The Better Part, on Spiritual Growth

I’ve always been honest in saying that the words I write for this blog are not mine.  I think they come from words I read, people I meet, and God’s grace pulls all the experiences and thoughts together into HIS thoughts, which He wishes to share with me.  And I write them down --- sometimes whether I want to or not.  I just have to do it.

But sometimes He just gives me a clear picture, already painted, complete.  Maybe He’s frustrated that with all the inputs He has given me I still don’t get it --- I wouldn’t be surprised.  Maybe it’s just the right time for me to see something that He has already shown to someone else, and I need to see it or hear it.  I think that’s the case with the Gospel reflections in The Better Part, for yesterday’s and today’s Gospel.  The reflections there spoke so clearly to me, I underlined them in the book, but want to document them here also.  They are worth saving, and sharing.  (Reflections 105 and 106, on Mark 4:1-34).

“The harvest consists of fruits of the Spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Gal 5:22).  In other words, by following Christ we become the kind of persons we yearn to be, both now and in eternity, and we are able to help others do the same. 

But accepting Christ’s rule involves refusing to vote for other candidates.  The parable (of the sower) identifies three types of alternative candidates.  The first is superficiality- to just go with the flow, like a lemming.  The second is laziness – comfort, pleasure and acceptance become highest priorities.  The third is self-centeredness – the seed which falls among the thorns, this candidate s obsessed with personal plans, goals, and achievements, in short, a personal agenda (kingdom) so consuming that Christ’s Kingdom loses all attraction.

Jesus begins to use parables because he wants to overcome his opponents’ hard-heartedness.  He tells them the truth about his Kingdom using small stories and vignettes.  His listeners, he hopes, will therefore be able to understand the message of each parable and accept it before they realize that it entails changing their own ideas --- thus making the change more palatable.  There are two lessons in this approach.  First, we need to be careful about our fixed ideas.  We think we know it all.  Everyone else is wrong; anyone who disagrees with me is a poor ignoramus.  Jesus parables remind us we need to make a point of staying humble.  God always knows more than we know, and he always has more to teach us.

In a media-centered culture, a constant, unrelenting, numbing flow of information and images travels through our minds, making it harder for us to reflect deeply on our life experiences, to mull over the gifts and challenges that life brings us, to cultivate a rich interior life.  How happy the devil is when we join the ranks of educated drones for whom every headline is equally important.  How tragic for us when we lose the youthful human capacity to reflect deeply, to dream joyfully.

Lord, every day you sow new seeds of holiness in my life.  You keep watering and digging and fertilizing my heart with your Holy Spirit.  Teach me to hear your voice amid the noise of my daily life.  Use me to sow that same word in everyone around me, through my prayer, my example, my actions, and my conversations.”

“The “growing parables” reveal three essential characteristics about living in communion with Christ.  First, our life in union with God depends primarily on God; we cannot achieve Christian success based solely on our own efforts.  Second, growth in holiness (life in communion with God) is a gradual process.  We need to learn that when it comes to our friendship with God, constant, patient effort and an unshakable confidence in God are necessary.  Third, spiritual growth takes time.  Imagine a farmer or gardener standing out in the field and yelling down at some recently planted seeds: “Grow faster, you fools!  Faster!”  It’s an absurd picture, but a common one; every time we get frustrated at our slow progress, we’re futilely screaming at the seeds to speed up their growth.

How I need patience, Lord!  You are patient, humble, wise.  Stay close to me.  Hold me back.  Let me know when I’m being ridiculous.  You know that I want my life to bear fruit for your Kingdom, and I want to taste the fruit of your Kingdom in my own soul.  So, teach me, Lord, in your kindness, show me how to cultivate the grace you have planted in my soul.”