The burn of self-admiration mentioned yesterday that is thought to be the "fire of the love of God" comes with a new twist.
S/he thinks his own pride is the Holy Ghost.
The sweet warmth of pleasure becomes the criterion of all her/his works. The relish s/he savors in acts that make her/him admirable in her/his own eyes, drives her/him to fast, or to pray or to hide in solitude, or to write many books, or to build churches and hospitals, or to start a thousand organizations. And when he gets what he wants he thinks his sense of satisfaction is the unction of the Holy Spirit.
And now the secret voice of pleasure sings in her/his heart: "I am not like other people."
It is amazing how we let ourselves be led by a power that is our own and yet we can easily call it the power of other...even the other of the Holy Spirit. I'm not saying that the Holy Spirit does not move us and shape us and send us. Rather, it is quite easy to see how one's own achievements can become all the "blessing" we need. When that is the case, we become our our distributor of the holy spirit and that is always a dangerous journey to take on. How many people have entered their great "spiritual journey" with the intention of becoming more holy because what they have associated with spirituality is really that journey of self-admiration that helps one feel wonderful about one's own path. And yet, I don't recall too many "biblical" characters who took on the journey of following Jesus as a way of becoming more spiritual or more holy or more well-known. Rather, they followed...they followed...like breathing in fresh air and living a fresh new life.
Connection: Follow and breathe.
Come, Holy Spirit. Come and lift us up so that we will see your gracious Reign and simply enter its life so that all we become within the ordinary of this day comes to blossom along the way of our Lord. Amen.
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