In my Theo 450 class, we discussed the newly released letters of Mother Teresa, which indicate she went through some very dark times in which she was face to face with loneliness and spiritual doubt. This is what St. John of the Cross, in the 1500's, called "The Dark Night of the Soul."
Well, St. John has much to teach us. Below is a reflection by a priest of our own day, Fr. Richard Rohr. He is a challenging voice in our culture, one which echoes the early desert monks and mystics like St. John of the Cross.
Read this reflection and see if it helps understand why Mother Teresa would have experienced the Dark Night of the Soul.
True spirituality is utterly countercultural because it's non-merchandisable, non-measurable, non-provable. It is precisely nothing. Who wants to be nothing in this world? This culture's goal is for us to be something, to be everything, "to win friends and influence people."
St. John of the Cross puts it this way: "In order to come to pleasure you have not, you must go by a way that you will enjoy not. To come to the knowledge that you have not, you must go by a way that you know not. To come to the possession that you have not, you must go by a way in which you possess not. To come to be what you are not, you must go by a way that you are not" (Ascent of Mount Carmel, I, 13, #10).
We fear nothingness, of course. That's why we fear death, too. I suspect that death is the shocking realization that everything I thought was me, everything I held onto so despera tely, was precisely nothing. The nothingness we fear so much is, in fact, the treasure that we long for. We long for the space where there is nothing to prove and nothing to protect; where I am who I am, and its enough. Spirituality teaches us how to get naked ahead of time, so God can make love to us as we really are.
--Fr. Richard Rohr, from Letting Go: A Spirituality of Subtraction
If you are interested in receiving Rohr's short daily meditations, it is easy. Just click here and sign up!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
Angela says:It is refreshing to see a post about one of my favorite saints, especially when the date of my birthday is October 15, the date of a female doctor of the church, St. Teresa of Avila, who I was told was a very confrontational Saint, and if my memory serves me correctly were they not friends living at the same time? Her book the Interior Castle is also excellent. On the 7 rooms of the soul, and mediative prayer, she is very enlightening.
What I dont understand is why some people seem to think her struggle was a bad thing. So she doubted... big deal. Didnt Jesus doubt in guarden?
Ellen says: "Spirituality teaches us how to get naked ahead of time, so God can make love to us as we really are." This statement is so beautiful. Our culture tells us to keep busy and to keep noise in our lives. We need to be quiet to understand who we really are, and be able to become naked. To me Mother Teresa, accomplished true spirituality. Her ways were so different from that of the world. She didn't care about money or popularity, she cared about caring for those in need.
I suppose the line that stands out most for me is, "The nothingness we fear so much is, in fact, the treasure that we long for." This is a powerful sentence. I once was at work as a field inspector in the middle of a corn field. There was a lightning storm upon me and my co-worker. I said we have to hurry back to the cars so that we don't get struck by lighting. She said, if God wants me now he will take me. She was so confidnet in what she believed in and her faith that if she did die, she knew she had her faith.
----Kyle Kincaid-----
Lance says: "I think that knowing that someone as special as her struggled gives everyone hope. No matter if you struggle with your own thoughts and everything you can still do good in the world and help others to understand God."
I think the struggle is significant because if she didn't struggle or get challenged then it would be an indicator of not doing the right thing. Evil doesn't go after evil, it goes after good, good is a struggle and therefore the doubt is proof you are on the right path. I think it also shows us that she was human and was capable of struggling like we do so we are capable of succeeding like she does . . . jess
Steve F says: Her struggles more than likely helped her move along through her many journeys. Without her struggles, she could have ended up not continuing her journey of helping people with their own struggles. Without a will, there is no way.
I really agree with Ellen's comment about how we are so distracted from God by all the noise in our lives. It would help us all, in this country especially, to practice detachment from the many material obsessions and comforts we are so accustomed to and take for granted. I once heard that ghosts can't get you at night if you have alot of clutter around your bed. Now I don't know about ghosts, but God can't get through to us if we have so much clutter around us, although He is there all the time and we just can't see him. A Dark Night of the Soul happens when we feel disconnected from God, when we question whether He is really there or not. For someone like Mother Theresa, she struggled with it but never faltered in her commitment or faith, and for that reason she probably won a fantastic slice of pie in the sky. Rev Kev once told me the holy people have to suffer because ultimately that is how they get closer to God, and Mother Theresa is a great example of that.
This is an extremely strong message about life and I believe that it applies to knowledge and morals common to all religions. "Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. When you lose, don't lose the lesson. Follow the three R's: Respect for self. Respect for others. and Responsibility for all your actions. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. Spend some time alone every day. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality. Be gentle with the earth. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon."
-The Dali Lama's Message For Life
Post a Comment