June 30, 2010

                Today's Readings
  

Amos 5: 14-15, 21-24

  Psalm 50: 7-13, 16-17

Matthew 8: 28-34

When he reached the territory of the Gadarenes on the other side, two demoniacs came towards him out of the tombs—they were so dangerously violent that nobody could use that path. Suddenly they shouted, ‘What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the time?’ Now some distance away there was a large herd of pigs feeding, and the devils pleaded with Jesus, ‘If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.’ And he said to them, ‘Go then,’ and they came out and made for the pigs; and at that the whole herd charged down the cliff into the lake and perished in the water. The herdsmen ran off and made for the city, where they told the whole story, including what had happened to the demoniacs. Suddenly the whole city set out to meet Jesus; and as soon as they saw him they implored him to leave their neighbourhood.

                It says Seek good and not evil,
                    that you may live —
                    . . .

                Hate evil and love good —

                We have a choice

                To listen to satan who tells us to
                    act with behavior against
                    the commandment to love God.
                    We are to love God with
                    our whole heart and
                    soul and our whole
                    being and love our
                    neighbor as ourselves.

                To listen to satan and
                    do what he says
                    is to do wrong.   

                God gives us a free will —

                We have a choice to love or
                    to hate —

                To be jealous or to do God's will
                    and not block others doing
                    God's will

                A person possessing another as Fr. Carter says
                    slavishly dependent on another
                    is wrong —
                    controlling because we don't
                        want anything unexpected —
                    controlling to force our behavior
                    which is dysfunctional  —

                Pope John Paul II says —

                    Seek God's will and do it

                Always being busy —

                A man had a choice —
                    he could travel one of 2 roads —
                    he wanted to please people
                        cheering him on to follow
                        a wide road that was
                        filled with pleasure —

                    he felt the road was the wrong
                        road — he remembered
                        the scripture about
                        the narrow road

                    But he wanted the recognition
                        of men so he wore the
                        mask he knew so well
                        approval of men at all costs
                        and he took the WIDE,
                        WRONG, ROAD

                Help me God to know the joy of Your
                    peace and of living my life
                    seeking Your will and having
                    the joy of my heart — in
                    loving — not seeking dominance
                    for dominance sake,
                    revenge
                    rescuing others to make myself
                        look good —

                But doing God's will —
                Seeking God's will
                Loving God's will —
                We pray to the Lord to have
                    mercy on us for our
                    sins are many —

                Be merciful, O Lord, for we have
                    sinned —

1 John 1: 5—2:2

This is what we have heard from him
and are declaring to you:
God is light,
    and there is no darkness in him at all.
If we say that we share in God’s life
while we are living in darkness,
we are lying,
    because we are not living the truth.
But if we live in light,
as he is in light,
we have a share in another’s life,
and the blood of Jesus, his Son,
cleanses us from all sin.

If we say, ‘We have no sin,’
we are deceiving ourselves,
and truth has no place in us
if we acknowledge our sins,
he is trustworthy and upright,
so that he will forgive our sins
and will cleanse us from all evil.
If we say, ‘We have never sinned,’
we make him a liar,
and his word has no place in us.

My children, I am writing this
    to prevent you from sinning;
but if anyone does sin,
we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ, the upright.
He is the sacrifice to expiate our sins,
and not only ours,
but also those of the whole world.

                St. Paul tells us
     

1 Corinthian 2: 12

                Fr. Carter said:

Life in the Spirit

    St. Paul tells us, "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God" (1 Cor 2:12). This particular text admirably serves the discussion of mysticism. Mysticism is the lived awareness, to a highly developed degree, of what it means to live the God-life. It is a profound realization of what it means to participate in God's life through grace. The above text reminds us that the Holy Spirit has been given to us to teach us how to live this God-life, this Christ-life. The Spirit perfectly understands the life of God, and he perfectly understands our participation in that life. He is the perfect teacher who instructs us how to live and develop this life, ideally to its mystical heights.

    The Holy Spirit, consequently, is with us to guide us in our life in Christ. He continually desires to deepen the Christic, Trinitarian image within us. While by no means pretending to be exhaustive, let us consider some of the truths and practices pertinent to life in the Spirit.

    The Spirit desires that we constantly seek out Jesus. Whatever the Spirit wants to tell us, along whatever path he desires to lead us—all this in some way is contained in the mystery of Christ.  To be formed in Christ under the gentle but sure touch of the Spirit means that we must be open to the spiritual lessons contained in the various mysteries or events of Christ's life. This is especially true of the two central and summary mysteries, Christ's death and resurrection. We must consistently strive to have the proper perspective concerning these two key events. Spiritual writing has not always presented such a perspective. For many years a considerable portion of spiritual writing and teaching seemed to present the cross dimension, or dying with Christ, as if it were to receive almost exclusive attention. That we should be living resurrection upon this earth, as well as looking forward to its culmination in eternal life, was often not properly emphasized. To live resurrection in the here and now means to increasingly partake of resurrection peace, joy, happiness and fulfillment. Our incorporation into Christ's passion and death is a means to a life of resurrection here on earth as well as in eternity.

    Today, we must guard against the opposite danger—incorrectly emphasizing resurrection with the consequent effect of removing the cross aspect from its proper place in Christian consciousness. We must always be aware of the words of Paul: "For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning" (1 Cor 1:17).

    The Spirit, then, desires to lead us to a consistent and balanced contact with Christ. Some of the means we should use to assure this contact are participation in liturgy, reading of Scripture, and prayer.

    The mention of prayer easily leads us to another important aspect of life in the Spirit—how the Spirit guides us in making the proper decisions in the following of Christ. Among the various purposes of prayer is seeking such guidance from the Spirit. In prayer the Christian asks for the necessary light to make decisions according to the teaching and example of Jesus. In prayer one asks for the grace to see persons, places, things, circumstances, according to a Christian perspective. Prayer, then, is necessary for proper decision-making because it is a special source of light for the intellect. Prayer is also a special source of strength for the will. Prayer gives us the strength and courage to make correct decisions even though these at times are very difficult or unpopular ones, ones which may make life unusually demanding for a period of time.   

    As we seek the light of the Spirit during prayer, we must be aware that not everything we originally think is an illumination of the Spirit actually is such. In other words, there are false lights or illuminations. We must, therefore, be able to distinguish between true and false lights. As St. Ignatius of Loyola tells us, we must consider the entire course of what we think are the enlightenments of the Spirit.¹ We must consider their beginning, middle, and end. If the entire course is good and directed to what is right, then we have assurance our lights are according to the Spirit. A false light could begin by presenting us with a good, but the end point, and possibly also the middle point, discloses the false light in its true character. Such a light would lead us to what is evil, or less good.

    As we prayerfully consider the various options involved in a decision-making process, we begin to experience a sense of peace and clarity relative to one of the options. This usually seems to happen in a more gradual manner, but it also can occur rather suddenly. This experience of peace and clarity is one of the great signs pointing to the decision which the Spirit desires we make.

end of excerpt

 

Excerpt of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, by Louis J. Puhl, S.J. pp. 141-150
    

313. RULES FOR DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS
I

Rules for understanding to some extent the different movements produced in the soul and for recognizing those that are good to admit them, and those that are bad, to reject them. These rules are more suited to the first week
  

314.  I.  In the case of those who go from one mortal sin to another, the enemy is ordinarily accustomed to propose apparent pleasures. He fills their imagination with sensual delights and gratifications, the more readily to keep them in their vices and increase the number of their sins.

    With such persons the good spirit uses a method which is the reverse of the above. Making use of the light of reason, he will rouse the sting of conscience and fill them with remorse.

315.  2.  In the case of those who go on earnestly striving to cleanse their souls from sin and who seek to rise in the service of God our Lord to greater perfection, the method pursued is the opposite of that mentioned in the first rule.

    Then it is characteristic of the evil spirit to harass with anxiety, to afflict with sadness, to raise obstacles backed by fallacious reasonings that disturb the soul. Thus he seeks to prevent the soul from advancing.

    It is characteristic of the good spirit, however, to give courage and strength, consolations, tears, inspirations, and peace. This He does by making all easy, by removing all obstacles so that the soul goes forward in doing good.

316.  3.  SPIRITUAL CONSOLATION.  I call it consolation when an interior movement is aroused in the soul, by which it is inflamed with love of its Creator and Lord, and as a consequence, can love no creature on the face of the earth for its own sake, but only in the Creator of them all. It is likewise consolation when one sheds tears that move to the love of God, whether it be because of sorrow for sins, or because of the sufferings of Christ our Lord, or for any other reason that is immediately directed to the praise and service of God. Finally, I call consolation every increase of faith, hope, and love, and all interior joy that invites and attracts to what is heavenly and to the salvation of one's soul by filling it with peace and quiet in its Creator and Lord.

317.  4.  SPIRITUAL DESOLATION.  I call desolation what is entirely the opposite of what is described in the third rule, as darkness of soul, turmoil of spirit, inclination to what is low and earthly, restlessness rising from many disturbances and temptations which lead to want of faith, want of hope, want of love. The soul is wholly slothful, tepid, sad, and separated, as it were, from its Creator and Lord. For just as consolation is the opposite of desolation, so the thoughts that spring from consolation are the opposite of those that spring from desolation.

318.  5.  In time of desolation we should never make any change, but remain firm and constant in the resolution and decision which guided us the day before the desolation, or in the decision to which we adhered in the preceding consolation. For just as in consolation the good spirit guides and counsels us, so in desolation the evil spirit guides and counsels. Following his counsels we can never find the way to a right decision.

319.  6.  Though in desolation we must never change our former resolutions, it will be very advantageous to intensify our activity against the desolation. We can insist more upon prayer, upon meditation, and on much examination of ourselves. We can make an effort in a suitable way to do some penance.

320.  7.  When one is in desolation, he should be mindful that God has left him to his natural powers to resist the different agitations and temptations of the enemy in order to try him. He can resist with the help of God, which always remains, though he may not clearly perceive it. For though God has taken from him the abundance of fervor and overflowing love and the intensity of His favors, nevertheless, he has sufficient grace for eternal salvation.

321.  8.  When one is in desolation, he should strive to persevere in patience. This reacts against the vexations that have overtaken him. Let him consider, too, that consolation will soon return, and in the meantime, he must diligently use the means against desolation which have been given in the sixth rule.

322.  9.  The principal reasons why we suffer from desolation are three:

    The first is because we have been tepid and slothful or negligent in our exercises of piety, and so through our own fault spiritual consolation has been taken away from us.

    The second reason is because God wishes to try us, to see how much we are worth, and how much we will advance in His service and praise when left without the generous reward of consolations and signal favors.

    The third reason is because God wishes to give us a true knowledge and understanding of ourselves, so that we may have an intimate perception of the fact that it is not within our power to acquire and attain great devotion, intense love, tears, or any other spiritual consolation; but that all this is the gift and grace of God our Lord. God does not wish us to build on the property of another, to rise up in spirit in a certain pride and vainglory and attribute to ourselves the devotion and other effects of spiritual consolation.

323.  10.  When one enjoys consolation, let him consider how he will conduct himself during the time of ensuing desolation, and store up a supply of strength as defense against that day.

324.  11.  He who enjoys consolation should take care to humble himself and lower himself as much as possible. Let him recall how little he is able to do in time of desolation, when he is left without such grace or consolation.

    On the other hand, one who suffers desolation should remember that by making use of the sufficient grace offered him, he can do much to withstand all his enemies. Let him find his strength in his Creator and Lord.

325.  12.  The enemy conducts himself as a woman. He is a weakling before a show of strength, and a tyrant if he has his will. It is characteristic of a woman in a quarrel with a man to lose courage and take to flight if the man shows that he is determined and fearless. However, if the man loses courage and begins to flee, the anger, vindictiveness, and rage of the woman surge up and know no bounds. In the same way, the enemy becomes weak, loses courage, and turns to flight with his seductions as soon as one leading a spiritual life faces his temptations boldly, and does exactly the opposite of what he suggests. However, if one begins to be afraid and to lose courage in temptations, no wild animal on earth can be more fierce than the enemy of our human nature. He will carry out his perverse intentions with consummate malice.

326.  13.  Our enemy may also be compared in his manner of acting to a false lover. He seeks to remain hidden and does not want to be discovered. If such a lover speaks with evil intention to the daughter of a good father, or to the wife of a good husband, and seeks to seduce them, he wants his words and solicitations kept secret. He is greatly displeased if his evil suggestions and depraved intentions are revealed by the daughter to her father, or by the wife to her husband. Then he readily sees he will not succeed in what he has begun. In the same way, when the enemy of our human nature tempts a just soul with his wiles and seductions, he earnestly desires that they be received secretly and kept secret. But if one manifests them to a confessor, or to some other spiritual person who understands his deceits and malicious designs, the evil one is very much vexed. For he knows that he cannot succeed in his evil undertaking, once his evident deceits have been revealed.

327.  14.  The conduct of our enemy may also be compared to the tactics of a leader intent upon seizing and plundering a position he desires. A commander and leader of an army will encamp, explore the fortifications and defenses of the stronghold, and attack at the weakest point. In the same way, the enemy of our human nature investigates from every side all our virtues, theological, cardinal, and moral. Where he finds the defenses of eternal salvation weakest and most deficient, there he attacks and tries to take us by storm.

     

328. RULES FOR DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS
II

Further rules for understanding the different movements produced in the soul. They serve for a more accurate discernment of spirits and are more suitable for the second week
  

329.  I.  It is characteristic of God and His Angels, when they act upon the soul, to give true happiness and spiritual joy, and to banish all the sadness and disturbances which are caused by the enemy.
   It is characteristic of the evil one to fight against such happiness and consolation by proposing fallacious reasonings, subtilties, and continual deceptions.

330.  2.  God alone can give consolation to the soul without any previous cause. It belongs solely to the Creator to come into a soul, to leave it, to act upon it, to draw it wholly to the love of His Divine Majesty. I said without previous cause, that is, without any preceding perception or knowledge of any subject by which a soul might be led to such a consolation through its own acts of intellect and will.

331.  3.  If a cause precedes, both the good angel and the evil spirit can give consolation to a soul, but for a quite different purpose. The good angel consoles for the progress of the soul, that it may advance and rise to what is more perfect. The evil spirit consoles for purposes that are the contrary, and that afterwards he might draw the soul to his own perverse intentions and wickedness.

332.  4.  It is a mark of the evil spirit to assume the appearance of an angel of light. He begins by suggesting thoughts that are suited to a devout soul, and ends by suggesting his own. For example, he will suggest holy and pious thoughts that are wholly in conformity with the sanctity of the soul. Afterwards, he will endeavor little by little to end by drawing the soul into his hidden snares and evil designs.

333.  5.  We must carefully observe the whole course of our thoughts. If the beginning and middle and end of the course of thoughts are wholly good and directed to what is entirely right, it is a sign that they are from the good angel. But the course of thoughts suggested to us may terminate in something evil, or distracting, or less good than the soul had formerly proposed to do. Again, it may end in what weakens the soul, or disquiets it; or by destroying the peace, tranquility, and quiet which it had before, it may cause disturbance to the soul. These things are a clear sign that the thoughts are proceeding from the evil spirit, the enemy of our progress and eternal salvation.

334.  6.  When the enemy of our human nature has been detected and recognized by the trail of evil marking his course and by the wicked end to which he leads us, it will be profitable for one who has been tempted to review immediately the whole course of the temptation. Let him consider the series of good thoughts, how they arose, how the evil one gradually attempted to make him step down from the state of spiritual delight and joy in which he was, till finally he drew him to his wicked designs. The purpose of this review is that once such an experience has been understood and carefully observed, we may guard ourselves for the future against the customary deceits of the enemy.

335.  7.  In souls that are progressing to greater perfection, the action of the good angel is delicate, gentle, delightful. It may be compared to a drop of water penetrating a sponge.
    The action of the evil spirit upon such souls is violent, noisy, and disturbing. It may be compared to a drop of water falling upon a stone.
    In souls that are going from bad to worse, the action of the spirits mentioned above is just the reverse. The reason for this is to be sought in the opposition or similarity of these souls to the different kinds of spirits. When the disposition is contrary to that of the spirits, they enter with noise and commotion that are easily perceived. When the disposition is similar to that of the spirits, they enter silently, as one coming into his own house when the doors are open.

336.  8.  When consolation is without previous cause, as was said, there can be no deception in it, since it can proceed from God our Lord only. But a spiritual person who has received such a consolation must consider it very attentively, and must cautiously distinguish the actual time of the consolation from the period which follows it. At such a time the soul is still fervent and favored with the grace and aftereffects of the consolation which has passed. In this second period the soul frequently forms various resolutions and plans which are not granted directly by God our Lord. They may come from our own reasoning on the relations of our concepts and on the consequences of our judgments, or they may come from the good or evil spirit. Hence, they must be carefully examined before they are given full approval and put into execution.

end of excerpt of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius

                Fr. Carter said:

    Just as we can be subjected to false lights, we can also experience false peace. For example, we can experience a certain peace because the decision we are about to make will relieve us of a considerable burden. The peace, however, is short-lived. We begin to feel dissatisfied with the prospective decision, ill-at-ease about actually choosing this particular action. Recognizing the briefly experienced peace as a false sign, we then continue the discernment process.

    We must also realize that the experience of true peace in in the decision-making process does not guarantee that all anxiety is removed. In choosing a certain option, we are indeed guided by the experience of peace, but there can also be certain fears attached to our choice. There can also be aspects of the decision not to our liking. The experience of peace, however, remains dominant, giving us reasonable assurance we have chosen correctly in the Spirit.       

    In striving to make decisions in the Spirit, we must also be aware of another important principle: as far as possible, we should never make decisions, especially important ones, when we are in a state of desolation. In such a state we are in danger of making decisions which are not in accordance with the Spirit. Let us consider some of the words of St. Ignatius concerning desolation: "I call desolation ... darkness of soul, turmoil of spirit, inclination to what is low and earthly, restlessness rising from many disturbances and temptations which lead to want of faith, want of hope, want of love ...."²

    As we progress in our discussion of principles and practices regarding life in the Spirit, let us now consider the concept of spiritual freedom. Growth in this freedom is one of the great signs of spiritual progress. Spiritual freedom is the ability to relate to persons, places, things, circumstances, and all else according to God's will. It means we are free enough to live in the manner God desires. Spiritual freedom means we are not wrongfully attached to this or that—an attachment which prevents us from following the lead of the Spirit.

    As we are using the idea of spiritual freedom, a lack of such does not imply a person is not responsible for wrongful action. It simply means one abuses freedom, that one is here and now attached to a particular attitude or desire which leads one to go against the Spirit's lead.

    St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. John of the Cross are two of the great masters regarding growth in spiritual freedom. They do not use the same type of language, but their message is basically the same—one must take whatever means are necessary to put oneself at the disposal of God. One must labor at breaking the inordinate attachments which lead one to go against God's will. One must develop the spiritual freedom necessary to decide according to the Spirit's guidance.

    The more the mystical process develops, the more this spiritual freedom takes deeper root in a person. Growth in mysticism includes a growing desire to be possessed by God, to do whatever he wants, to accomplish his will at all costs. All this describes a person who is truly free, a person who uses freedom to accomplish one's God-given destiny.   

    Growth in spiritual freedom is accompanied by growth in spiritual peace. Here, then, we wish to expand upon this concept of peace which we earlier discussed in connection with prayer and its decision-making process. For we should cultivate spiritual peace not only relative to discernment, but also as it pertains to all aspects of our lives.

    To maintain oneself in a state of peace is extremely important for life in the Spirit. We can best listen to the Spirit and respond to his lights when in a basic peace of spirit. We may speak of three different kinds of this peace.

    The first type is not of everyday occurrence. It is that feeling of peace which permeates all aspects of our being to such an extent that we can, as it were, almost taste the peace. We seem to feel it flowing through the total person. Again, this experience is not the ordinary fare.

    A second type of peace is one which is our more customary companion on the spiritual journey. It is of a calmer nature, sometimes even accompanied by considerable spiritual dryness. It is that kind of peace which we experience on a rather daily basis. It is present amid the ordinary successes, troubles, joys, and anxieties of everyday existence. If it does not raise us to the ecstatic level of the first kind of peace, it is, nevertheless, a welcome companion. It enables us to go about our life in the Lord with a basic joy, enthusiasm, trust, and optimism.   

    The third kind of peace is, as is the case with the type first described, of a more rare occurrence. It is that peace which we should strive for even though we are presently experiencing very significant—perhaps even severe—suffering of one kind or other. This mode of suffering has the capacity to disturb us mightily, to confuse us, to narrow our perspective. We must, then, make very special efforts to go deep down to the center of our being where there is that peace which even deep suffering cannot remove. When we reach this centerpoint, when we actuate this deep-rooted level of peace, we are in a position to confront the suffering as the Spirit desires. We are in a position to allow him to guide us through the suffering in a manner which promotes the pattern of death-resurrection. We rise from the experience more spiritually mature, persons capable of deeper love of God and neighbor.

                    1. Cf. The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, translated by L. Puhl (Westminster: Newman Press, 1951), Nos. 332-334.
                            2.  Ibid., No. 317.
                            3.  Cf. St. Francis de Sales, On the Love of God, translated by J. Ryan (New York:  Doubleday, 1963), Bk VIII, Ch. 13, pp. 84-87.
                            4.  Jean Laplace,  The Direction of Conscience (New York: Herder and Herder, 1967), p.173.                   

end of excerpt

1 John 2: 9-10

1 John 4: 11-12

                Being open to the Spirit

                Not rigid

                We do not go to God alone —
                    God calls us to work
                    with each other —
                    to help others achieve
                        their destiny

                PRAY to be holy

                Let us pray for all our
                    brothers and sisters —

Prayer for Union with Jesus

Come to me, Lord, and possess my soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help me to sit in silence with You and let You work in my heart.

    I am Yours to possess. I am Yours to use. I want to be selfless and only exist in You. Help me to spoon out all that is me and be an empty vessel ready to be filled by You. Help me to die to myself and live only for You. Use me as You will. Let me never draw my attention back to myself. I only want to operate as You do, dwelling within me.

    I am Yours, Lord. I want to have my life in You. I want to do the will of the Father. Give me the strength to put aside the world and let You operate my very being. Help me to act as You desire. Strengthen me against the distractions of the devil to take me from Your work.

    When I worry, I have taken my focus off of You and placed it on myself. Help me not to give in to the promptings of others to change what in my heart You are making very clear to me. I worship You, I adore You and I love You. Come and dwell in me now.

-God's Blue Book, January 17, 1994

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                Oh Mary help us