The MInd of Christ

 How important is it that we be of one mind?  I know that yesterday's entry repeated one not long ago, but it was triggered by a conversation that I found disturbing.  Even among those who love God, we seem to assume that we all have to agree:  heretic, liar, a thing to flout, in the words of Edwin Markham, springs readily to our minds and hearts when confronted with those who do not agree with us.

However, this morning as I was reading Psalm 20, I realized that the agreement we seek will not come first.  The ultimate goal is the mind of Christ: one heart, one mind, one will -- that is, the mind of God, the heart of God, the will of God.  St. Peter exclaims, "How wonderful that we should be called the children of God, and in fact we are!"  But like all children, we do not immediately think and feel like our parents.  The story of rebellion in the Garden is our own story.  We begin by asserting our independence:  I am not my parents; I am nothing like my parents.  I am my own person.  Of course we are!  But slowly and eventually, we find ourselves becoming like our parents after all. 

In the spiritual life, the process is the same, and it is a very slow process.  Cardinal Suenens once remarked at an interdenominational conference, "I used to think that we would first be united by one doctrine, and then come to one love and one will.  But now I understand that we are to be first united by a common love, and then by a common will, which will eventually bring us to a common doctrine" (paraphrased). 

In looking at the politics of our country, I see the pattern exposed.  For 200 years, what united America was a common love of God, country, and a score of immigrants who came together as one nation.  We never thought alike -- the Constitutional Convention was a holy mess and threatened to dissolve at almost every minute--- but what united us and overrode our disagreements was a common love for the nation as a whole.  However, while that love remains buried under our politics, the issues have come to the forefront, causing us to lose sight of the ultimate goal -- one nation, one people.  Benjamin Franklin famously once said, "Gentlemen, we must all hang together, or we shall hang separately."  

Reading Psalm 20 this morning, I realized that this prayer is a wonderful starting point for those who disagree on politics, religion, and everything else.  In fact, in the midst of this worldwide pandemic, in the face of the immense suffering of Texans and others who have no heat, no water, and no food, I see others who may be on the opposite side of the political aisle reaching out to their brothers and sisters, saying:

May the Lord answer you in time of trouble,
may the name of Jacob's God protect you,

sending you help from the holy place,

and giving you support from Zion.

May God remember all your offerings,

receive your sacrifice with favor,

give you your heart's desire,

and fulfill every one of your plans.

May we ring out our joy at your victory,

and raise banners in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your prayers.

Maybe Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, should begin each morning by reciting Psalm 20 with sincerity to their opponents. If we want to reach a common mind on issues, it is clear that we must begin with a common love for one another, with a common respect.  That kind of union is possible only in Christ, whose Spirit is given to bring us into unity with one another.  Maybe the purpose of our natural disasters is to help us drop our political baggage and to take up the cause of brotherhood.  

On Discernment of Spirits

 

He drew a circle that shut me out-

Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.

But love and I had the wit to win:

We drew a circle and took him In! 

(Edwin Markham)

Ignatius of Loyola developed a series of spiritual exercises based on "Discernment of Spirits."  For years, I sort of ignored these exercises because of my ignorance of what he meant by "discernment of spirits."  I assumed that it might have had something to do with discerning the spirits of other people, something I was not much interested in pursuing.  However, recently, I started listening to some lectures on Ignatian Mysticism.  Much to my surprise, I discovered that discernment of spirits had nothing to do with other people -- it had everything to do with my own spiritual life!

When Ignatius the soldier was wounded in battle, he was sent to his aunt's castle, Manresa, to recover.  An avid reader, he searched for books to keep him company during his forced idleness.  He loved adventure and romance, but to his dismay, all that was available to him at the time was the Life of Christ and the lives of the saints.  Gradually, Ignatius began to realize that when he read adventure, his spirit was left restless and uneasy.  When he read the spiritual books, however, he was left with a sense of peace and calm that remained with him even after he finished reading.  Gradually, he developed a series of what he called "exercises" that strengthened and continued his sense of peace and joy.

After hearing this take on discernment of spirits, I began to notice how things affected my own spirit.  In fact, I learned quickly -- by looking at Facebook.  Today I still joke that Facebook taught me more about discernment of spirits than any spiritual book.  I would initially get onto fb to follow the antics of my friends and relatives, not to mention the cute animal antics that fill its pages.  However, it was not long before I started looking at political comments and posturing posted by people I knew.  One time, I ventured to ask someone a question about the electoral college --- I really wanted to know the thinking behind eliminating it from our voting system.  Immediately, I was attacked as "stupid," "unable to understand," "retro," "unable to keep up," "unwanting to change," etc.  Actually, my descriptive words here are quite mild compared to what flew around on fb.  It seemed there was an angry mob out there just waiting for its next victim! 

My interior reaction to that event taught me all I ever needed to know about discernment of spirits.  It also taught me to stay off facebook altogether!  Edwin Markham to the contrary, my own spirit was not strong enough to draw a circle that drew them (my attackers) in -- at least not on facebook.  

In real life, however, I do not find it difficult to draw a circle that draws [them] in.  Perhaps it is because I deal with people one at a time, and because it is easier to get to know the person whose opinions do not match my own -- perhaps it is easier to just back off or walk away from their anger and hostility.  In the quiet of my own prayer, I have time to weigh their reactions and evaluate my own response.  Finally, when I seek the mind of Christ, I see things differently: I see people who are unique and precious, people who have gifts different from mine, people whose lives far outweigh their politics.  

And I see that Christ took in a band of 12 very different disciples, who at first argued among themselves as to which of them was the greatest.  In the end, however, He prayed that they would be one, even as He and the Father were One.  He drew a circle that drew them in, not out!  A lofty goal indeed for us.