Finding spiritual vision

Sight, in spirituality, consist of the ability to see beyond "the veil" of temporality. Unlike normal eyesight, spiritual sight needs to be cultivated. It is this cultivation we term "seeking perfection." In the spiritual journey, we are not seeking some sort of state that defies human existence; rather, we are attempting to live in an awareness of the spirit that moves both within and around us.

In his book The Naked Now, Richard Rohr writers You can be ignorant of your birthright. You can neglect the gift, and thus not enjoy its wonderful fruits....That seems to be the case with many people...who do not know who they are and whose they are, people who have no connection to their inherent dignity and importance.

I think the striking words here are dignity and importance.  We don't even know ourselves if we remain in spiritual blindness. We don't know our own dignity and importance, we don't realize the power of God within us, we don't sense the all abiding presence there for the taking, a presence that would help us make sense of our lives.

To find light is to take time with that which is spiritual; to sit with silence and let it wrap its arms around you, to hear the inspirations of God in the stillness and darkness of your own soul. When you see, you do not so much begin to imagine spiritual realities as to make sense of the burdens in life. You began to look beyond the events and believe in destiny. You pierce the veil and know you are never alone. You realize that the temporal is not the abiding reality; there is a spiritual dimension to give it direction, meaning and purpose.

Wonderfully Made

Painting by Mary Grace Thul, OP

One can find a lot of negative theology.  It focuses on what we shouldn’t be, shouldn’t do, shouldn’t have, as though we could sloth off this mortal flesh. I was reminded of it again when reading Jean-Nicolas Grou’s meditation this morning: It is evident that all our spiritual strength ought to be employed against ourselves, against our own inclinations…” He has quite a long list of all the things we should be against, and they all spell one thing…human.

I once accepted these negative concepts. The spiritual life was all about war against the flesh. I forgot, Jesus was flesh. And as if to remind us, he gave us this flesh to eat.  As if to correct our thinking and let us know it is not our enemy unless we make it so.

There is another spirituality, one that seeks to unite instead of divide. That spirituality works with, not against. That spirituality would have us remember psalm 139:15 which says: I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

That is not the cry of someone battling the human, but one praising God for it.

Let me See Beyond

Sight, in spirituality, consist of the ability to see beyond "the veil" of temporality. Unlike normal eyesight, this gift must be cultivated. It is this cultivation we term "seeking perfection." In the spiritual journey, we are not seeking some sort of state that defies human existence; rather, we are attempting to live in an awareness of the spirit that moves both within us and around us.

In his book The Naked Now, Richard Rohr writers You can be ignorant of your birthright. You can neglect the gift, and thus not enjoy its wonderful fruits....That seems to be the case with many people...who do not know who they are and whose they are, people who have no connection to their inherent dignity and importance.

I think the striking words here are dignity and importance.  We don't even know ourselves if we remain in spiritual blindness. It's no wonder externals mean so much to our society, to our kids, to us. We don't know our own dignity and importance, we don't realize the power of God within us, we don't sense the all abiding presence there for the taking, and always ready to make sense of our lives.

To find light is to take time with that which is spiritual; to sit with silence and let it wrap its arms around you, to hear the inspirations of God in the stillness and darkness of your own soul. When you see, you do not so much begin to imagine spiritual realities as to make sense of the burdens in  life. You began to look beyond the events and believe in destiny. You pierce the veil and know you are never alone. You realize that the temporal is not the abiding reality; there is a spiritual dimension to give it direction, meaning and purpose.