AECI Lenten 2025 Reflection: 'Steer Us From Hardness of Heart' (Week 2: The Influence Of Experience)

AECI Lenten 2025 Reflection : 'Steer Us From Hardness Of Heart'

Week Two, Day 1 - The Influence Of Experience

'We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.

We are spiritual beings having a human experience'

(Pierre Teilhard de Chardin)

One of the key phrases that we shall focus on in this second week of the Lenten Reflection is centred on the potential of our hearts and minds to be over concentrated on aspects of our past history, what we might term 'the burden of our yesteryears'.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881 - 1955) was a French Jesuit priest, whose central theology and philosophy incorporated the theory of evolution and developing stages of human consciousness , highlighting the figure of Christ portrayed in the Gospels and the Letters of St Paul as the high point of Creation, a model of spiritual unity open to us all.

The quotation attributed to him above really can challenge the view we might hold of ourselves and others in the modern world. The many facets of life, from birth to death, including emotions, thoughts, actions, relationships, and everything that makes us human , shaped by internal and external factors , are facets that cannot divert our deepest sense of our true nature.

Within our moments of weakness, of loss, of fear, there is something unchanging and powerful present. Within our moments of strength, of hope, of love, there is too a spiritual dimension that is growing and confirming. In much of Elizabeth of the Trinity's writings we read of the 'movement' of the heart and the soul, what Fr. Billy Swan refers to as 'a living in joyful melody with the dynamics of divine love' .

Today, we reflect on our broad experiences, good and bad, pleasing and overwhelming. And we wait 'to be moved' . We listen for the comfort of knowing our spiritual side is indeed attuning our hearts to that 'joyful melody'.

Week Two, Day 2 - The Influence Of Experience

Along with de Chardin's understanding of ourselves as 'spiritual beings' , coming to terms in an evolutionary process and our capacity to live in - and to live out - a 'divine love' , we might also briefly reflect today upon the notion of Christian 'vocation' or the acute sense of being called to follow a path in the service of others.

How often do we hear people say 'I felt my heart was leading me ..' into this or that particular line of work. Doctors and teachers, emergency workers, nurses, care staff and charity volunteers do tell us 'this field of experience is where I was drawn to'. Many will also recount stories of the joy and satisfaction they have derived from listening to that 'call'.

The presence of a 'divine love' working through our hearts (and other human faculties) is something that we shall return to later in this Lenten Reflection, but for the time being we ponder the question below:

What might be some of the 'gifts' that can help us sustain and celebrate our spiritual identity?

We shall take the following in turn : The Sacred and Holy, The Intimacy and Proximity, The Sustenance and Strength, The Mercy and Compassion, The Direction and Guidance, The Protection and Confidence.

The Sacred and Holy

'So God created mankind in his own image

In the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.'

(Genesis 1: 27)

The 'holy' or 'sacred' is part of our very fabric. What is the impact of this concept on the way we think, the way we feel, the way we speak and the way we behave?

Week Two, Day 3 - The Influence Of Experience

We are most fortunate within the UK that the season of Lent falls at the time of Spring, as small signs of growth and colour surround us in our daily life, as bluer skies and more hours of daylight creep in. We might observe the sheer variety of buds now on the trees and shrubs, or notice the wildlife in our neighbourhood become more visible.

Human beings too can begin to speak and act differently. Holidays are planned, more visits and outdoor activities are enthusiastically organised, the garden centres and coffee shops become busier!

As we set our eyes and our hearts on 'the sacred' and the holy around us, we might in turn glimpse something of a spiritual energy rooted within the earth and 'the cosmos'. The value of our living planet, of living beings, of human experience, can become heightened in such enchanting moments. A 'divine image' speaks to the heart that is open to receive it. And much of the wonder of that moment is that it can come unannounced or impulsively.

The 'burdens of our yesteryear(s)' , that we referred to on Day 1 of Week Two, seem to then lose some of their grasp or power over us.

This leads us onto the second 'gift' that might sustain too us in our day to day challenges and experiences.

The Intimacy and Proximity

St Teresa of Avila (1515 - 1582), the Carmelite nun and subsequent 'Doctor of the Church' once remarked that prayer is:

'... nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends. It means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us'

For today , spend a few minutes to consider the space or spaces we make 'to be alone with God', in terms of the physical room or space we allocate to prayer and the mental and emotional scope we allow for our prayer to emanate from the heart.

Week Two, Day 4 - The Influence Of Experience

We might not quite feel as if God 'walks among the pots and pans' , as St Teresa famously noted, but our daily structure and our routine around prayer is quite capable of lifting the heart, minds and bodies of men and women before the demands and trials of daily experience.

The 'spaces' we make for prayer become part of the 'spiritual intimacy' of that moment where secular time elapses and we are free of negative external influence.

St Teresa of Avila in her many writings, also highlights the role of an inner 'quiet' and 'gentleness' in any appreciation of 'the sacred' . You can learn more about her 'Prayer Of The Quiet' at the link below, but it is sufficient to comment here on her strong assertion that we abandon our efforts ('all reason and understanding') in order to enter into that unique state of peace and presence granted to the heart and soul by the Divine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izhliJIZ2ms

Another gift that can remind us of our spiritual identity (as de Chardin emphasised) is related to the human capacity to endure:

The Sustenance and Strength

The great US Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King (1929 - 1968 ) wrote in his book entitled 'Strength To Love' :

'One of the great tragedies of life is that men seldom bridge the gulf between practice and profession, between doing and saying. How often are our lives characterised by a high blood pressure of creeds and an anaemia of deeds!'

Do you agree with this insight into human nature? If so, where exactly does the link between 'our creeds' and 'our deeds' break down?

Week Two, Day 5 - The Influence Of Experience

A 'hardness of heart' , a stubbornness or insensitivity towards the experience and the predicament of others, could result from the 'gulf' Martin Luther King identifies, an inability to match belief and practice. We want to imitate Solomon and find a way through deceit and division, only to find any clear sightedness becomes quickly clouded.

'Doing the right thing' can seem more complex that we imagined. There are the tensions of the day, habits too engrained, distractions all around us, systems and structures that wear any good intentions down. We come to feel that we lack the strength for 'wholehearted' change!

Many Carmelite writers and teachers point to the power of 'silence' when we feel those levels of fatigue and despondency. St Elizabeth of the Trinity highlights that 'great interior silence' that calms and stills our noisy faculties of reason, emotion, memory and imagination, and allows for God to genuinely 'transform' human beings. It is within 'the silence' that we fashion a dwelling place for God and one that has a solid and sustainable basis.

For Roman Catholics, the Eucharist is a shared meal endowing believers with spiritual sustenance for their life journey. The 'silence' and heartfelt tranquillity with which the community receive the Sacrament is a feature that marks their resolve to bridge 'the gulf', the inconsistency, the conflict within us, which St Paul identifies in his Letter to the Romans (Romans:7 - 14).

As we come to consider another dimension of our spiritual identity, we take a moment for our Monday meditation

The Mercy and Compassion

Find an opportunity today to recite this short segment of the Psalms. And repeat the response below three times.

A clean heart create for me, O God,

and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

Cast me not out from your presence,

and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

Week Two, Day 6 - The Influence Of Experience

Within the writings of the four Gospels, it seems that for any 'dwelling place' for the Divine to take root within ourselves, we must deliberately be prepared to embrace a lasting appreciation of 'Mercy' over 'Experience' .

Our sense of spiritual identity - born in the 'image of God', meeting the challenges of the every day in a world that so often overlooks our spiritual nature - can dwindle as the 'burden of our yesteryear(s)' take centre stage again.

Our personal faults and failures, our dashed hopes and expectations, our frustrations simmering over into indifference and anger, can seem insurmountable. We quickly fall in on ourselves as past mistakes loom large. The heart becomes 'dulled' (Matthew 13:15).

Perhaps we also miss the simple wonder and splendour of the natural environment with an over focus upon ourselves . A recently released recording by a popular guitar based band has the lyrics:

'I talk and talk of myself,

I never ask why or how for anybody else,

and I lie and I cheat and I steal and you know what is worse.

I stand here surrounded by beauty and think that I'm cursed'

Today's Lenten challenge is not to recount or rerun any regrets, errors and mistakes. It is to take the 'Mercy' of God seriously and to reflect on how we let the heart inform the rest of our faculties as to the way compassion weaves its presence through the facets of life that we so value.

We turn next to a spiritual gift, paramount in our Lenten journey, to 'steer us away from hardness of heart'

The Direction and Guidance

Who has been the greatest single positive influence upon your life?

Week Two, Day 7 - The Influence Of Experience

If 'Mercy' is a quality or gift capable of lifting our hearts, soothing our spirits and renewing our hopes and insight, then how is it to be guarded to avoid any derailment, any distraction or indifference, any rising 'hardness of heart'?

There has been some discussion in media circles of late about the importance of 'role models' (particularly for younger, adolescent boys) . When we think of those who have made a positive influence upon our lives, be they parents, relatives, friends, members of a parish community or otherwise, we can soon become aware of one simple treasure that they passed on to us ... namely 'time' !

What might seem to be short and inconsequential periods of time in the good company of another, can - albeit some days, weeks, even months or years later - be viewed as truly formative and significant moments in our authentic 'life experience'. Our path or direction is supported by others who allow us to express the innermost feelings and sensitivities of the heart.

Prayer too has a vital role here. It is that 'intimate sharing with friends' identified by St. Teresa that grants us a 'spiritual freedom' to shape daily life without any indifference to the Divine and to the abundant gift of Creation around us.

The Roman Catholic Church today marks the Solemnity of St. Joseph. In Matthew's Gospel we read that Joseph 'did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him'. The realization of God's presence took Joseph on a guided path, safe from the many challenges and pitfalls of the age.

As with each Wednesday in our AECI Lenten reflection we conclude with a prayer.

It is regarded as the perfect model of how we should pray and for what things we should pray, and in what order. The pace with which we say it should reflect its scope.

Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done

on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen.