In his present state, man is characterised by the instability of his life. This instability, however, can become the cause of great spiritual progress. Afflicted by successive oscillations, he recognises that he is unable to accomplish spiritual works that can endure the gaze of the eternal Judge. In this way, he acquires the awareness of his spiritual poverty. With this awareness, man humbles himself before God and becomes receptive to His grace and help.
Wavering in Quest of the Kingdom Which Cannot Be Moved
Essentially, spiritual poverty is the first step in every spiritual ascent in the life of Christians. The Lord establishes spiritual poverty as the foundation of His eternal Gospel. The first of the Beatitudes in His Sermon on the Mount declares, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’.1Matt. 5:3.
Indeed, if we seek the Kingdom of God as the ultimate purpose of our existence, nothing will aid us more in this struggle than the humility born of the awareness of our spiritual poverty. Therefore, even if we waver in our quest of the Kingdom which cannot be moved, we have a steadfast foundation upon which we can rely. We continually confess our spiritual poverty, and with the humility that this confession begets, we implore God to come to our aid and to make up for what we are lacking.
Thus, it is natural to go up and down in our spiritual life. Yet, with humility for our deficiency, we ask God to continually grant a new beginning in our lives so that we may receive from Him new mercies. In this way, we build our spiritual edifice—our eternal salvation—within the holy Kingdom of God and of His Angels, ‘with all the saints’ of all ages.2Cf. Eph. 3:18.
We rejoice that God has revealed His path to us, and with zeal we seek His Face. We have the intent not only to believe in Him but also to suffer with gratitude, for we do not wish to lose such a God, known and beloved, nor the joy of His infinite love with which He has loved us from the beginning. It is this love that led Him to lift His life onto the Cross so that we might be enriched with the indescribable inheritance of His gifts.
As long as man lives on earth clothed in the coarse veil of the flesh, it is impossible for him to remain unshakeable in the spiritual life. The earthly mind cannot comprehend divine infinity and the unenlarged heart cannot contain the perfect love of Christ, the Lamb without blemish and without spot. The soul is consumed with the desire to follow the Master ‘whithersoever He goeth’,3Rev. 14:4. but she wavers like a bruised reed in her ascent to greater knowledge, to a greater measure of love.
Christ ‘maketh all things new’4Rev. 21:5. at all times. He constantly seeks an opportunity to lay the foundations for new beginnings in our lives so that He can renew His grace in us. Repeated spiritual vacillations urge us always to make a new beginning. The new mercies of God that we taste time and again beget in us a mighty gratitude like a sober drunkenness, which wells up from the heart and puts on our lips a ‘new song’ for the Lord our Saviour.
Extract from the Prologue
Footnotes
- 1Matt. 5:3.
- 2Cf. Eph. 3:18.
- 3Rev. 14:4.
- 4Rev. 21:5.