The Interior Life: The Evergreen Wilderness
God's grace is like the rain that feeds the forest. In this wilderness with The Almighty, the rain of grace comes down in wild torrents.
The Carthusians are an order founded by Saint Bruno in 1084. Saint Bruno led a group into the wilderness of the French Alps, to lead a life of silence and solitude. The goal of the Carthusian Order is contemplation. The motto of the order is "Stat crux dum volvitur orbis, Latin for "The Cross is steady while the world turns."
"Contemplative life requires a continual conversion. Each day anew a Carthusian monk tries to make himself transparent for God, to give himself to God with open hands, and with a mind free of worries and concerns. He thus keeps himself in a state of spiritual virginity." - Carthusian Spirituality
Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect." The renewal of the mind is a return to the mindset that is pleasing to God, that is to a state of spiritual purity, and virginity. To set the mind on the things above, not on the things of this earth. The Carthusian, in silence and solitude master this "renewal of the mind" that Christ calls us all to achieve. The question is, how can we achieve this contemplative state as people called to live in this world that is filled with so much noise?
The world we live in is filled with chaos, disquiet, and sheer lunacy to be quite frank. To leave the world and all its noise behind, and enter into a life of contemplation as the Carthusians do, sounds crazy to those who have never tasted the sweetness of solitude with our Savior. What seems to be entering into the wilderness, void of any human pleasure is in actuality entering into an evergreen wilderness, where the solitude is fertile with grace, and where one communes with The Creator of all pleasures.
This spirituality, of entering into a life of contemplation, is one that we can adapt in our daily lives. Christ calls us to live in the world, but not be of this world. While our feet may be planted on this earth, our hearts and our minds should be in Heaven. Though we are externally living in the world, our interior life with Christ should remain constant and unchanging. Living "heaven on earth" is not determined by our circumstances in life, but rather by the interior disposition of our heart and soul merged with Christ. When we maintain a solid interior foundation, or build a "cell' within our hearts and lock ourselves in this interior cell with Jesus; the ever-changing world and the turbulent waves of life, seldom sweep us off our feet. This interior life with our sweet Savior brings forth a steady and solid peace that gives us strength in all we do. Saint Elizabeth of The Trinity, a great Carmelite Saint (and one of my favorites) is known for her writings on the Indwelling of The Holy Trinity.
These two prayers written by Saint Elizabeth of The Trinity, give us an understanding of the interior life of a contemplative :
"O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely, that I may be established in You, as still and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. Give peace to my soul; make it Your Heaven, your beloved dwelling, and resting place. O my Three, My All, My Beatitude, Infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I lose myself, I surrender myself to You, until I depart to contemplate in your light the abyss of Your greatness."
"May nothing distract me from You, neither noise nor diversions. O, my Master, I would so love to live with You in silence. But what I love above all is to do Your will, and since You want me still to remain in the world, I submit with all my heart for love of You. I offer you the cell of my heart; may it be Your little Bethany. Come rest there; I love you so…I would like to console You, and offer myself to You as a victim. O my Master, for You, with You."
Saint Elizabeth of The Trinity prays for the external world to be of no distraction to her, and she asks that the interior of her heart, be a resting and dwelling place for Christ. She prays that she may be consumed into the depths of The Divinity to where her soul may be at peace as if she is already living in the eternal realms of Heaven. When we are baptized, we are given the grace of having the Holy Trinity dwell within us. Unfortunately for the majority of us, we fill our souls with sin and distractions, which makes it harder and harder to decipher God dwelling within us. Living in a state of grace, and having a strong interior prayer life, allows us to experience God within our souls. May we all strive to live in the world but not be of it; may we have our feet planted on this earth, but our hearts and minds in heaven.
God likes to take us out into the wilderness, so we can find satisfaction only in Him. When God brings you to the wilderness, know that the ground will always be fertile, and the tree's evergreen. For when God brings us to solitude, we discover Him all the more if we are receptive to His promptings. God's grace is like the rain that feeds the forest. In this wilderness with The Almighty, the rain of grace comes down in wild torrents. We abandon the world to be alone with God, and find Him amid the solitude of the wilderness; and we discover that solitude with God is not lonely, but completely fulfilling. The trees in the wilderness of the interior life aren't barren, but evergreen. We discover what it means to live life in full bloom, in the land flowing with milk and honey, out in the evergreen wilderness.
"Therefore, behold I will allure her, and will lead her into the wilderness: and I will speak tenderly to her heart." - Hosea 2:4
Serviam
December 1st is the feast of Saint Charles de Foucauld
“We should never forget the two axioms: 'Jesus is with me' and whatever happens, happens by the will of God.” - Saint Charles de Foucauld