Spiritual Drift

Sometimes I read something that has a real impact.  Occasionally, I know reading it will impact me.  Such was a recent article about Sister Simone Campbell.  I met her once when she was on a visit in my city.  It was part of the very well-known media event called, Nuns on the Bus.  That was the brainchild of the social lobbying agency in DC that Sister Simone headed as executive director called Network.  So I have known about her, but did not know much about her.  

She is retiring from that directorship and seeking the Spirit’s guidance for her next step.  In article about her and her work, I learned more about her that that is where the impact originated.  Her life and witness are impactful.  She was born in 1945 and grew up in California.  She went to Catholic schools.  Her life was deeply affected by the diagnosis of cancer in her younger sister in Simone’s high school years.  It is as if Simone took on the mission of her sister, Katy, as well as her own.  That mission would be channeled into social service.

In fact, she joined the Sisters of Social Service in 1964.  Her commitment to God and to a life of ministry in social service was influenced by the Civil Rights movement of the 60s.  That became a clarion call for her work for justice.  That continues to this day.  Her work took some interesting twists.  Early on she realized she did not understand anything about the law, so she went to law school.  Through a series of jobs, she landed in DC in 2004.  

Her organization Network was not widely known.  But then came in 2012 the Vatican investigation into the social work bent of the nuns.  The Vatican also charged the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) with ignoring certain Catholic teachings because of their undue emphasis on social justice work.  Charging a bunch of nuns with sin is not a good way to win friends in the media.  Suddenly, the national media spotlight was on Sister Simone and the entire LCWR leadership team.  From that was born the idea of Nuns on the Bus.   

Before she took the job in DC, Sister Simone spent some time in seeking what the Spirit would direct her to do next.  Since she is such an active woman, it is fascinating to think about what balancing time in prayer and discernment means for her.  During that period, she took a sabbatical.  I was intrigued to hear to describe that time of her life.  The writer of the article, tells us, “the sabbatical allowed her to develop the technique of letting go and listening to the Spirit.”  I can relate to this.  I know I would be better if I spent a bit more time letting go.  

I suspect that many folks, like me, are pretty active.  The American way is to be on the go---the more things to do, the better.  Somehow we feel worth more if we are doing more.  We also need those quiet times---the meditative times to ask God and listen for the answer to the question, “what am I supposed to be doing?”  People like Simone also typically have a spiritual director.

A spiritual director is a person who joins you and helps you seek and discern God’s will.  They seldom give answers.  Instead the director is more likely to pray with you and wait with you.  They may ask clarifying questions.  As you become more clear what God is calling you to do, they can confirm it makes sense.  I imagine that was something like the process Sister Simone was doing.  But she has a funny way of putting it.

At one point, she quips, “I joke that I don't like 'spiritual direction,' I like 'spiritual drift…'”  I laughed out loud.  Hearing that distinction, I believe I like spiritual drift, too.  Direction sounds so definite and focused.  God seldom deals with me that way.  I sometimes feel “leanings,” as Quakers would say.  That is a bit like a spiritual hunch.  You are not sure, but you can move in the direction of leaning.  It is a continued walk in faith.

Drift is more like what applies to me.  Drifting does not have to be aimless.  Drifting is a good way to talk about riding on the winds of the Spirit.  Simone continues to define more what this drift looks like.  She said, "You need to wrestle with the substance of your life.”  That makes sense.  Indeed, some days it feels like wrestling---much like Jacob contended with the angel late one night.

Sister Simone goes on, “To care about the spiritual life requires engaging the reality of our lives.”  Absolutely, I say.  I wonder how many of us actually engage the reality of our lives.  My friend Parker Palmer talks about living the illusion of life.  In fact, he describes learning to live contemplatively as unmasking the illusion of our lives.  That makes sense to me.

I will quote Simone one final time.  When she talks about the reality of life, she notes, “There's no managing it, and I'm always about managing.  So I need to say, 'No, just let it go.”  I love this.  You can’t manage life, she says.  Well, most of us try.  Instead, learn to let it go.  I can imagine her saying, let go and learn to live in faith.  Let go and let God, as the old saying goes. Maybe our choice finally is to manage life or let go of life.  Letting go is a form of drifting.