JMJT!
Praise be Jesus Christ! Now and Forever!
OK. So I am about a week overdue, from when we celebrated our nation's independence. The theme of true freedom has been on my mind for some time. I am not just referring to the political freedom that we are blessed to enjoy in our country, despite its flaws and failings. As someone who teaches the US Constitution, I do not want to even begin that discussion! There can be no doubt that no matter our political leanings, we are all very blessed to live in America and to be in a nation that was founded on the principles of Our Creator, on the notion that all are granted the innate, God-given rights of freedom to 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'
Within this well-known quote, I see the desire for freedom that is deeply enmeshed in each individual soul. This is the stirring that every human being has to be truly free to be the person God created them to be. It can really sound so trite, yet it is precisely what I believe most are searching for, many times in all the wrong places. We see the desperation for happiness that many pursue through material possessions, careers, the newest fad, idol worship, and even personal relationships that turn up leaving one less than satisfied. We observe the countless lost souls who try to numb the pain of so much disappointment with addictions to substances, as well as to shopping, pornography, etc. in a desperate attempt to try yet again to fill the nagging void.
As Carmelites, we have already heard the whistle of Our Good Shepherd and been invited to pursue the pearl of great price. What mercy and love Our Lord has shown us through the prayers and sacrifices of so many others that have gotten us to where we are today and have enabled us to turn our eyes away from these false gods, to the One Alpha and Omega who can truly satisfy every longing in our hearts. This, of course, is just the beginning for us. This is why I chose my presidential motto to focus on this theme of freedom within the context of Our Triune God, whose plans for us are perfect: "“Carmel: Becoming the person God created you to be in faith hope, and love…in goodness, beauty, and truth.”
I look at St. Teresa of Jesus as a perfect model of the freedom we are called to realize through increasing conformity to the Divine Will of God. We know that St. Teresa was torn between her religious life, and a more worldly existence. She had many attachments to the world and others, that kept her from realizing a deeper union with Our Lord. It was only after her conversion when meditating on Our Lord's Passion before a statue of Him, that she understood interiorly that there is no substitute for Him. He cannot be outdone with any other person, place, or thing. Thereafter, she experienced true freedom to become who Our Lord had destined her to become and was then free to obediently spearhead the reform of the Carmelite Order that was placed before her by God.
It is interesting to note that when she become free from such attachments to people, she became more free to love them perfectly for exactly who they were. St. John of the Cross speaks of such freedom from attachment with the following memorable image to express this in the following quote from his classic The Ascent of Mt. Carmel, "The soul that is attached to anything however much good there may be in it, will not arrive at the liberty of divine union. For whether it be a strong wire rope or a slender and delicate thread that holds the bird, it matters not, if it really holds it fast; for, until the cord be broken the bird cannot fly.”
As Carmelites, I think that most of us want to fly to God. We want to be alone with the alone, and one with Him. We must let go and begin to let Him mold us. It is not easy. We must pray moment by moment to allow the Holy Spirit to do this within us, and to imitate the ways of Our Lady, who perfectly mirrored God's will.
To realize this true freedom and to become who God created each of us to be is sheer gift. There is nothing we can do ourselves to refashion our interior lives other than to say 'yes' in each individual moment. It is in the sacrament of the present moment that this can happen. It is by desiring it, that He can begin to work within the confines and cracks of our hearts. He wants us to fly in order to realize complete freedom. This is when genuine beauty, truth, and goodness within us will come to fruition and become apparent, because it will be all Him that has consumed our old selves, the 'old man'. We will reflect the virtues of faith, hope, and love perfectly.
As we journey towards this freedom to fly with God, let us continue to ask Him to whisper in our ears and to show us the way. Let us ask for the intercession of Our Beloved Mother and our Carmelite saints to assist us. Each has shown us their own unique ways of reaching union with God, and the beauty and individual qualities within each of their souls. We are each called to this as well. God does write straight with crooked lines. He is calling us to true freedom. Let us renew each day our fiat to allow Him to shape and mold us, and to cut any strings that bind us.
As St. Paul reminds us, "For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (Gal 5:13-14)
I say, let true freedom ring. Amen!
