It is here, my daughters, that love is to be found, not
hidden away in corners but in the midst of occasions of
sin. And believe me, although we may more often fail and
commit small lapses, our gain will be incomparably the
greater.
-Saint Teresa of Avila
From Eswaran---
The widest possibilities for growth lie in the give-and-take
of everyday relationships. The truth of this is brought out
sweetly in a story about Saint Francis of Assisi. Three
young men approached Francis and asked his blessing to
become hermits and seek God, each in his own cave, deep in
the mountains of Umbria. Francis smiled. He instructed them
to be hermits indeed, but hermits all together in a single
hut. One should take the role of father; a second should
think of himself as the mother; and the third should be
their child. Every few months they should exchange roles.
Living in this way they were to establish among themselves
perfect harmony, thinking always of the needs of one
another.
We can almost see the three would-be recluses exchanging
sidelong glances. Their teacher had issued them a greater
challenge than any they had bargained for. Yet they carried
out Francis's instructions, discovering that human
relationships are the perfect tool for sanding away our
rough edges and getting at the core of divinity within us.
We need look no further than our own family, friends,
acquaintances, or even adversaries, to begin our practice.
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Now this is useful and can be quite helpful. Growing in contemplative prayer means little if we simply sit and revel in God's silence, so that the transformation has no effect on our lives as we relate to our fellow sojourners, our family, our fellow church member/friends.
My experience is a confirmation of this. The more I spend time in true meditation and contemplation, the more thoughtful, mindful, slow to speak, caring, other directed, forgiving, and sensitive I seem to grow in all my relationships. I am naturally impatient, short tempered, quick to speak, and ego driven.
Maybe the Spirit is chipping away at all this imperfection, slowly but surely, as I spend time with Him in prayerful meditation. Just maybe.
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