St. Teresa, Martin Luther, and Me

"...The soul of the righteous man is nothing but a paradise, in which, as God tells us, He takes His delight.  For what do you think a room will be like which is the delight of a King so mighty, so wise, so pure and so full of all that is good? I can find nothing with which to compare the great beauty of a soul and its great capacity. In fact, however acute our intellects may be, they will no more be able to attain to a comprehension of this than to an understanding of God; for, as He Himself says, He created us in His image and likeness.  Now if this is so -- and it is -- there is no point in our fatiguing ourselves by attempting to comprehend the beauty of  this castle; for , though it is His creature, and there is therefore as much difference between it and God as between creature and Creator, the very fact that His Majesty says it is made in His image means that we can hardly form any conception of the soul's great dignity and beauty." St. Teresa of Avila. (from the 1st Chapter, 1st paragraph of the Interior Castle - Doubleday, New York, 1989)

Our dignity and beauty is something that is fundamental to the spiritual life.  The Church remains a huge defender of this dignity, though assaulted on all sides. Although the effects are currently devastating, it is no new battle.  When St. Teresa was writing these words, it was 1577, about 60 years after Martin Luther posted his 95 thesis. These two persons are the black and white of that era in our history, but the rift is still being felt today. Let me share with you a first hand experience, which illuminates that this rift in the fundamental understanding of our own nature and grace is alive and well:

        Once in San Diego, California, I encountered a young man calling passers-by to repentance. When he realized my intrigue, I became a target of his preaching. So, I approached the young man, and asked him why he had such a problem with the Catholic Church.  His answer was more or less: "You all think that you can buy your way into heaven, one way or another, but that's a lie. Only the Blood of Jesus Christ saves, and keeps our filthy, worthless selves from the burning fires."  Shocked that "filthy, worthless selves" had followed the words "Christ saves", I responded with the fact that we were sinners, but renewed and healed through Jesus Christ and that it was with, through, and in Him that we strive towards salvation. The young man scoffed and, after asking permission, preceded to audibly pray for my minds deliverance from ignorance and my heart from false doctrine (not a bad prayer!). Note, please, that this was a sincere, sober, and intelligent young man. I, in turn, smiled and left, offering the rest of my day for his conversion.

           

Whether he realized it, this young man held in his heart the idea that God is a judge who overlooks our evils in order to let anyone who asks into heaven. The Catholic Church on the other hand, teaches that God is a judge, yes, but a Physician who heals the wounded soul through Grace. The reason Grace heals is because it is a participation in the Divine Life, and such participation changes the soul. 

If we possess this sanctifying Grace, than we are pleasing to God, in virtue of the fact that we possess a part of divinity. Unworthily? Yes. Unmerited? Yes. Actually? Absolutely.