I have encountered and treasure special new
friends from my readings, namely Frederick Buechner, The Sacred Journey and St. John of the Cross, Dark
Night of the Soul. These two men are from
different times and different places and yet they share common ground on
spiritual formation, ground that you and I share too. Perhaps that is why they can so easily and
quickly be called “friends.” These dear
brothers have shared deep secrets of their hearts and they have identified with
our common pain and struggle as well as our desire to see the face and hand of
Jesus and the joy He brings us.
Frederick taught me to watch and value little things along the spiritual
journey. John showed me with words what
I live and there is great relief for my heart in knowing that someone else has
walked this path and that I’m not alone in this journey.
Both writers have exposed for me the very “new-to-me”,
but extremely important element of “time” on this path. The very fact that I could hardly sit still
long enough to delve into the lengthy but beautifully written stories by Buechner, was a sure sign that this is all taking just
a bit too long for my unwise, and at times, zealous heart.
St. John taught me that it may require extended periods of
time to pass before one is really free from the things they most desire, and
that this harsh cold fact might actually be a good thing. Buechner’s testimony made known that
“becoming” has so many layers or sides to it that there is no other way but to
endure time and to let it do it’s good shaping.
The “depth” of spiritual formation is
another common element I noted these two men share. Buechner encourages us to “not loose track of
what our journey is a journey toward, and of the sacredness and high adventure
of our journey. Nor…does life allow us
to loose track of the depths for long.” In Dark Night we are called to the depths – “until the Lord shall have
completely purged it after the manner that He wills, no means or remedy is of
any service or profit for the relief of its affliction; the more so because the soul is as powerless
in this case as one who has been imprisoned in a dark dungeon, and is bound
hand and foot, and can neither move nor see, nor feel any favour whether from
above or from below, until the spirit is humbled, softened and purified, and
grows so keen and delicate and pure that it can become one with the Spirit of
God…” “Deep is this warfare and this
striving, for the peace which the soul hopes for will be very deep; and the
spiritual pain is intimate and delicate, for the love which it will possess
will likewise be very intimate and refined.”
Another highlight is learning of the gift
of “peace” that one receives along the pathway. The peace Buechner describes as “true peace, the high and bidding peace
that passeth all understanding, is to be had not in retreat from the battle,
but only in the thick of the battle.” The battles are many and fierce. And some are just way too long! Some may be surprised by a visitation of the
Divine that rocks their world. “My house
being now at rest”, my favourite line in Dark Night is a clue into the teaching
and experience of St. John.
He describes it further… “the soul is
combated and purged after two manners – namely, according to its sensual and
its spiritual part – with its senses, faculties and passions, …and desires, the
soul attains to an enjoyment of peace and rest… in order that they may go forth
to the Divine union of love, … first reformed, ordered and tranquilized with
respect to the sensual and to the spiritual…”
Another statement that brought some light
was, “For the world’s sake”. The thought
of being perfectly “spiritually formed” while being alone or in seclusion seems
wrong. Buechner’s revelation and one of my favorite messages in Sacred Journey
captures this: “there is no fun in being famous unless everybody is famous.”
Time, depth, peace and giving are journey
mates that take us “the way down” and in being formed by them, we arise to “the
way up.”