Hi friends, I sent Andrew an email response to his Thanksgiving posts due to my inability to be comment-length concise, and he requested that I share it with you as well. For those of you that don't know, I'm a '10er currently living in a French monastery with a Catholic-based, ecumenical, charismatic community. I'm nearing the end of a two and a half month formation in which I experienced community life and learned about the Bible, the Holy Spirit, ecumenism, Ignatian spirituality... and so on. Commence copy-and-paste of email:
We
had a really good lesson a few weeks ago about Christian communities
and how they work, etc., and there are a few points that might give you
some room to think. So, the lesson in part was describing the difference
between projects for God and projects of God. Projects for God start
from our needs, move on to our plans, our organizations, and then finish
with praising God. And it's not a bad thing for us to look around and
assess our needs and move on from there, but sometimes we need to check
ourselves and make sure that we aren't building up these great projects
for God without actually asking God what He wants and how He wants to
accomplish it. So yeah, we're God's workers, but it's important to
remember that it's God's work first. If it's been coming from human
sources only, even if you're doing it for God, it's bound to founder. (note: this teaching is based on Mt 7, 21-27)
But as you describe it, it doesn't sound like the work on campus is
foundering. It sounds like it's not progressing as quickly as you see it
in Acts. You have a good point in saying that we have the same Spirit
as the disciples in Acts; the question is, are you inviting the Holy
Spirit, personally and as a group, to come and work? A lot of songs
about the Holy Spirit are songs of invitation (the only one in English I
can think of right now is "Holy Spirit, come with your fire") and if
you look in Acts 4, 23-31, very soon after Pentecost, the disciples pray
again and are filled even more with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
doesn't come once and it's finished, we've received all we can hold; if
even the first disciples received a fresh infusion of the Holy Spirit
after Pentecost, then surely we too have a constant need to receive the
Holy Spirit more deeply and more fully. God the good Father gives his
Holy Spirit to those who ask of Him, but it's important that we ask, and
ask often!
And then I'd also like to leave you with Luke 17, 7-10: "Suppose one
of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to
the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit
down to eat? Won't he rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready
and wait on me while I eat and drink'? Will he thank the servant
because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done
everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants;
we have only done our duty.' " My question for you would be why it is
that are not satisfied with the fruits you do see on campus. Is God
asking you to do more and you're ignoring His call for other things? Are
you looking for signs that what you have done was a success so that you
can feel good? It could be good to take some time to discern why you're
feeling so frustrated. I'd encourage you to pray, and in the beginning
of your prayer, ask for the grace to know whether or not you're
following His will, and you can even pray that your time of pray be
aligned with His will, that He conform your intentions and your heart to
His.
Yeah, so that's all over the place and not everything I want to say
but it takes me forever to type on these silly keyboards! I'm trying to
be encouraging, sorry if it didn't work very well. Pray, rest in the
silence, take a passage from a Gospel and repeat a word or phrase that
touches you slowly, allowing the Holy Spirit to engrave it in your
heart, and seriously, seriously renounce any feelings of pride or
perfectionism that might be driving you. If it feels like you're trying
really hard and seeing no results, that means you're trying too hard. It
shouldn't be you doing the work, and don't ever let anyone tell you any
differently (including and especially yourself).
That's all from the email! Don't be a stranger if you have any questions or disagreements or clarifications.
No comments:
Post a Comment