The eye of the needle...

21 Jesus saith to him: If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come follow me. 22 And when the young man had heard this word, he went away sad: for he had great possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples: Amen, I say to you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. 25 And when they had heard this, the disciples wondered very much, saying: Who then can be saved? 26 And Jesus beholding, said to them: With men, this is impossible: but with God, all things are possible.  (Mt 19:21-26)

[1] All the world’s wisdom and human ability compared to the infinite wisdom of God is pure and utter ignorance, as St. Paul writes to the Corinthians, [1 Cor 3:19] “The wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.”  [1 Cor 3:18-19]  “If anyone among you thinks he is wise, let him become ignorant so as to be wise.  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.”  Those, therefore, who value their knowledge and ability as a means of reaching union with the wisdom of God are very ignorant in God’s sight and will be left behind, far away from this wisdom.  Ignorance does not grasp what wisdom is; and in Gods sight, those who think they have some wisdom are very ignorant.

For as the apostle says of them in writing to the Romans: “Taking themselves for wise men, they became fools.” (Rom 1:22)

Only those who set aside their own knowledge and walk in Gods service like unlearned children receive wisdom from God.  This is the wisdom about which St. Paul taught the Corinthians: “If anyone amount you thinks he is wise, let him become ignorant so as to be wise.  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” (1 Cor 3:18-19)  Accordingly, to reach union with the wisdom of God, a person must advance by unknowing rather than by knowing.  [1] (Chap 4 pp 66-67)

[1]“John of The Cross Selected Writings” – The Ascent of Mount Carmel.  The Classics of Western Spirituality Copyright 1987. The Washington Province of Discalced Carmelite Friars Inc,.

It is clear to see in the words of Christ and St. John of the Cross, the people that value in and of themselves, their material wealth, the own abilities and knowledge in the eyes of the world, will find it hard to attain Heaven and, “will be left behind.”  The knowledge of the world is foolishness, yet most of us struggle with wanting to attain material wealth, money and power in order to be seen as worthy or “of value” in the world.  The world clearly stands in contradiction to following God and it is not easy to hear nor follow God while being of the world and attached to such wealth.  As is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, we must be stripped and detached of our own wills and desires to seek what the world deems knowledge and power, and become like unlearned children.  However, this is not possible on our own and comes only, from/through/with God.  In order to follow God we must leave behind our old lives, selves, wills, and allow God to draw us to Him, in order to be stripped and detached from the “foolishness” of the world.  However, as this is easily said, it is not easily done nor accomplished by anything we do directly.  Whether, it is with the words of Teresa of Avilla or John of The Cross, it is a process that a soul goes through in order to find its Creator.       

A person with freewill can choose to say “Yes” to God, following the sound doctrines of The Church, by practicing prayer and receiving the sacraments, the rest is up to God.  It is only God’s will as to the degree to which a person is purged and detached from the world.  As God touches the soul, it is raised to heights that are unknown in comprehendible terms.  The soul is moved in a way that it does not know, but only follows blindly, searching.  It is felt so deeply and in such an intense way, left in complete darkness and blinded by the light and love of God, its Creator.  A soul is unable to obtain this on its own merit, it is forever changed, desiring only that what it does not know, nor understand, but only feels in the depths of its existence.  7”I adjure you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and the harts of the, fields, that you stir not up, nor make the beloved to awake, till she please. 8 The voice of my beloved, behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills. 9 My beloved is like a roe, or a young hart. Behold he standeth behind our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices. 10 Behold my beloved speaketh to me: Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come.” (Song of Songs 2:7-10)

The world’s “foolishness,” wisdom, material wealth and power that people seek for their own gratification and wealth, in order to feel worthy and important of the world, serves only to get in the way of hearing and following God.  One is unable to hear God, let alone seek God’s will, when the love of money, wealth and power cloud the judgment and view of God.  The soul is buried and covered by the immoral desires of the flesh, as the bodily senses take in, only what it desires, leaving the soul empty and longing for what it does not know, but desires.  For as God, created the soul, for Him and to seek Him, the body, which the soul exists in and occupies, cannot be separated, while on this earth.  The soul exists in the wretchedness and stench of the body.  As St. Francis of Assisi referred to his own body as, “Brother Ass” and treated it as such.  It is that complete and total abandonment that Francis experienced only by/with/through the grace of God that he was able to seek the things of Heaven rather than of earth.   The heights he attained in is interior life were not of his own human ability and/or desire.  As God touched the souls of St. Francis, John of The Cross and Teresa of Avilla, just to suggest a few, it is clear to see the detachment they had from and of the world and the complete and total abandonment of themselves to the will of God.  They did not possess nor seek the material wealth, money and power of the world.  They did not care what society deemed to be important and did not seek the things of this world, but rather treasure in Heaven.

We have the freewill to choose to follow God and seek His will.  It is a process to be open to His will with complete and total abandonment and the grace of spiritual docility.  It is only with/through/by His grace that we can obtain such heights and be detached from the desires of the world.  It is only by our desire to choose to follow God and seek His will, that He will grant such.