"Certain beginners feel disappointed when they perceive the goodness of another. They suffer from profound envy and can hardly bear it when they realize that someone else is ahead of them on the spiritual path. They would rather not hear another be praised. When they find that another's virtues are being celebrated, they can't stand it and are compelled to contradict them. Because no one is saying such great things about them, their annoyance grows; they yearn for preference in all things."
Saint John of the Cross
Dark Night of the Soul
Chapter 7
T
Wow, I thought I knew St. John of the Cross's writings, but this is something I missed -- and it is such an important thought. Spirituality is not about competition or racing along some "path". God chooses how He communicates with us, when, how, and why. Our spiritual tempo is more dependent upon Him than upon our ourselves. I imagine there are people who are remain beginners and that God loves them just as much as He loves those whom He has blessed to travel farther or move deeper in spirituality.
ReplyDelete