all too apparent.

He who trusts himself is lost. He who trusts God can do all things. —St Alphonsus Ligouri

With those who are perfect and walk with simplicity, there is nothing small and contemptible, if it be a thing that pleases God; for the pleasure of God is the object at which alone they aim, and which is the reason, the measure, and the reward of all their occupations, actions, and plans; and so, in whatever they find this, it is for them a great and important thing.  — Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez

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Jan232015

Laboring for the production of honey

“The bee is more honored than other animals, not because it labors, but because it labors for others” –St John Chrysostom.

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I was speaking with my spiritual partner regarding my blog when I felt it necessary to identify reoccurring themes I am firmly trying to establish. I like basic ideas and repetition, rather than bouncing all over the place spiritually and intellectually. This is not a game, nor entertainment. The first theme is negation, closely associated with unknowing, cleansing, psychological healing, emptying, removing the trash, clearing space. Allowing ambiguity and a lack of definitude in regards to spiritual matters, I firmly understand who I am not. I stoutly establish who I am not. One of the things important for negating self-revelation is understanding I am no authority.  I am no religious wise man.  I absolutely hold no special place, nor deserve any special attention. My intellect must not need attention for it is not that special. I remain hidden, working in secret. To know who I am in the eyes of God, deconstructing is essential. It is more important than constructing truths, intellectual pursuits, vainglory, or the praising of a God of my understanding, or more appropriately a God of my warping. I am becoming aware of God’s omnipotence and omnipresence through my unknowing of limiting images and ideas of Him. I have lost interest in self-serving pretty and intelligent words, preferring penetrating insight into personal areas needing attention, the cleansing of myself in order to make room for profound filling. I am focused upon wiping clean my slate in order for God to become the author. I am learning to truly turn my life and my will over to the care of God.  It is more important to become something authentic, rather than to be something superficial.

That leads into another theme being directly and indirectly addressed which I identify as Divine Will. Contemplative in the Mud expressed powerful thoughts on a shortcut to holiness existing through the recognition of Jesus within others. I am not constantly judging, attacking, engaging in mental warfare. The humility, lack of self-consciousness, lack of attachment, necessary to witness the image and likeness of God within others is grace producing for the exerciser and those such vision is exercised upon. If all is aligned and you are witnessing Christ within me, disregarding my failings, you not only benefit, yet I benefit from interacting with you. God’s will is being exercised, charity is shared and experienced. Christ becomes a living communal reality. The one thing necessary for human perfection, contemplation to do God’s will, is utilized, allowing a furthering of the unity of the active and contemplative life. It is not that a strong devotion to one of the two great commandments, love thy neighbor, is knowledge, an isolated piece, that must be learned in order to advance upon the path of perfection, rather properly administering such selfless behavior allows greater observance of God’s will. I think Contemplative in the Mud sums matters up succinctly and neatly with this sentence: The ‘one thing necessary’ must appear less and less in pieces and more and more in one.

Another theme being hammered away at is self-consciousness. My personal weaknesses must not force me into becoming self-focused. If my thoughts and behavior erupt from broken indigent self-esteem, an over-sensitive nature domineering, the fruits of my efforts will naturally be rotten; human endeavor enslaved to self-will, an abandonment of God perpetrated. This is not an arbitrary concern. It is essential upon the path of perfection, the polishing of prayer. It goes beyond cleansing, delving deeper into divine supplication. Saint Alphonsus Rodríguez makes the statement: ‘Prayer is not perfect as long as the monk at prayer is aware of the very fact that he is praying’… It is why Trappist endure wearing such long and wide sleeves upon their habits—the symbol reminding them of the necessity of hiding the doings of the right hand from the left.

The final theme identified is the importance of constructing through prayer. My contemplative life is not an authentic life if it is not grounded in daily prayer. Combined with receiving the Eucharist, prayer is my daily medicine, the means of mending and offering to God the vessel for filling. Spiritual reading is vital, yet for myself, even that tremendously beneficial spiritual exercise ranks lower in regards to receiving the Eucharist daily and prayer, placing myself perpetually in the presence of God. The theoretical takes a backseat to the experiential–thoughts on God usurped by the experiencing of God. I want to mention confession. At least twice a month, I mandate participation. Regarding prayer, above the blog, above reputation, above learning, above conversation, above all holy intended activity, above acts of corporeal mercy, prayer is my true challenge of mastery; the area faith, hope, and charity are able to impregnate prosperity. My prayer life only thrives when my natural life is in order, burgeoning when a state of grace is lived, and personal growth is pursued with a passion.

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Jan222015

Mass intentions, beyond to all things, and every moment

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Endeavour in all things you do, to elevate your heart to Him saying to him; Lord it is for Your sake I do this —it is to please You, it is because You will have it so. Your will O Lord is mine, and I have no other comfort or satisfaction but Yours. I know not what to desire, or what not to desire, but what is Your Holy Will I should, or should not desire. All my joy, all my satisfaction, is the fulfilling of Your will; and so that I do but please You, I desire nothing more; there is nothing in heaven nor upon earth that I desire to behold but Yourself…. –‘The Practice of Perfection and Christian Virtues’ Vol. #1 by St Alphonsus Rodriguez

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Dec302014

Necessity of a Sound Prayer Life

Prayer

The. glorious Apostle and Evangelist. St. John, in the fifth and eighth chapters of the Apocalypse, expresses admirably well the excellency and merit of prayer. ‘There came an angel and stood before the altar, having in his hand a thurible of gold, to whom was given much incense, to the end he should offer up. of the prayers of the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne of God. And the. smoke of the incense of these prayers went up from the hand of the angel to the presence of God’ (Apoc. viii. 3, 4). St. Chrysostom says that one proof of the merit of prayer is· that in the Holy Scripture, it alone is compared to thymiama, which was a composition of incense and of many other admirable perfumes; for as the smell of well composed thymiama is very delicious, so prayer also, when well made, is very acceptable to God,. and gives great joy to the angels and all the citizens of heaven. Thus St. John, speaking in such human language as we can speak, says that those heavenly beings hold in their hands pouncet-boxes full of admirable perfumes, which are the prayers of the Saints, and these they apply again and again to their most pure nostrils to enjoy that sweet odor (Apoc. v. 8).

St. Augustine speaking of prayer says, ” What more excellent than prayer? What more useful and profitable? What sweeter and more delicious? What higher and more. exalted in the whole scheme of our Christian religion?

–St Alphonsus Rodriguez ‘On Christian Perfection’

Without a prayer life we are left abandoned to our own devices, imperfect creatures able to access only self-will, functioning and interacting with the world based upon our terms.  Without prayer, genuine humility is impossible, spiritual progress only induces pride, leading us to believe we are spiritual superiors, tyrants onto the world.  No matter the amount or extensiveness of our efforts to know God, without a prayer life, the true means of communication is blocked. Our spiritual life is stifled and we become a danger to those advancing toward God. Centered upon self-will, plagued by self-consciousness, competition, the need to impress, selfish intent; whether positive or negative, we are constantly an affront, never able to offer others Our Lord, the ultimate master of prayer, His invitation to ‘take upon My yoke, and learn, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest in your soul’. Without prayer, we weary ourselves, forced to rationalize, forced to justify, forced to reason, forced to manipulate, forced to be a burden onto ourselves and all those willing to love us. With the purest of intent, functioning through self-will we fall short. We bring immense and intense tears onto ourselves, and others. In the ancient world, they used the term crocodile tears, huge tears shed through profound sorrow. I attribute the term to Homer. It always moved me. Another Homer term I borrow is ‘winged words’, words possessing immense inspiration, hope, and insight–I adapt the term to embrace words inspired by the Holy Spirit.

To reiterate, a lacking prayer life renders one unable to surrender to faith, hope, and charity, unable to prosper within infused virtues.

The Blindness post touched on remaining hidden as a contemplative, as well as, identifying those of suspect religious intent as possessing a hidden agenda. They are two distinct matters. As a contemplative, my interior life is protected, hidden, ‘cast not thy pearls before swine’. My natural self an employee, friend, man in recovery, father, brother, son, remains open, comfortable and easy for others to understand.  My hidden contemplative efforts do not make me a mystery to others.  I make myself vulnerable to others, placing myself at their disposal, while protecting my interior life. I am not overly clever, nor diabolical. I go to the extreme not to inflict self-will upon others. In regards to bringing others into intimate spiritual communication I exercise extreme caution. The telltale sign of affirmation is the witnessing of a fortitude in prayer. A strong prayer life, a presence developed, indicates a healthy spiritual person of advanced effort. Without words, manipulation, or awesomeness, such individuals present themselves in humility and peace. I am especially leery of church devotees overly ambitious to throw themselves at me, coming on hard to impress, making great claims of being a daily communal recipient for a vast number of years, knowing the Bishop or esteemed individuals of respected religious reputation, telling tales of great pilgrimages, or dominating congregational responses and song with brilliance and expertise. Once serious progress is made in prayer such individuals will force themselves upon contemplatives. In politeness, and if necessary sternness, I must safeguard my interior life. I am reminded of a lesson from my therapist, a Catholic psychologist, Dr. Lawrence Nitcha. I utilize all forms of healing in order to cleanse the vessel for proper filling.

Dr Nitcha on co-dependent behavior: …difficulty establishing and maintaining appropriate boundaries, difficulty saying “No”, acting ‘nice’ when a tougher love is called for, and feeling overly responsible for the feelings or behavior of others.

Sadly, many Christians fall into the trap of justifying such behaviors as being examples of the call to ‘love one’s neighbor’. A variety of Gospel passages, each emphasizing the Christian call to service, is used to legitimize such behaviors. However, their use more often represents a distortion of the Gospel message.

One of the Gospel parables to which I frequently refer in helping individuals realize their rights is Matthew 25:1-13, the parable of the 10 Virgins. In that parable the behavior of the five Wise Virgins is highlighted as exemplary. And what is the behavior they displayed? It is the antithesis of codependent behavior. When asked to share some of their lamp oil with the Foolish Virgins, the Wise Virgins in effect responded: “No. We are keeping what we have for ourselves. We are not sharing what we have with you.”

On the surface their response can seem downright cold to some. Uncaring. Certainly seems ‘un-Christian’. But it is not! The Wise Virgins were simply remaining committed to their fundamental call to be ready for the bridegroom. Despite the pain, suffering, and panic experienced by the Foolish Virgins, the Wise Virgins remained resolute. They had been prepared with enough oil for their own lamps and to have shared their oil would have put the Wise Virgins at risk of failing to live up to the primary call they had received. They were not being selfish; they were exemplifying enlightened self-interest.

Undoubtedly the Wise Virgins experienced some anguish over the Foolish Virgins’ situation. Yet, they were not disinterested and cold in their refusal to share. No hostility here! Quite the contrary, they came up with an idea: “Quick, go to the market and buy some oil.” In other words, take responsibility for your selves; follow the call you were given. Well, too little, too late for the Foolish Virgins. The parable does not discuss how the Wise Virgins felt seeing the Foolish Virgins miss the wedding procession, but I imagine that they felt sad. Not guilty (that would be codependent) – they did nothing wrong. But sad! A sadness with the accompanying experience of powerlessness in the realization that they had been helpless to prevent the results of the Foolish Virgins’ poor planning.

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