Inspiration of Sorts
Saint John of the Cross to the rescue, somewhat. This post will take me a moment to write. And a moment, at the moment, I do not have. So I have made a start. And will return later some time to carry on.
Ah well. A day has gone by and I have forgotten what my great inspiration of sorts was. So I shall conjure up a new one from my boundless imagination.
St. John’s writing, in The Living Flame of Love, at some points gets too lofty for me to understand. In other places I more or less relate, sometimes a little, sometimes a little more, to what he is expressing. For awhile, though, my nighly readings had become a struggle.
Then I got a few bits of understanding and, yes, got very inspired. Even though I was not up to trying to unite with God, there seemed to be a point to keeping God in mind throughout the day.
Then all of a sudden his writing started describing methods of spiritual directing. He began to criticize the bullying he thought some directors practised, as they attempted to steer their clients towards mental prayer.
He emphasized that at some point in a person’s spiritual life, it was time to put aside formal structured spiritual practices and let God take over. St. John said it was good at such times that these people spent lots of time alone, appearing to others to be idle and wasting time, because God was working inside them, teaching them.
Some part of me breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, yesterday I even had a short nap in my hammock, my loving cat lying close by, just before the yard got shady. It has been a long time since I have felt so at peace.
And I understood how St. John of the Cross had upset some of his fellow religious by getting ahead of them in his spiritual philosophy.
