(Lk 1:46-54)
(PP 78-79 )The ‘false self’ is the name given by many to the way human beings seek happiness in ways that can never fully satisfy. We all want to be happy, and we are programmed to seek happiness. Human beings are made for God and only God can fill “the deep caverns of feeling.” (John of the Cross) Unfortunately, our tendency is to seek the fulfilment that only God can give in ways that can never satisfy. We believe that we will be fully satisfied if we can control our little world. If we are receiving the affection that we believe is our due, and if our basic survival is guaranteed. Of course, the more we have, the more we seek, and our demands become impossible to be satisfied. Our tendency is to turn anything into an idol, that is, we seek from people and objects the enduring happiness that can come only from God.The ‘false self’ will seek even to use God and religion for selfish purposes. This is one reason why religion itself is sometimes accused of being a menace to humanity! People will use anything, including religion, to fulfil what they perceive to be their needs. Religion, of course, is intended to lead us to God. All the world religions, as far as I know, speak of peace and love and so on. … The decision to follow the still small voice of God, who calls us to enter on the path to eternal life, is a very personal – and sometimes courageous - decision, without many of the usual social supports of the past.
When we actually begin to seek God seriously, and not just play at being religious, we enter more deeply into the relationship with God who is determined to bring us to the fullness of life. This fullness requires the death of the ‘false self’, which is not accomplished overnight, but rather takes at least a lifetime of responding to the grace of God. At all times we have to be on the lookout for the ‘false self’ poking its nose into our affairs. When we begin to take the relationship with God seriously, we naturally turn to prayer in some form. Prayer is the relationship with God, and so there are innumerable ways to respond to God’s initiative. Any prayer that is an opining to God is good. At different times on our journey, different ways of prayer will suit more than others. The Eucharist and the Divine Office are the prayer of Christ, and sharing with other people in this prayer is always important on the journey, but at some points it will seem more meaningful than at others. The liturgy is always meaningful, but at times, our ability to appreciate its depths is not as great as at other times. Reciting the vocal prayers many of us learned as children often remains a staple of our relationship with God, but the balance of this way of prayer and other more silent ways changes as we grow in our relationship with God. We do normally have to spend some time thinking about God, and about the various aspects of our faith, so that the relationship with God does not remain superficial. We can see many examples in the Gospels where Jesus challenged the disciples to grow in their faith. God challenges us, if we fail to respond, we cannot hope for a deep relationship. There does come a time in every relationship when words become less important, and a different way of responding is required. Words can become less important and silence more meaningful.
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This Bit of Wisdom is the second of ten selections from Let It Be: Praying the Scriptures in Company with Mary, the Mother of God by Father Joseph Chalmers, O. Carm. former Provincial General of the Carmelites of the Ancient Observance.
In the text, Fr. Chalmers presents a Lectio Divina of all the passages in the bible that include Mary, the Mother of God. He has reflections on the five steps of read, reflect, respond, rest and act. In his observations on the fourth step of resting he has some great insights on the spiritual life as observed in the context of the Carmelite tradition. I will be using these reflections for our “Bit of Wisdom” selections and reflections.
My Reflection:
Teresa of Avila has some marvelous insights on the teachings that Chalmers offers us. In her classic, The Interior Castle, she describes how the normal pattern of our experience of God moves away from the blindness and rejection of God’s call in the early stages of our journey. In the first two dwelling places or levels of The Interior Castle, the individual is caught in the struggle to listen to the voce of God and forsake the crude and vicious idols of a very selfish lifestyle.When this spiritual warfare is settled on the side of virtue, the person moves on to the third dwelling places. This is a good place to be. There is much left behind, but surprisingly, there is even much more ahead on the pilgrimage to God. The great temptation of the third dwelling places is to forsake the journey’s call to move on and to settle down to enjoy the progress.
A key insight of Teresa is that our selfishness now goes underground. It surfaces in the name of virtue. This leads to self-righteousness and hypocrisy that Chalmers talks about in his reflections. This is the cause of great distress and conflict among people of good will. Much harm is imposed in the name of virtue and religious commitment. This is the curse of all religions.
Teresa says the solution is self-knowledge. This comes from deep personal prayer and humility which is the ability to slowly see things as God sees them. Teresa’s simple definition of humility is the truth.
Once again, prayer is the guiding light that directs one away from the deception of the ‘false self’.
Reflection #2
In his personal manifesto The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis has much to say about the problem of self-righteousness and hypocrisy in the Church.“93- Spiritual worldliness, which hides behind the appearance of piety and even love for the Church, consists in seeking not the Lord’s glory but human glory and personal well-being. It is what the Lord reprimanded the Pharisees for. “How can you believe, who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (Jn 5: 44) It is a subtle way of seeking one’s “own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” (Phil 2:21). It takes on many forms, depending on the kinds of persons and groups into which it seeps. Sin it is based on carefully cultivating appearances, it is not always linked to outward sin; from without, everything appears as it should be. But if it were to seep into the Church it would be infinitely more disastrous than any other worldlines which is simply moral.
95. This insidious worldliness is evident in a number of attitudes which appear opposed, yet all have the same pretense of talking over the space of the Church. In some people we see an ostentatious preoccupation for the liturgy, for doctrine and for the Church’s prestige, but without any concern that the Gospel have a real impact on God’s faithful people and the concrete needs of the present time. In this way, the life of the Church turns into a museum piece or something which is the property of a select few. In others, this spiritual worldliness lurks behind a fascination with the social and political gain, or pride in their ability to manage practical affairs, or an obsession with programs of self-help and self-realization. It can also translate in a concern to be seen, into a social life full of appearances, meetings, dinners and receptions. It can also lead to a business mentality, caught up with management, statistics, plans and evaluations whose principal beneficiary is not God’s people but the Church as an institution. The mark of Christ, incarnate, crucified and risen, is not present; closed and elite groups are formed, and no effort is made to go forth and seek out those who are distant or the immense multitudes who thirst for Christ. Evangelical fervor is replaced by the empty pleasure of complacency and self-indulgence.”
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