Remember

“This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” (Jn 14:17) 

How is the Spirit perceived? – Through a glass darkly.  A life of faith is built upon fleeting moments in which a Presence became palpable.  St Bernard describes affective experiences of God as essential for the spiritual journey, though they are “brief and rare.”  But there is something that continues on after peak moments have passed.  Like the hum of cosmic noise that echoes the big bang throughout space and time, it is there, beneath the din of everyday concerns. 

Teilhard de Chardin says that the universe possesses a “within” coextensive with its “without.”  In other words, everything has an inner face, a spiritual identity.  Or, in yet other words, the Spirit of God speaks in planets and plants and pauses in conversation.  What I long for is to listen ever more intently to this cosmic noise, to look beyond the surface to the inward truth of things. 

“Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.” (1 Pt 3:15) 

Dom Francis Kline, former abbot of Mepkin, speaks in one of his conferences of the experience of finding oneself “without a face” after a day of distracted busyness.  No matter how heavy one’s responsibilities, he says, this “facelessness” can and should be avoided.  How? – By sanctifying Christ as Lord in the heart.  This means making a choice to remember. 

Medieval Cistercian writers such as St Aelred emphasize that the memory is a human characteristic that reflects the divine, and so provides a place of encounter with God.  Memoria Dei – the remembrance of God – is not a mental trick or a beating over the head with pious sentiments.  Sanctifying Christ in the heart does not mean that I conjure up an image of Christ in my mind and try to feel something about this creation of mine.  Remembering is a matter of consenting to what already is. 

St Benedict speaks several times in his Rule of the fact that we are always and everywhere in the presence of God (see RB chapters 7, 19).  Memory is about presence.  Forgetfulness, oblivion or “facelessness” is the scourge of the spiritual life – but how can we avoid this?  We need concrete ways to aid our memory and banish forgetfulness.  One time-tested way is the continual or rhythmic repetition of a word or phrase from Scripture, such as the Spirit’s cry, “Abba!”, or the Holy Name of Jesus.  This acts like a gentle tap on the surface of feelings, thoughts, things, events, and people. 

Tap – God present. 

Tap – Christ is Lord. 

Tap – Spirit of truth. 

If can just keep tapping, gently, faithfully, on the surface of things, someday I may be gifted with a breakthrough into that “within” for which my heart longs.
Spirit of truth, show us your presence in all things.