Maxim-ising Our Spiritual Life (1)
My apologies for the title, which I could not resist. St Philip’s maxim for today is:
Nothing is more dangerous for beginners in the spiritual life than to wish to play the master, and so guide and convert others.
We often speak of the phenomenon of the “zeal of the convert” which itself is no bad thing at all. It is such an encouragement for those of us who have been Catholics for a long time to see others come to the faith and be on fire with real love for their newfound God. They have found that city of God on the hilltop of the Church which cannot be hidden, that light of Faith which cannot be placed under cover. We are very blessed in the large number of converts who come to the Church here each year and who become such pillars in the life of our community. They bring new perspectives and experiences, but also indeed that great and burning love for Christ which helps us all to rekindle anew our commitment to holiness and our own impression of the reality of our Faith.
There can sometimes, whether in terms of the Faith or the spiritual life in general, be the danger of wishing to run before we can walk. Our Faith is tried in the furnace of perseverance and this is what St Philip realised. This is why the Fathers and Brothers pray each day in Oratory for the gift of perseverance. At the beginning we take baby steps — we need to be held and supported, nourished and guided if we are to run the race for that imperishable crown. We do see in the Church today the danger of self-appointed “experts” and “influencers” who have ideas and opinions on every aspect of the Faith, whilst they seem to have very little grasp of what is really central to living Catholicism. It is not a good thing to proclaim ourselves experts if we can name every cardinal and cite Church documents, but still remain unmoved by the plight of the neighbour we are called to love after the pattern of Christ. We are not, any of us, called to become masters, but to become servants and friends — of God and of our neighbour. We must never seek to point to ourselves, but rather only to Christ. To “love to be unknown” as the great hallmark of Oratorian spirituality has it — “to love to be unknown” so that Christ can be known.
Hence the maxim of St Philip for 18 July:
Beginners should look after their own conversion and be humble, lest they should fancy they had done some great thing, and so should fall into pride.
We cannot give what we do not have. If we really are embarked upon the path of conversion and holiness then others will come to Christ and Church simply because of the influence that our life will have on others. This is what was true for Saint Philip — he sought to bring others to conversion through the influence he could have upon them, through the friendship he made with them, and by his own example — particularly of humility — to bring them to God and to holiness. St John Henry Newman our Cardinal wrote: “It would seem, in fact, that influence, whether secret or open, is the main driving force of the Oratory.”
What influence do we have upon others then — by our conversation, by the way we treat them, what sort of idea do we give them of how a Christian lives by the conduct of our lives? And if we are already adept at making friends and influencing people — do we make them friends of Christ and bring them under his influence? Our Lady is the great model in this: “My soul magnifies the Lord.” For us, who probably always feel as though we are just beginners in the spiritual life, it is first to ask what influence we allow God to have upon us, upon our lives. If he is that influence, that overriding, all consuming force that influences all we are — as he must be — then this alone will draw others to ask why we live differently, and please God, draw them to him who sets the path to Heaven before us.
We are celebrating the launch of our new edition of St Philip’s Maxims this summer by exploring some of those maxims together each week.