I have been doing some background reading for an article
I intend to write. This kind of work is
interesting to me for a number of reasons.
In this instance one reason is one of the people I am focusing on is
someone I knew, namely, Douglas Steere, a stalwart Quaker of the 20th
century. I knew Douglas and his wife,
Dorothy, through some mutual Quaker activities.
At the time I came to know him, Douglas was already post-retirement. Although he was still very active, he clearly
was aging.
Douglas was one of those people who had done many
significant things in his life. It was
easy for me to see this man in his “ripe old age.” I have used that line many times. When I used it as a kid, it was not usually
complimentary. The connotations
suggested some old guy who basically had lost it…or outlived his usefulness in
life. The arrogance of youth is
sometimes truly amazing! Perhaps God’s
best joke on me is giving me enough years that I slowly am becoming a guy
looking in the mirror as his “ripe old age.”
And maybe I have lost it and don’t know it!
But Douglas was a sage---his wisdom was both impressive
and evident. His experience was both
deep and wide. He had participated in
redevelopment work after WW II in Europe.
He was an official non-Catholic observer during the Vatican II
sessions. He was a mover and shaker with
many major players on the religious scene in the middle of the 20th
century. For example, I have enjoyed
coming to know about Steere’s relatively brief friendship with Thomas Merton,
famous Catholic monk who died in 1968.
I was reminded of this relationship when I was re-reading
a 1975 article Steere entitled, “Contemplation and Leisure.” In that article Douglas was talking about
some of the essence of the Quaker spirit.
Since I am a Quaker, I had to chuckle at this description. According to Steere, Quakers “have
nevertheless throughout their history been in continuous protest against an
overplanned church, with overplanned programs, overplanned rituals, overplanned
physical plants, overplanned creedal requirements, and overplanned authority and
patterns of governance.” I laughed
because I thought there are seeds of truth in this.
It seems to me any institution inherently tends in the
direction of overplanniing. The
overplanning often becomes part of the structure. But sometimes the structure and the
overplanning begin to sap the life out of the institution. Institutions rush ahead to plan even
more. Activity sometimes masks
effectiveness. Just “doing it,” is not
the same as “doing something important.”
Too often, individuals and groups do not stop and
occasionally ask, “why are we doing this?” And if we never ask this question,
probably we will keep on doing what we are doing. We will assume it is important or, perhaps,
meaningful. This especially concerns me
when I think about walking along the spiritual path. The real question here is whether God is
leading me along in the direction I am going?
I have often told people I only have two key issues in my
life: learning how to live and to love.
It is easy to assume I am doing fine with these, but deep down, I know
that is not a legitimate assumption. I
need to test it some. Am I in touch with
God and what God desires from me? Is my
life heading in that vital, loving direction I most want?
Quakers have traditionally held to the notion that God is
present to us and that we can know the Divine Desire for our lives. But it is not automatic. God will not text me to tell me how it’s
going. I don’t go on email expecting
something from the Holy One! This is
where one last line from Steere was incredibly helpful.
Steere assures me and you in these words. “Of this Inward Guide, the Quakers would
agree with Thomas Merton that when they are truly quiet and centered ‘we don’t
have to rush after it. It was there all
the time and if we give it time, it will make itself known to us.’” I love this idea and want to take the leisure
to practice it. I want to quiet myself
and spend some centered time so that the Inward Guide will make itself known to
me.
This is not the same thing as the institutional
answer. It is not doctrine, much less
dogma that I am looking for. I am
looking for the Divine Voice itself to speak to my life. And I am willing to take the time and
exercise the patience to wait for it.
Don’t rush it! I realize how
difficult this can be, even for me as a Quaker.
And I realize how counterculture it seems to Americans who are used to
instant responses.
One cannot plan the time, place, and occasion when God
automatically will reveal the Divine Self to us. Certainly, one cannot overplan this event or
experience. Don’t rush it. Relax and be quiet. Center and allow yourself to move from the
margins of your life to the core where your soul can be touched by the Holy
One. You can do it. I can do it.
I will do it.
Comments
Post a Comment