“Service” by Shawn Chapman
“Our Lord has so many enemies and so few friends, I was determined the friends he had should be trusty ones.”
When St. Teresa of Avila wrote those words, she was in great distress for the Church, for the schism happening within it, for the attacks against it, and she wanted to defend it. So she banded together a few like minded women, and they lived in a little convent together and prayed, living outstandingly holy lives of deep prayer and transforming love.
Why would that help the Church? Maybe direct prayers for the defense of the Church would be helpful. But what difference does hidden holiness make?
How does it help anyone to go someplace quiet, enter into deep prayer and friendship with Christ, and to grow in silent sanctity? By today’s individualistic way of thinking, it may tend to the self realization of the one who prays, but little else. “What a waste,” people might say. How can that be of much use to society or the Church to live a hidden life of devotion?
Everyone who gives herself or himself to prayer becomes a channel for the outflow of the Divine will into this world. *
Every heart transfigured in the love of God lifts up the whole Body of Christ.
By the principle of the Communion of Saints, our unity as Church, all that each of us does or experiences has its effect on everyone else, and on the Body as a whole. This is why after we make our confession and are absolved, we also are given a penance. The penance is not just for us, it is for the entire family of Jesus. It is one thing to say we are sorry, and another to make amends and to repair what has been harmed. We pray our penance to make amends for the spiritual harm we have done to the whole Church by our sins.
In the same way, the contemplative, giving his life to prayer, heals the whole church and brings the rest of us that much closer to perfection and a life of transforming love; for all the Church, and even the whole world.
“Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society”
~ St. Francis of Assisi
We are here to help each other.
When I made my promises in the Teresian Carmel (Secular,) I promised to tend toward perfection in the spirit of the Beatitudes, among other things, and I promised to do this for the glory of God and the good of the Church.
Entering into prayer, deep prayer of the heart, not only allows us to become channels of grace, it empowers us to do good works, and in our growing intuition of the guidance of the Holy Spirit in prayer, we become better at discerning what good works God wants us to do, and where we are being led.
“Prayer must lead us to good works, my daughters, good works.” ~ St. Teresa of Jesus
To pray is to tap into the full potential of our reason for existing, which, according to the Baltimore Catechism, is to know, love and serve God, and thereby our neighbor.
To pray is to come to know God through direct experience, to love Him as He is, to serve Him by the gift of self, and by helping His people with the love and energy God gives in prayer.
That is why St. Teresa founded the convent of St. Joseph’s in Avila, and why she began the Reform that she did within the Order of Carmel. She did it for the glory of God and for the good of the Church.
That’s us.
You may be alive today because of a nun in an out of the way convent nearby, praying for you. Maybe you got through a dark time in your life because of an elderly man in a nursing home who takes all day to finish one rosary, but his heart is in Heaven. Nobody knows that he accomplishes more than anyone would dream.
And what about you? Who knows what you might accomplish in prayer?
photo by Shawn Chapman
“Whoever has not begun the practice of prayer, I beg for the love of the Lord, not to go without so great a good. There is nothing to fear, but only something to desire.”
~ St. Teresa of Jesus
“Pray pray pray! Until prayer becomes your joy.”
For a way to get started with contemplative prayer in the tradition of St. Teresa of Jesus, see my post http://www.austincnm.com/index.php/2013/07/five-minute-mystic/
*”Make of me a smooth channel for the outflow of Your Divine Will into this world.” Fr. Adrian van Kaam
Your last paragraph reminds me of the words Jesus spoke to St. Faustina: “In convents too, there are souls that fill My Heart with joy. They bear My features; therefore the Heavenly Father looks upon them with special pleasure. They will be a marvel to Angels and men. Their number is very small. They are a defense for the world before the justice of the Heavenly Father and a means of obtaining mercy for the world. The love and sacrifice of these souls sustain the world in existence.” [367] Thank you for reminding us of those souls who have given up everything!
That is beautiful. Also, every soul is made for God, and His Kingdom is within us. If our holy Guest is in the living room, we shouldn’t leave Him there to twiddle His thumbs while we watch TV. We should go and see Him, and make Him happy, and even help Him save the world through us, since it seems that’s how He loves to accomplish that. 🙂 This is for all of us to do. Not to hide in another room, but to engage the Lord deep within us and become what He wants us to be. <3
Prayer is always of value. Prayers are always answered, but not necessarily in the expected manner. My experience has been that prayer changes me more than it changes anything else.
Great insight! Wow! Yes, you are so right. Prayer first changes us, and it also sends graces to the whole world. I like this quote from St. Faustina for those who have left everything (TV, video games, etc) to save the world through prayer, “In one instant the Lord gave me a knowledge of the sins committed throughout the whole world during these days. I fainted from fright, and even though I know the depth of God‟s mercy, I was surprised that God allows humanity to exist. And the Lord gave me to know who it is that upholds the existence of mankind: it is the chosen souls. When the number of the chosen ones is complete, the world will cease to exist.” [926] On this special Year of Consecrated Life we should especially think of them as St. Faustina again reminds, “Today, the Lord gave me knowledge of His anger toward mankind which deserves to have its days shortened because of its sins. But I learned that the world‟s existence is maintained by chosen souls; that is, the religious orders. Woe to the world when there will be a lack of religious orders!” [1434] Having said all this there are many lay people who are chosen souls too!
How beautiful! I’m late to the party, but I totally agree with you here. At my last Confession, my penance was to pray for the persecuted Christians being murdered in Iraq and Syria. That’s the first time I’ve ever received a penance that wasn’t tailored specifically to my sins, and it’s probably some of the best penance I’ve ever done.