Openness to Growth

OPENNESS TO GROWTH

Lord Cecil, a former Bishop of Exeter, was well known for his forgetfulness. The story is told, how, one day he was travelling on a train when the ticket collector came and asked him for his ticket. He searched all his pockets but could not find it. "Don't worry" said the ticket collector, "I know who you are and I know you would have bought one". "But, I do worry", protested the Bishop, "because I do not know where I am going".

Like Bishop Cecil, many of us often find ourselves lost in the spiritual life. We know we are on a journey but we do not know where we are going.

The Roman Catholic Layman, Baron Von Hugel, in his book, "The Mystical Element in Religion", published in 1908, offers us a simple map of our spiritual journey which may be of some help in discovering where we are and where we should expect to be going in the future.

He suggests that the three physical progressive stages of growth, namely infancy, adolescence and adulthood, correspond to the three progressive stages of growth in the spiritual life, namely the institutional, the critical and the mystical.

Let me try and spell this out in greater detail to see if you can find your place on the map of your own particular journey of spiritual growth.

1. INFANCY - INSTITUTIONAL

In infancy our activities are predominantly concerned with physical movement and sense impressions and our needs are for food, warmth, protection and affection.

A child in infancy explores its environment, which it sees by wanting to touch, taste, smell and hear. It also searches for security by wanting to be held a lot as it learns to trust its parents. It learns to speak by repetition and discovers a sense of belonging as it is made aware of its family history. Finally, as it becomes more adventurous, it is given guidance by a whole series of do's and don'ts.

The infancy stage corresponds to the institutional stage in our spiritual growth.

The building and worship of the church appeals to our five senses of sight, touch, taste, hearing and smell. The Bible stories and the lives of saints introduce us to our family history. We learn prayers, such as the Lord's Prayer, by repetition, in the same way as a child learns a nursery rhyme. Finally, the moral teaching of the church prepares us for the application of our faith to daily living - "do not lie", "do not cheat", "do not steal" and so on.

However, there is a very real danger that we do not allow ourselves to grow beyond this stage. Many Christians are quite content to remain passive throughout their life of discipleship. They attend services, hear sermons, receive sacraments, accept moral teaching, read their Bibles and recite formal prayers. They feel quite safe and secure in their infantile faith and are threatened by any change or challenge.

Alas, sometimes the Church itself will not let us grow. The minute we become restless and dissatisfied it instructs us to be humble, loyal, faithful and obedient. Such an attitude is often reinforced by suggesting that to be otherwise is sinful and will lead to dire consequences in the after life.

As Gerard Hughes, a Roman Catholic Priest, observes: "Much of the present tension in the Catholic Church is a tension between those who assume that the institutional is the only essential element in the Church and others who are demanding more the critical and mystical elements".

However, one cannot stop people wanting to grow and discover things for themselves, and this brings us to the second stage of natural growth called "adolescence".

2. ADOLESCENCE - CRITICAL

Sooner or later, youngsters begin to explore things for themselves and build upon their experiences of life. They begin to dream and plan ahead. Reasons for actions are demanded. "Because I say so" is no longer good enough for their searching minds. In their search for a sense of unity in life, they begin to see through the hypocrisy of adulthood. They expect adults to practise what they preach. As they discover their new-found independence, they still need to know that they belong. Often this is a time when they decide to rebel and break away from the family nest. Life is dominated by questions. "Why this" and "why the other" and if inadequate answers are given, then they reject former teaching and values.

This adolescence stage of development corresponds to the critical stage in the spiritual life.

In our search for a meaning, we begin to question much of what we have been taught and accepted in earlier years. Just because the church, the Bible or even the Vicar says so is not sufficient reason for accepting and believing. The church's teaching has to be authenticated by personal experience.

Likewise, in our search for a sense of unity between what we believe and our experience of life, the church's teaching, history and worshipping life will be tried and tested. For instance, adolescents often suggest that the scientific explanation of the origin of the world does not marry up well with the Biblical story of creation. Miracles tend to be explained away by rational explanations. Often what the church says and what it does is found to be wanting and is often the reason why some reject the family home of the church.

Once again, there is a danger that the church may choose to ignore such a stage of natural development in the spiritual life. Unable to cope with the questioning minds of its adolescent believers - whether they be 15, 25 or 55 years old - it throws them out of the family home of the church, like a parent unable to cope with its teenage child. This is exactly what happened to a group of Roman Catholic scholars including Alfred Loisy and George Tyrell at the turn of the twentieth century. This is also what some Anglicans would have liked to have done with Bishop John Robinson in the 1960s, and still do today with Bishop David Jenkins of Durham, justifying their action by accusing them of undermining the simple faith of believers.

Eventually, the young people move on, leaving their adolescent years behind them, as they enter into adulthood.

3. ADULTHOOD - MYSTICAL

Attention is now turned inwardly towards knowing themselves. Slowly they become aware that life is not quite as simple as at first it might have appeared. It is not so much black and white - more a question of degrees of greyness. They begin to peel back the layers of their inner selves and become aware of just how complex are their feelings and emotions. As the mystic once said, it is "frightening, yet attractive". They are scared at what they might find, yet something draws them on to dig deeper. It is dark. It is mysterious. It is not easily expressed in words. Although it cannot be fully understood, it is known to hold the key to happiness.

It is this stage of life which Von Hugel calls the mystical. It is as we turn inward upon ourselves and we discover who we really are.that we find God. As Gerard Hughes puts it, "the God of surprises, who is now encountered rather than thought about, who communicates himself through those mysterious inner experiences, rather than through the articulate phrases of set prayers, who is now being experienced from within rather than being presented from without, is loved rather than argued about".

4. CONCLUSION

Growth in the spiritual life, can be likened then to a journey. Baron Von Hugel gives us a simple map which can help us discover where we are going and where we are at the present.

Infancy corresponds to the institutional stage of the journey. Adolescence corresponds to the critical stage of the journey. Adulthood corresponds to the mystical stage of the journey.

It is important to recall that the journey consists of the totality of those three stages. Whilst there should be a natural progression of growth, one to another, we still carry the past with us into the future and build upon it. In every adult there is still the child and adolescent trying to get out. In every mystic there is still the institutional and critical disciple trying to get out. It is simply that at each stage of development, one particular stage will be more dominant than the other two.

The most important thing is for us is to remember that we must be prepared to allow ourselves to grow and develop into mature persons. The Church, likewise, must be prepared to allow us to grow - in fact to encourage and not retard our natural spiritual growth. There is nothing to fear for God has promised that the Spirit will lead us into all truth.

Over the next few days, may I invite you to use this simple map and discover where you are on your journey of faith. I do hope it may clarify the reasons underlying any feelings of confusion, bewilderment and disillusionment you may have and, more importantly, enable you to be open to growth and not be like Bishop Cecil - not knowing where you are going.