I’m blessed to be working my way through Companions in Christ curriculum with an amazing group of women. This week, one of our exercises has been to read the spiritual journeys of several well-known forebears in their faith journey and to reflect on what motivated their search for God and to consider turning points that may have been significant for them and to consider how we may or may not relate to their stories.
We read the stories of Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther, Mother Teresa and Evelyn Underhill. As I reflected on my own faith journey, I was sometimes a little envious that my journey was not as clear and straightforward and saint-like and in other instances I was grateful that my journey has not been as difficult, so far. Augustine of Hippo and Martin Luther have made a HUGE impact on Christianity and I am so grateful for their witness! Mother Teresa was one of the most selfless giving people that has likely ever made herself available to be a conduit of God’s grace, but yet I can’t really identity with her as much as I honestly wish I could… I would like to be more hands on like she was throughout her ministry. But to be honest, I’m not sure I’ve got what it takes to be on ground zero in mission and ministry and love like Mother Teresa exemplified in her life. I hope to grow to be more like her.
The person I found myself resonating most with was Evelyn Underhill. I was highlighting and underlining and writing in the margins of the book as I read her story. I will never be a spiritual giant like she was, but I can understand and appreciate her passion for mystical theology and her challenge in finding herself fully at home in any of the churches where she typically worshiped. Evelyn found home when she went on spiritual retreats. After her first retreat, she wrote to her spiritual director “The whole house seems soaked in love and prayer. To my surprise a regimen of daily communion and four services a day with silence between was the most easy unstrained and natural life I had ever lived.”
She later reflects on the fact that a true retreat reconnects us with our living Source so that we find ourselves more truly connected with one another. Time spent in worship, silence and communion refreshes our spirits at a depth no other activity can match. She understood that contemplation is essentially the wordless path to union with God.
If we study the life of Teresa of Avila, Thomas Merton and Evelyn Underhill we find a remarkable blend of action and contemplation. Underhill was a mystic at heart, championing the path of interior quiet and listening. My inward journey has resulted in a desire to become more action-oriented, and I am reminded that the contemplative life is a necessary challenge for me.
One significant reminder that we learned this week was that everyone’s faith journey is different, and there are many examples of lives that are worth emulating. My encouragement to each of us is to be intentional in seeking spiritual giants to learn from and to emulate. I invite you to join me in prayerfully considering the individuals who have influenced your spiritual growth. If you have taken new directions or been influenced in positive ways by individuals, I encourage you to share with them how they have influenced you, if they are still around and you are still in touch with them. At a minimum, I encourage you to journal about your spiritual journey and/or reflect on it with a spiritual director or friend. It can be quite eye-opening if we take the time to reflect.
Peace Y’all,
Claire
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Claire – Reflecting on Spiritual Giants
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