[Answering Atheism Tuesday]
Along with the Sacraments, time in mental prayer is a guaranteed encounter with Christ – that’s what we were reminded of yesterday – each session of Christian meditation has the promise to be a mini-Easter. And that is why the enemy will do anything to keep us from that receiving that gift.
Tuesdays we usually focus on “Answering Atheism.” Today’s email is in that spirit – but with an inward focus – responding to the lingering doubts and cynicism that reside in all of us. St. Teresa of Avila, speaking of the mansions of our soul, notes that the outer mansions are still infested with “poisonous creatures.” What are those poisonous creatures if not doubts (as well as pride and attachments)?
Our response to the Resurrection can be one of those poisonous creatures. To some degree (I know for myself sometimes to an alarming degree) we tend to be schizophrenic in our disposition to the Resurrection. At some level we believe it. But on a different level, that same Christ who we proclaim to be Lord over life and death we make powerless, or worse yet irrelevant, to different aspects of our own life.
“Sure, He rose from the dead, but there’s no way He can do anything about my schedule today – do you know how busy I am?” I’ve mentioned before that I fall into that trap. Here I am working on an apostolate about mental prayer, and I’ll fall into thinking that I’m too busy to pray, or I’ll be very stingy with my time for the Lord.
And, yes, God has personally demonstrated the foolishness of this. On days that I skimp on prayer because I have too much to do, you-know-what breaks loose and I never get anything accomplished anyway. Other times when I stick to my guns and keep to my morning holy hour, giving first fruits to God, all the sudden the seas open, the ways are made straight, and what I thought would take a long time is completed in short order.
Those occasions strengthen me for that third, and most often, type of day. When I thought I had a lot to do, and it turns out, I did have a lot to do. It ends up being a long, drawn out day. But I started with my holy hour and trust in the Lord. If I ended up staying up late or I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted, I still experienced the greatest miracle – overcoming my own desire for control and instant gratification, and saying “Lord, I trust this is the day You desired for me.”
So let us always be vigilant against that slithery, deceptive type of atheism – lack of belief in the power of the Resurrection over our everyday life. The Resurrection has dominion over every aspect of our life, at all times. When we give ourselves over to Him, Christ is always at work to revive, renew and transform us – especially at those times when it seems He is doing nothing.
Easter blessings –
Steve and Karen Smith
Interior Life