This week, kriyabans from The Assisi Institute will share reflections on written passages from some of our great spiritual teachers as Isha Das turns to other work on our behalf. Today’s reflection comes to us from Herb Tierney.
“There is not a moment in which God does not present Himself under the cover of some pain to be endured, of some consolation to be enjoyed, or of some duty to be performed. All that takes place within us, around us, or through us, contains and conceals His divine action.” ― Jean-Pierre de Caussade,
What you just read comes from a great saint. From the seventeenth century, Father de Caussade tells us that the spirit of God is present in every action, inaction, and interaction in every moment of every day. He uses language descriptive of emotional states — feelings — and the work of life: pain to endure, consolation to enjoy, and duty to perform. My experience is that the way of my soul is the way of my feelings. All that happens is for my personal growth and understanding, and in my actions and especially my internal reactions, I find proof of the presence of God.
Throughout my life, I have found particular meaning in Father de Caussade’s wisdom anytime I have had a strong inner reaction to any person, place, circumstance, or new-found reality that was not in line with my usual thinking. When I settle down after my initial, usually negative reaction, I often realize that my first reaction was way off from the truth of the situation. Today, I know that my feelings, positive or negative, have a great deal to teach me about some particular position or stance I have taken in life. As I mature it has become easier to relinquish some of my deeply held ideas about God, the universe, people, and life in general. In the end it always seems to come down to my trusting God to lead me spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically to new ground. This kind of trust is called radical surrender. Father de Caussade said it best in the title of his greatest book, Abandonment to Divine Providence, which details the ultimate in the practice of letting go and letting God. What are your inner reactions telling you today?
Great Guru, hear my prayer.
Help me to accept
That you are ever present,
And your care for me
Will guide me home.
Om, Peace, Shanti, Shalom,
Amen.
