Empty Hands..............

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BarbaraTherese

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Last night something came home to me with a real thud! One of those times that occurs now and then when it is like a blind going up suddenly in a dark room flooding it with light.
There is a difference between the humility that is adopted knowing that one is living a good and productive life and to cover this with humility in the knowledge that the victory is to God and His Grace and not self. That is a type of humility. There is another humility that sights with great clarity that one’s hands are in reality totally empty and that one’s life is anything but what could be classed in our terms of understanding as good and productive…and to come before The Lord and to Him with totally empty hands and in genuine and real poverty and impoverishment - that is another kind of humility inclusive of the beginning of Wisdom and a Fear of The Lord…“the humbled and contrite heart I will not disdain”…
 
yes,…yes… and I would think it would mean a true battle won with against pride and ego. :dancing:
 
brigid12 said:
yes,…yes… and I would think it would mean a true battle won with against pride and ego. :dancing:
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…👍 …the danger being of course that pride and ego will relish in that victory - As St. Francis of Assisi said "pride dies 10 minutes after we do’…
 
BarbaraTherese said:
…👍 …the danger being of course that pride and ego will relish in that victory - As St. Francis of Assisi said "pride dies 10 minutes after we do’…
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That is certainly quite true Barb, and pride in one’s humility is an ever-present danger.

But there is also the flip side to that equation. That one becomes so disheartened in feeling like they can do nothing “right”–from realizing that our best efforts are still nothing more than trying to do our job-- that they go to despair. I think we have both seen each other beat ourselves up at times by feeling like worthless worms despite our best efforts.

I’m pretty sure here though that you are addressing that true humility of surrender to knowing that the best we can do is to cooperate with the grace that God gives us to accomplish HIS good through us. Allowing ourselves to be “instruments of His peace”.

And at that point we once again get back to Merton’s idea that we have to trust that our desire to please God does in fact please Him.

Peace sister,
 
BarbaraTherese, Have you ever read “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin” by St. Louis deMonfort? He writes of this latter type of humility in the deMonfort consrecration like we are offering an apple to the King but instead of just handing it to the King, Mary takes the apple, cleans it off and puts it on a golden plate and offers it on our behalf, making it pleasing and acceptable to Him. Your description reminds me of that. Tim
 
BarbaraTherese said:
…👍 …the danger being of course that pride and ego will relish in that victory - As St. Francis of Assisi said "pride dies 10 minutes after we do’…
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Almost instantaneously, too!! That’s why I really need my devotion to Mary, as Tim was speaking about.:rolleyes:
 
ncjohn said:
That is certainly quite true Barb, and pride in one’s humility is an ever-present danger.

But there is also the flip side to that equation. That one becomes so disheartened in feeling like they can do nothing “right”–from realizing that our best efforts are still nothing more than trying to do our job-- that they go to despair. I think we have both seen each other beat ourselves up at times by feeling like worthless worms despite our best efforts.

I’m pretty sure here though that you are addressing that true humility of surrender to knowing that the best we can do is to cooperate with the grace that God gives us to accomplish HIS good through us. Allowing ourselves to be “instruments of His peace”.

And at that point we once again get back to Merton’s idea that we have to trust that our desire to please God does in fact please Him.

Peace sister,
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Hi there John…good to catch up with you again for sure:thumbsup:
Despair I think can be the flip side of the coin. It is defeated by that humility that though experiencing onself as broken and impoverished comes to The Lord with empty hands and in brokenness and impoverishment with knowledge of His Love and Mercy of His very least in actuality…this is a step beyond I think confident trust in His Mercy - it is knowledge. For me, suddenly, Scripture passages like “a contrite and humble heart I will not disdain” - parables like the pharisee and the sinner, takes on new light and meaning…and what I think has actually happened is that one knows The Lord a little ‘better’…one needs express oneself in words and recognizing as one writes their total inadequacy.

It can be like a freezing cold shower on a freezing cold day to wake up in a totally new and all pervading way that God does not want or need good works and successes…but rather that broken and contrite heart - it is a freeing matter - a journey into a new freedom. The Lord is indeed ‘a refuge’. One can rest one’s brokenness and improverishment in The Lord without worrying, concerning and becoming anxious about “what I am to do from here”. And I can certainly identify with letting go of our own plans, hopes and desires and allowing God to accomplish whatever He Will - even if it appears to one to be completely nothing at all. It is a place of ‘no desire’ - a place of rest and refuge. “Be still and know that I am God”…and it is a stilling of all plans, hopes and desires, regrets and unrest: “come to me all you who labour and are burdened and I will give you rest”…and I think only the truly broken and empty of hands arrive there. I dont really know.
I have not said “it” even yet:shrug: …I am just hoping I have not distorted “it” by trying to say “it”…:o :o :o

Blessings, Brother John…and the Peace and Joy of The Lord…Barb:)
 
brigid12 said:
Almost instantaneously, too!! That’s why I really need my devotion to Mary, as Tim was speaking about.:rolleyes:
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Hi again Brigid…I have a great devotion to Our Lady indeed…but I am not ‘into’ particular devotions as such would clutter up my prayer life with endless routines as these particular devotions do ask. I am devoted to The Rosary and Chaplet of Mercy, however. My devotion to Our Lady and to The Sacred Heart and His Mercy is of very long standing going back to my childhood at a ripe young 62yrs. nowadays. Back then devotion to Mary and to The Sacred Heart were very well and consistently advocated from classroom to pulpit. Pride is a constant battle and I am with St. Francis that it will probably go on for my entire life - moreso than the actual wrestling with it, The Lord sees the heart that if there were some way one would be rid of it completely and one’s heart detests it. It does have the wondrous quality however of keeping one humble and realistic about one’s identity and place in the scheme of things - that is its flip and positive side to the battle with it.

I think I read, Tim, “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin” many many years ago now - is there an online copy and if so, could you give me the link please. To me, Mary is the disciple of spirituality and of Jesus sin que non (without equal). I am currently reading the Life of St. Teresa of Avila yet again and after that is complete, will be searching around for another spiritual work to read. Now and then I will buy a book but they are so expensive… now I have the internet, printing out a copy of a work that is online is the far cheaper option.

Barb:)
 
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