By Miriam Hogan, O.C.D.
In electronics, technicians often talk about “tweaking” up a piece of equipment. What they usually mean is to make a slight adjustment, so that an instrument that was running well can now run to the best of its designed capacity. In applying this concept to the spiritual life, I keep being drawn back to the words of a song about St. Teresa of Jesus. It begins, “Noonday blaze of virtues rare, Highest gifts of grace and prayer.” 1
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Further, in the introduction to the Life of St. Teresa Fr. Kieran Kavanaugh observes: “Every individual, then, must undergo a change in the recesses of his/her being before he/she can perceive and follow the delicate urgings of the Spirit, become somewhat like those newly-discovered precision instruments capable of the subtlest forms of reception and transmission. This requires time and effort.” 2
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Encouraging Signs
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Perhaps, one of the truly encouraging signs of our times is the number of people that are feeling called to adjust or refocus their interior lives. On a large scale this can be a response to the recent terrorism and war or to the scandals in our Church. Yet, while the external political and religious realities may provide an immediate incentive to grow closer to God, it may also be more accurate to assume that individually a number of good people are desiring a new and fresh relationship with God who is seeking them as they are seeking God. Spiritual writers both encourage and support this stage of on-going conversion that takes place within the soul. Yet, this stage of spirituality is also a time when the person is vulnerable, and there are some natural considerations that may be good to consider in order for true growth in holiness to be taking place. Thus, in order to look at this stage more in context, we can borrow an observation from philosophy.
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For example, philosophically, we can ponder the human journey as analogous to an airplane ride. In the beginning there is a period of rapid acceleration and ascent (birth, going to school, choosing a vocation and/or career). Then there is a long, relatively stable, period of sustained flight (growing in chosen commitments, raising children, forming friendships and accepting the company and companionship of other adults). Finally, there is a time of rapid descent and preparation for coming in for a landing (diminishment and death).
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The middle part of the journey that may encompass the majority of our life is what I would consider the “tweak” time of life, time when we need to allow God to speak ever so gently to our hearts and to make the small adjustments that keep us on course. Yet, there is often a temptation to take control out of the hands of God and to try to remake our lives according to what we might think would be for the best. To give an example from religious life, some nuns try to be the perfect St. Thérèse. They forget that Thérèse was born into a certain culture and a certain time in history and lived to be only twenty four years old. Or, to give a more common example in the world today, some people think that if they could just leave their husbands, or travel to another country, or become converted to Islam or Buddhism, they will become closer to God. Usually, such life style changes are mainly for seeking one’s own immediate pleasure. The net result is that these people are steered off course. They often put a whole lot of energy into adapting to a new culture, or philosophy of religion, and lose years of intimacy with the God who is already present in their own country or culture.
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The Little Things That Matter
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The life of St. Teresa of Jesus shows that one can reach a high degree of intimacy with God without making major external changes. In fact, it is the little things that matter. For example, before she began to advance rapidly in prayer, she wrote to and visited with family and friends in the parlor of the monastery. Whereas, after she was growing in prayer she wrote and visited with family and friends in the parlor. Granted, that she limited these visits, and that whereas before she went to the parlor for her own pleasure, she now focused upon God and upon making her family and friends aware of God’s love. This did not mean that she still did not take pleasure in their company, but that she was first attuned to what God was asking of her at the moment.
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Awareness Makes All The Difference
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It is this awareness of God’s presence in our lives that can make all the difference. My high school principle (Sr. Agatha, RSM) used to say that, “God is never outdone in generosity.” When a person gives himself/herself to God, no matter what the external circumstances, God becomes more intimate with that person. This is whether the person is ascending, set on auto pilot, (cruise control) or preparing to land in their life’s journey. A mere “tweak” from God can bring forth “highest gifts of grace and prayer.”
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1 cf. http://www.carmelsong.com/musicteresa11.htm words: Sr. Margarita, O.C.D. Quidenham music: Sr. Mary Anne Schuman, O.C.D. Eldridge Carmel.
2 Kavanaugh, Kieran and Rodriguez, Otilio, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila Vol I, Washington DC: ICS Publications, 1976 , p. 25.