Let’s Not Settle For a Stunted Christian Life

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What is the normal Christian life supposed to look like? Most Catholics have never quite grasped their true destiny, the wonder of receiving the Divine Love of God, and the joy of living in complete union with our Brother Jesus. It seems as if the average Catholic has settled for a very different life than the one Christ revealed at the Last Supper.  He gave the disciples a glimpse of what new life in the Spirit would look like as He prayed for all of us:

I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one,I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me ( John 17:21-23).

Jesus was not describing something for a select few; His death, resurrection, and the descent of the Holy Spirit was meant to usher in a new era, a new way of life for all of His followers. Christ died for our sins so we could embrace a life lived in, with, and through Him.

So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation(2 Corinthians 5:17-18).

Decades ago, I thought I was a dedicated Christian but I was actually living like a servant, not as a sister of Jesus. I was surviving on very little spiritual nourishment. I had no idea I was missing out on real life in Christ. I tackled spiritual progress as if everything depended on my efforts through prayer, confession, Mass, and service to others. Yet, I was doomed to fail with my self-centred work.

Obviously, human beings cannot transform themselves into saints on their own steam. It would be like someone attempting to transform himself into some sort of superhero by sheer willpower. Growth in the Spirit does not depend on our willpower but comes with surrender, humbly allowing God to purify us as we soak in His Love.

God has dealt with our sinful nature in Christ Jesus but we have got to be in Him for this to happen. The question is how does spiritual transformation happen? The truth is simple; what we could not do for ourselves God has done for us. He has put us into Christ:

we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are somethingso that no human being might boast before God.It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord (Corinthians 1:23-30).

God planned it all and has done all the work. For our part, we are simply called to lay down our pride and give God permission to fulfill His plan in us.

We have all read about the experiences of saints who lived in mystical union with Christ. Their spiritual experiences seem far above our normal everyday life and completely beyond our reach.  However, I discovered that the claims of saints are simply a picture of what it really means to live in the Spirit, as new creations, reborn in Christ.

As a Catholic, I should expect to eventually live joyfully in the Resurrection after I journey through purification towards union with Christ.  The accounts of the saints might be couched in fanciful, archaic language, but they are not allegories or fairy tales. This Resurrected Life is not for a select few; Christians are wired for a life lived in and through a mystical connection to God.  In fact, life in Christ is not a big deal. The experience is not just for those we label as saints;  it is simply the normal Christian life.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church,

PART THREE, LIFE IN CHRIST

Christian, recognize your dignity and, now that you share in God\’s own nature, do not return to your former base condition by sinning. Remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member (CCC 1691).

“sanctified… [and] called to be saints,” [1 Cor 1:2] Christians have become the temple of the Holy Spirit. [Cf. 1 Cor 6:19], having become their life, prompts them to act so as to bear “the fruit of the Spirit” [Gal 5:22, 25] . Healing the wounds of sin, the Holy Spirit renews us interiorly through a spiritual transformation. [Cf. Eph 4:23] (CCC 1695).

It is true!

The lives of the saints are really true. If you are a secret cynic, or simply someone like me who tried to no avail to connect to God through my own strength, why don’t you give God the permission to save you and transform you into a normal Christian?  If you do, you will be surprised; “surprised by joy”.

Over thirty years ago, my husband discovered a book entitled “Guidelines for Mystical Prayer” by a British Carmelite nun, Ruth Burrows. That book changed our lives.

Ruth Burrows describes, Petra, a woman who lives only by faith without any experiences of God, and Claire, a “light on” nun who experiences mystical encounters. Both women know with absolute clarity that their core identity has shifted from ego-centric to Christ-centric.  They are actually modern-day saints albeit hidden. The Spirit of Jesus lives in them and they live surrounded by the Holy Spirit, plugged into the universal God.

Guidelines to Mystical Prayer” prompted me to question my basic premise about the nature of reality. Its message rekindled joy in my drooping spirit and then challenged me to allow God to transform me with His power and strength and not by my futile striving. Prior to reading this book, I had tried to become a saint to no avail.

My husband and I poured over this book, reading it again and again, soaking in every nuance, digging out every morsel, every detail which described this new life. We were filled with exuberant joy because, finally, we realized that our deepest longings could be fulfilled. The life described by St. Paul so eloquently is actually factual. To live the life of a saint is possible;

Yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me (Galatians 2:20).

As we journey into the heart of God, we must keep our eyes on Jesus and allow God’s will to be done in us. As Saint Paul puts it,

All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).

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5 thoughts on “Let’s Not Settle For a Stunted Christian Life”

  1. Dear Melanie-Here is how good your article is: you have spurred me on to act, to do 2 things: 1. buy that book (Ida, you and I can race to see who finishes first; btw, TY re kind words re Karen); and 2. try to better see this glory in those God gifts into my daily life, “All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord.” You done good. Thank you. Guy

    PS: Peter A, ty for insightful comments-you have ignited an idea re Psalm 46 advice-“Be Still.”

  2. The problem with the idea of purification towards union with Christ is that we need union with Christ in order to have purification. This is why total abandonment towards Christ is essential for our purification. He strengthens us and gives us His rest when His Spirit is within us.
    Total abandonment sounds extreme, but it is as simple as being anxious for nothing by casting all of our care on God. This latria entrustment is as extreme as it sounds, but it only takes less than a second to do it. It doesn’t require vows and formal consecration rituals. These can actually be a hindrance if they are viewed as replacements for the simple act of abandonment itself.

  3. Pingback: SATVRDAY EDITION – Big Pulpit

  4. “Guidelines for Mystical Prayer.
    I’m buying that book. I need something to lift me up. this could be it. Thank you!

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