Remedies to Self-Centeredness in the Spiritual Life

[Michie]

Many of you already know that the best remedy to self-centeredness in the spiritual life is to do the corporal works of mercy {to feed the hungry; to give drink to the thirsty; to clothe the naked; to harbor the harborless; to visit the sick; to ransom the captive; to bury the dead.} However, since many of you already know that, I want to discuss some other remedies in this post.

When I was a charismatic before becoming a traditionalist, I was discerning a good group of Franciscans in the Bronx. (I still consider them quite faithful and evangelical, so this isn’t a now I’ve moved on blogpost.) One of the friars used to admit (in a half-joking, half-serious manner) how he would get mad if another another friar borrowed his Liturgy of the Hours. Why would one friar get mad at another friar for accidentally commandeering his Breviary? Because it’s all he had, he said. In some sense, it was a little bit of a humble-brag (eg “I’m so poorthat this Breviary is the only imperfection against poverty that I could possibly tell you about.”) But in another sense, it was a vulnerable admission of weakness (eg “How could I give up a wife and family and career and then go start a little argument about something as small as a book?”)

Today, I know many good Catholics in the USA who have lost jobs (due to not taking the vaccine) and lost friends (due to the belief Jesus is the only way to the Father) and also lost family (due to their defense of Catholic-marriage.) The final item they have left to be prideful about is their spiritual lives. I am tempted at this, too, after having lost so much for my convictions. The final item we Apostolic Catholics have left to be prideful about is our spiritual lives, our prayer lives, our interior lives.

Continued below.

Remedies to Self-Centeredness in the Spiritual Life

Many of you already know that the best remedy to self-centeredness in the spiritual life is to do the corporal works of mercy {to feed the hungry; to give drink to the thirsty; to clothe the naked; to harbor the harborless; to visit the sick; to ransom the captive; to bury the dead.} However, since

padreperegrino.org

 

[JimR-OCDS]

St Teresa of Avila wrote about a nun who had a holy picture that she loved dearly. A young novice nun saw it and
commented, "what a lovely picture." The older nun immediately detached herself from the picture and gave it
to the young novice.

Both St Teresa and St John of the Cross wrote extensively about the need for detachment. St John called them
the appetites. Today we understand them as the egoic identity attachments. It can be an item, a political ideology
or even religion itself.

 

[fide]

Few Catholics realize the immense treasure of spiritual wisdom He condensed in HIs prayer given to us in "the Our Father". If we can hear it, and understand it, we will have in that prayer all we need to grow to the heights and depths of spiritual life. The fullest maturity unfolds, in that prayer. The greatest enemy against us in that journey - disordered-self-love - is brought to death in that prayer, as the new life in Christ is brought to fullness.

A background in the spirituality of Teresa and of John of the Cross is very helpful, but a taking of the hand of God in meditation, and in contemplation, in the praying of that prayer, is enough to find the all in All. As He said, "Pray then like this:...." (Mt 6:9)