I certainly find secret things in ourselves that often amaze me–and how many more there must be! O my Lord and my God! How wondrous is Thy greatness! And we creatures go about like silly little shepherd boys, thinking we are learning to know something of Thee when the very most we can know amounts to nothing at all, for even in ourselves there are deep secrets that we cannot fathom. (Teresa of Avila: Fourth Mansions: Chapter Two)
It would be rash to say that there is any prayer which God never grants. But the strongest candidate is the prayer we might express in the single word encore. And how should the Infinite repeat Himself? All space and time are too little for Him to utter Himself in them once. (C.S. Lewis: Letters to Malcolm)
God indwells our souls and therefore wonderful things can happen within us. This gives us several focus areas for spiritual development:
- Prayer and Meditation: This is the “door of entry” to the Interior Castle (our souls) where we make new discoveries about God and ourselves.
- Humility: While we can learn a great deal about God and the world, we still know very little. This reminds us to be humble and eliminate judging (ourselves and others). Censorious judgment thrives on the arrogance that we know more than we really do.
- Possibilities: Do we have a dynamic vision of what God can and will do?
- Experiences: Our past spiritual experiences should not be the grid by which we assess future experiences: And how should the Infinite repeat Himself? All space and time are too little for Him to utter Himself in them once. Expect something new.
Theologically most Christians believe God can do “anything”. On a practical level we may not anticipate God’s intervention or reflect carefully enough after God has clearly intervened. The Prayer of Quiet is one of these experiences requiring reflection. It brings the “greatest peace and quietness” and with proper reflection catapults us forward in love, humility, virtue, and vision.
Can you remember a time of unmistakable divine intervention? What did you learn? How did you change? What can you still learn from this experience? Are you taking action on that vision? Or are you waiting for the Infinite to repeat Himself?
For the Prayer of Quiet – Part 1: click here
For the Prayer of Quiet – Part 2: click here
For the Prayer of Quiet – Part 4: click here
For the Prayer of Quiet – Part 5: click here
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Teresa of Avila Turns 500 
just reading the parable this morning of the widow who bothered the judge. thanks for bookending my day with this