"We struggle with the complexities and avoid the simplicities." Norman Vincent Peale

Now Reading:
The Genesee Diary: report from a trappist monastery by Henri Nouwen
... Tuesday, 23rd ...

"...in the contemplative life every conflict, inner or outer, small or
large, can be seen as the tip of an iceberg, the expressive part of
something deeper and larger. it is worthwhile, even necessary, to
explore that which is underneath the surface of our daily actions,
thoughts, and feelings.
the most persistent advice of John Eudes in his spiritual direction is
to explore the wounds, to pay attention to the feelings, which are
often embarrassing and shameful, and follow them to their roots. he
keeps telling me not to push away disturbing daydreams or hostile
meanderings of the mind but to allow them to exist and explore them
with care. do not panic, do not start running but take a careful look.
it is interesting to mention here Diadochus of Photice's views on the
discernment of spirits. he says that we have to keep the surface calm
so that we can see deep into the soul. "when the sea is calm, the eyes
of the fishermen can penetrate to the point where he can distinguish
different movements in the depth of the water, so that hardly any of
the creatures who move through the pathways of the sea escape him, but
when the sea is agitated by the wind, she hides in her dark
restlessness what she shows in the smile of a clear day."
what is the importance of this? Diadochus says that with a clear mind
we will be able to distinguish the good from the bad suggestions so
that the good ones can be treasured and the bad ones dispelled.
That indeed is the value of being able to follow the movements of the
soul. when we do not panic and create waves, we will be able to "think
them through" to the end. when the end proves to be a dead end, a
blind alley, then we can be free to search for a new way without the
false suspicion that the old way might be the better one. when we keep
a diagnostic eye on our soul, then we can become familiar with the
different, often complex stirrings of our inner life and travel with
confidence on the paths that lead to the light ..."