The Puppet Show of Religious Activity

The Second Conversion Revisited and A Warning on Looking at The Correct Fruit

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.ie/2013/06/a-warning-on-latter-stages-of-spiritual.html

Continuing with the purification of the senses and spirit, here is Garrigou-Lagrange again.

The author warns us to be radically simple. But, this is not being stupid or childish. My comments in blue below.

The necessity of a second conversion arises from all that remains in us of often unconscious egoism which mingles in the greater number of our acts. In a number of people this necessity comes from their unwillingness to be considered naive and their failure to recognize sufficiently the naivete of a superior simplicity which should grow in them. As a result, they become less simple and true with God, their superiors, and themselves. They lose sight practically of the grandeur of the theological virtues, of the importance of humility; then they no longer understand Christ's words: "Unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Under the pretext of prudence, they begin to consider the little aspects of great things and to see less and less the great aspect of the daily duties of Christian life and the value of fidelity in little things. They forget that the day is composed of hours and the hour of minutes. They neglect a number of their obligations and gradually, in place of the radical simplicity of a gaze that was already lofty, a simplicity which should become that of contemplation, they find themselves in the quasi-learned complexity of a waning knowledge.

This situation of losing spiritual knowledge can happen if a person is pursuing God in the wrong ways. Careerists in diocesan offices, or schools, or even parishes lose spiritual knowledge when they think that what they are doing is who they are.

On this subject Father Lallemant says: "In religion (itself) there is a little world, the component parts of which are the esteem of human talents, of important employments, offices, and positions, the love and search for glory and applause, for rest and a calm life.

In the spiritual life, there is no such thing as retirement.

 These are the things the demon uses as a puppet show to amuse and deceive us. He sets it all in motion before our eyes in such a way that we dwell on it and let ourselves be seduced, preferring vain appearances to true and solid goods." (18)

To fall into the deceit of thinking we are on our way to holiness when in reality we are merely pleasing ourselves spiritually is a huge danger.

Human talents are indeed often preferred to the great supernatural virtues. The same author adds: "Only prayer can protect us from this delusion. Prayer it is that teaches us to judge of things in a holy manner, to look at them in the light of truth, which dissipates their false splendor and their spurious charms."

I have been and am still totally against these seminars in the States on talents and gifts. The presentations missed the entire point of holiness and make people look constantly at themselves instead of at Christ.

When these first came out years ago, I had a gut revulsion against the ideas and focus on me, me, me and my gifts. None of these gifts are worth anything if the person is not first purified. Only God's gifts can be used in a pure heart and pure mind and pure soul.

Elsewhere he says: "We commit more than a hundred acts of pride in a day without, so to speak, being aware of it." (19) The ruin of souls results from the multiplication of venial sins, which causes the diminution of divine lights or inspirations.(20) Nor is it sufficient to direct our attention toward God as an afterthought, if our act remains entirely natural and our heart is not truly offered to God. A superficial oblation of self does not suffice; there must be a genuine new conversion, a turning of the heart toward God.(21)

This second conversion is more dramatic than the first, as it demands a complete awareness of one's worthlessness. It demands humility.

The fruits of this second conversion are pointed out by the same author in the course of advice to preachers: "People kill themselves dying to produce fine sermons, and yet they reap scarcely any fruit. What is the reason? It is because preaching is just as much a supernatural function as the salvation of souls to which it is directed, and the instrument must be proportioned to the end. . . . The majority of preachers have sufficient learning, but they have not enough devotion or sanctity.

Here we have a priest telling us that priests are not as holy as they should be or not at all. Do we not see this today?

"The true means of acquiring the science of the saints. . . is to have recourse not so much to books as to interior humility, purity of heart, recollection, and prayer. . . . When a soul has attained to entire purity of heart, God Himself instructs it, at times by the unction of spiritual consolations and tastes, at other times by gentle and affectionate lights, which teach it better how to speak to the hearts of its auditors than study and other human means can. . . . But we cannot get rid of our own sufficiency, nor abandon ourselves to God.

I know people who are paying for information from groups which are not even orthodox-supposed gifting seminars and such. These are dangerous and have nothing to do with purity of heart.

If someone is charging you for spiritual direction or healing seminars, these people are careerists who have not abandoned themselves to God, Who always works freely and calls for humility, not spiritual pride.

The Second Conversion comes with a cost-complete devotion to God and His Will.