Looking for some insight into the spiritual life? I suggest you read this post from Leila Miller: How we perceive the cross depends on our level of holiness...
Her common-sense explanation of the three stages of the spiritual road (and her further common-sense advice not to worry about figuring out where you are, as it tends to vary) can be a real help in understanding our struggle (aka The Cross).
For years now I've noticed that our hierarchy has pretty much abandoned this classical expression -- the Ways of Purgation, Illumination, and Union -- in favor of something much more psychological, that is to say emotion-based. I won't go into it too much here, but it's a shame, because the old framework had a lot more to offer us as far as getting us out of our earth-bound state. Simply put, it offered a way to heaven, where the psychological approach tends to leave us here with our problems.
In any case, there is a practical way to put this newfound old wisdom to work in our lives. If we want to get started on the three-fold way, we have only to follow the Liturgical Year. Daily and in its seasons, the Liturgical Year offers us ever-relevant wisdom and really, Christ Himself, to guide us along this tried-and-true path.
And that is why I have urged on my blog for over a decade now that we do our best to live Advent, the beginning of the Liturgical Year. It's not mean-spirited to say: wait to do things at their appointed time. On the contrary, it's the essence of the Purgative Way to do just that. Restraint and submission to something larger than ourselves -- something True and Beautiful -- give us the possibility of experiencing what we crave, namely Illumination (a deeper understanding of what is really meaningful in life) and leads us towards what we really need: Union with God.
Just as we ask our children to wait patiently for something good (because we know it's good for them -- this is our intuition about the Purgative Way), we must be willing to wait patiently ourselves. Let the Church lead you, step by step, and don't rush. This is the Way. This is the only Way.
I am currently reading a beautiful book which reflects on these three stages of spiritual growth titled: "The Fulfillment of All Desire" by: Ralph Martin. Emmaus Road Publishing (https://stpaulcenter.com/emmaus-road-publishing/) sells a helpful study guide to aid in the understanding of these three stages and what Doctors of the Church had to say about our path to holiness. It may be a beautiful Advent read.
ReplyDeleteOk, but I just want to know when do the Lawlers put up their tree?? :)
ReplyDeleteWe put it up sometime after the 3rd week of Advent. My husband wants to do it on Christmas Eve and that's insanity. We don't have any servants... LOL
DeleteI like to decorate gradually and enjoy the cheer as it develops. We usually put the star up on Christmas Eve. That's my compromise :)
Then we continue to enjoy throughout the Christmas season!
We have done it on Christmas Eve for YEARS because my husband insisted. I would say, over and over, how impractical (and stressful) it is, but he was pretty determined. I went along with it because I do appreciate the liturgical sentiment but it was a LOT of exhaustion come Christmas Mass. And that was what convinced him to change the timing — so we wouldn’t be dried up and exhausted when it came to Mass :)
DeleteI guess i’m saying. don’t be so liturgical that it interferes with the actual liturgy!