[Pearls Episode 145: Bringing Sunday into the workweek.]
Continuing Friday’s consideration of docility, never was this conversation had…
“Look at you! You are soooo docile!”
“Oh, no, I’m really not. You’re just saying that.”
“Seriously! You are so teachable!”
“Well…”
“It’s like you’re human puddy!”
< blushing >
But we truly should aspire to being masters of docility or, better yet, being mastered by docility.
In other areas of human performance people reverence the state of “flow” – when we operate effortlessly at a high level, without even thinking about it.
That is akin to docility in the spiritual realm – staying in the presence of God without forcing it, so that He can guide us, work through us, and transform us unimpeded.
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are a supreme example of docility in action (in the postscript I link two prior Pearls episodes that explain key aspects of each of the seven gifts). Two of the gifts figure prominently in yesterday’s scripture readings – Fear of the Lord and Wisdom.
And – this is a key point – we see that they are particularly advantageous in times of trial (more on that tomorrow).
Let’s look briefly at Fear of the Lord. Each Gift of the Spirit is a perfection of a particular virtue (also in the postscript) – Fear of the Lord is associated with the cardinal virtue of Temperance – the virtue by which we moderate all our disordered desires (for food, sex, money, power, fame, etc).
Fear of the Lord isn’t a servile fear of a tyrannical master, as we describe in last week’s Pearls episode – Fear of the Lord is to fear anything that displeases God out of love. Much like a child who wants to please their parents (the last thing a small child wants to hear are the dreaded words, “I’m disappointed in you.”)
Temperance, then, helps us curb bad habits – like gluttony. When we practice the virtue of temperance, the onus is on us to control our cravings – and that is hard work indeed (why do they sell Doritos in one-pound bags?). When the gift of Fear of the Lord takes hold of us, the self-denial is far more effortless because it is under the action of the Holy Spirit – and now we desire to satisfy ourselves with God rather than with something that is soon swallowed and gone.
That sort of operation of the Gifts of the Spirit doesn’t happen overnight – we should pray for that grace and do our best to cooperate with it by practicing the corresponding virtue. And … grow in docility, whereby we learn to give the Holy Spirit permission to descend and do the heavy lifting for us.
Blessings on your journey with Christ –
Steve and Karen Smith
Interior Life
Postscript: More about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Gifts of the Spirit 1: Intellectual gifts of Knowledge, Understanding and Wisdom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ctN1PEcXXU&t=63s
Gifts of the Spirit 2: Gifts that strengthen the will: Fear of the Lord, Piety, Fortitude and Counsel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkXcLtiyW-A&t=183s
Gifts and corresponding virtues:
Wisdom – Charity
Understanding – Faith
Knowledge – Hope
Counsel – Prudence
Piety – Justice
Fortitude – Fortitude
Fear of the Lord – Temperance