We cannot both seek attention and seek God

Book 2, Chapter 1

-Part 3-

There is nothing more deformed or ridiculous than the elitist faithful – those who believe themselves to be special or very, very proficient in spiritual matters.

The Twelve who followed Jesus were at their worst when they were muttering among themselves about which of them was the greatest (Mark 9), or when two of them elbowed others away so their mother could ask Jesus to place them at his right or left in the coming kingdom. We are being unattractively human when we seek attention. It is in our nature to prop ourselves up and lay claim to our own importance. As a race, we are insecure.

An individual or group can consciously or unconsciously take up the attitude that their ways or their particular spiritual bearing brings them closer to God – a higher level, a deeper life, a further knowledge, a brighter lamp, another way, a fuller fullness. Another way that the proud Pharisee may have stated his case in the temple is: “I wish everyone were as close to God as I am.”

Even two of the top leaders in the Old Testament could not avoid a sense of self-importance for which both paid dearly. Moses struck the rock which brought forth water for Israel in the desert. He was not instructed to do this, and for this he was told he would see but not enter the Promised Land with the Israelites. He was told to “speak to the rock.” It is my thought here that Moses temporarily allowed himself to think that he and his staff were the key players in Israel’s deliverance. In that instance Moses forgot himself, and more importantly, he forgot God. (See Numbers 20)

So, too, did King David when he ordered that the number of all valiant men in all Israel be registered. For this, David was given the choice of three terrible options to befall his kingdom – famine, pestilence or his kingdom beset upon by other nations. The spirit behind this army census was, apparently, David’s desire to see just how big he had made things and to bask a bit in his warring skills. (See 2 Samuel 24)

It might be easy to see these as minor slip ups, and to criticize God for being heavy-handed in both cases. It may help us to understand that once God delivers a nation or sets up a people with a king and enlarges them with his goodness, he will not tolerate anyone sharing glory that belongs to him alone.

No person is that elite. Early spiritual teachers, such as Abbott John of the Ladder (7^th Century) warned against “the vanity that follows obedience.” (From “The Ladder of Divine Ascent.”) Christian spirituality makes a horrible, horrible camouflage for self-promotion. This, of course, won’t keep us from trying.

During his ministry, Jesus confronted the deeds of the scribes and Pharisees with these words: “Everything they do is done to attract attention…” (Matthew 23:5) Who among us can escape this indictment? Our proneness to self-absorption will always betray us by revealing our unique deformity and our special ridiculous ways. The worst kind of elitism is the spiritual kind. There is nothing uglier than a smug, tidy believer. Jesus warned against this and advised his disciples to not show it when they were fasting. Knowing that every single one of us would want to have the “who-is-the-greatest” conversation, Jesus counseled us to pray unannounced, to fast privately, to give due credit to others and take none for ourselves, and to provide financial support quietly. (Matthew 6:1-18.)

He bore his own majestic nature in such a way that few recognized his divine regal stature. He did not seek attention as a king. He sought to save the lost (Luke 19:10). He is the Prophet, Priest and King, yet his words were ignored, his role among the Jews reduced to that of a criminal, and those who by rights should have bent their knees in servitude instead stood straight-legged to condemn Jesus to a cruel and pathetic death.

Even though the mob did the yelling, they were incited by elitists – Pharisees and Sadducees who were afraid of the loss of their privileged position if Christ and his followers unsettled the quiet of Rome’s little district at the eastern meniscus of the Mediterranean Sea (John 11:48).

Elitism is something the good mystical writers avoid. It appears that Caussade, at this point in his writing, felt a need to return to the idea that the great boon that self-abandonment can be to a believer is not limited to special Christians.

In the last two paragraphs of this section Caussade repeats the word “all” twelve times, counting only the times it is used in the sense of “everyone.”

Each one of us, he explains, experiences a different blending of the cardinal virtues: Faith, Hope and Love.

_{“and In as much as God can blend them with infinite variety there is no soul that does not receive his touch with personal individualizing characteristics. But what matter? the ingredients are always faith, hope and charity.” (Page 46)}