God Protect Us from Gloomy Saints

Reflections on Galatian 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1 / Luke 11:29-32

God Protect Us From Gloomy Saints By Frank Savadera, SJ

James Martin in his book “Of Heaven and Mirth” hypes the playfulness of Santa Teresa of Avila.  Amidst all her pains and complains, Teresa reportedly heard our Lord saying:    "Teresa, that's how I treat my friends"  to which Teresa responded, "No wonder you have so few friends." 

Teresa was also reportedly to have said:  "May God protect me from gloomy saints."

GOD WISHES US WELL!   We are born through a PROMISE ... a real one ... and we have every reason to REJOICE ... us who may have FELT BARREN ...  BREAKFORTH and SHOUT and be FREE!  

The second point has something to do with the Gospel which says:  this generation is an evil one.  They’ve asked for a sign ... and no sign will be given them except the sign of Jonah.  It’s quite tricky for the Gospel to say that there is no sign ... except for one sign.  So ... meaning ... there is a sign after all.  What is the sign of Jonah ... from which we can derive spiritual fruit from? 

In the 2^nd Book of Kings, we hear Jonah saying:  "I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made land and sea" but I am also running away from the Lord.    "That’s an awful thing to do!," the sailors said.   Jonah makes a truly heroic suggestion:  "Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down the storm. I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm."  We know the story very well ... Jonah was eaten or gobbled up by a whale ... he stayed in the bosom of the whale for three days and three nights ... and all throughout that time he was praying to the God whom he originally wished to desert.

"In my distress, O LORD, I called to you, and you answered me.  From deep in the world of the dead I cried for help, and you heard me.  You  threw me down into the depths, to the very bottom of the sea, where the waters were all around me, and all your mighty waves rolled over me. I thought I had been banished from your presence and would never see your holy Temple again.  The water came over me and choked me: the sea covered me completely, and seaweed wrapped around my head.   But you, O LORD my God, brought me back from the depths alive.  When I felt my life slipping away, then, O LORD, I prayed to you ... and you heard me.    I will sing praises to you; I will offer you a sacrifice and do what I have promised.  Salvation comes from the LORD!"

The second point is quite simple.  SALVATION INDEED COMES FROM THE LORD!  And we’re asked to confirm this ourselves as Jonah did.  Salvation can only come from the Lord.  Can we imagine how Jonah prayed inside the belly of that whale ... perhaps the same intense prayer we are asked to go through during the retreat ... a prayer that moved Jonah himself pursue even more intensely in speaking about God and his plans for the people of Nineveh.  And if we find the story of Jonah incredible ... the story tells us ... there is greater than Jonah here ... there is greater than Solomon here.  Salvation indeed comes from the Lord ... and what is that about?  We simply wish to have a foretaste of it!  Can we?

A forestate ... is exactly what St. Teresa of Avila had experienced.   A famous sculpture of Bernini precisely depicts her having a foretaste of DIVINE ECSTASY ... wherein a handsome angel holding an arrow or a lance readying to pierce Santa Teresa ... and Santa Teresa seemingly suggesting ... I’m ready pierce me!   (Note: Truly there are many erotic innuendos people attach to this Berninian artwork). 

A lot about prayer that we can pick up from Santa Teresa:  "Prayer is an act of love, words are not needed. Even if sickness distracts from thoughts, all that is needed is the will to love."

Describing mental prayer, she says:  "For mental prayer in my opinion is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us. The important thing is not to think much but to love much and so do that which best stirs you to love. Love is not great delight but desire to please God in everything."

Method of Prayer promotes what she calls an ascent of the soul:  which begins with mental prayer, a prayer of quiet, a devotion of union ... and finally reaching the ecstatic stage of "DEVOTION OF ECSTASY” or rapture," which is described as a passive state, in which the consciousness of being in the body disappears   Sense activity ceases; memory and imagination are also absorbed in God or intoxicated. Body and spirit are in the throes of a sweet, happy pain, alternating between a fearful fiery glow, a complete impotence and unconsciousness, and a spell of strangulation, intermitted sometimes by such an ecstatic flight that the body is literally lifted into space.

I don’t know if we can come close to that ... but perhaps ... we can try!  A stage of DEVOTION of ECSTASY ... wherein we become less concerned about what we plan for ourselves ... and instead soulfully yield to the leadings of Him who hold all our plans in His hands.