Splinters and beams.

Minding my own business ...

I came across a comment on another blog by a writer I've encountered in the past.  The person declared some things about how he is privately consecrated to Christ and needs no other mediators to go to Him.  The post dealt with the idea of total consecration to Our Lady according to St. Louis De Montfort.  Naturally not every devotion is suited to everyone and there is no rule one has to embrace the devotion of total consecration, however, the way in which this fellow made his point struck me as bordering on presumption and maybe just slightly lacking in humility.  I may have been wrong in my perception of course, but I had also seen comments by the same person in the past complaining he wasn't accepted in this or that traditional religious community for whatever reason.

As I mentioned, I am familiar with this fellow's writing and he is a very solid, faithful Catholic, completely orthodox, if you will - although at times a little censorious towards those who may not share his convictions.

I wondered if his problem might be a lack of docility?  Since he seems to be convinced of his own self-righteousness - in a good way of course: he's doing everything right, he seeks God alone, he wants union with God, and so on.  However, some people like that are hard to admit into religious life precisely because they can be quite convinced they are much advanced and deeply spiritual already, thus they are quite secure and believe they are even able to teach others.  They forget that the man who keeps his own counsel can fall into error, or at least presumption... the worst kind of self-righteousness.  St. John of the Cross counselled, "Allow yourself to be taught, allow yourself to receive orders..." (#112) ... considering that we are called always to grow in wisdom, grace and knowledge.

I can convince myself I'm just fine in the spiritual, moral life.  More often than not, I have trouble allowing myself to be taught, to receive orders, to even be despised.  I think many are like that.  Many of us do not receive correction very well.  Many of us do not receive criticism very well.  We ignore the Psalmist who says, "If a good man rebukes me it is kindness."  Oftentimes we do it because the one correcting us doesn't seem to have the authority to do so.  He might be a layman or a religious, but he might not be a priest, or someone in authority over us - so we discount him.  His education may not be what we expect it should be.  He may not even be religious.  In other words, he's just not qualified.  In addition, he has no idea how orthodox and faithful we are, much less the sacrifices we have made to get where we are.  We become convinced of our own self-righteousness - which enables us to look down upon everyone else.

Sometimes we can be right of course - but that doesn't make us paragons of virtue or right living.



I have to go now.  I have snow to remove.

I'll try to pick this up later.