Brother Lawrence and Love of Neighbor

Where do we see love of neighbor in Brother Lawrence's vision of the spiritual life? Brother Lawrence describes the spiritual life in terms of a "general loving awareness of God." Does such constant, loving awareness of God exclude awareness of neighbor? Is the neighbor simply an interruption or distraction to one's contemplation of God?

Here is my take on these important questions. I think Brother Lawrence simply assumes that if one is truly loving God, one will be loving neighbor. Love of God entails love of neighbor. If one lives with a "general loving awareness of God," one will have a general loving awareness of the neighbor. Brother Lawrence recognizes that if one is not attentive to the presence of God--a presence which, as Augustine put it, is closer to us than we are to ourselves--then one will not be attentive to the presence, let alone needs, of the neighbor. Cultivating a deeper attentiveness to God in all activities of life ought to result in a deeper attentiveness to one's neighbors in all activities of life. If it does not, then one must wonder if one is truly being attentive to God.

I think Brother Lawrence realized that love of neighbor must be rooted in practices of solitude and silence. Sometimes we must withdraw from community in order to maintain communion with God. It is in solitude, however, that one discovers once again the importance of community. Thomas Merton, a more modern spiritual writer, said it like this: "It is in deep solitude that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brothers. The more solitary I am, the more affection I have for them…Solitude and silence teach me to love my brothers for what they are..." (Thomas Merton, The Sign of Jonas (New York: Harcourt, 1953), 258.

Thus, the ongoing communion with God which Brother Lawrence recommends does not result in neglect others; rather, it results in deeper communion with others, a true engagement with the needs and burdens of one's neighbors.

George Fox

I wanted to give you a bit of historical background on George Fox. I think it might help us put the story from his journal in context. I will fill in more of the details on Monday night. Enjoy the readings.

George Fox was born in England in 1624. He lived during a time when Europe in general and England in particular were experiencing much religious conflict. Fox was in many ways a dissenter of the state church in England, and thus he was heavily persecuted. The following is a basic summary of his work from Justo Gonzalez' The Story of Christianity.

At that time there were in England many religious sects, Fox attended all without finding contentment in any. Finally, he felt called by the Spirit to speak out at a Baptist meeting, announcing the inner truths in which he now believed. From that point, such urgings of the Spirit became more frequent. In gatherings of various sects, Fox would declare that he had been ordered by the Spirit to announce his spiritual vision of Christianity. His words were often received with contempt and hostility, and he was repeatedly thrown out of meetings, beaten, and stoned. But such incidents would not stop him...the number of his followers grew rapidly.

There were many who disliked the teachings and practices of Fox and the Quakers. Religious leaders resented the manner in which these "fanatics" interrupted their services in order to preach or to read Scripture...all this seemed disrespectful and an intolerable insubordination. As a result, Fox was repeatedly beaten, and he spent a total of six years in prison. He was sent to prison for the first time for having interrupted a preacher...On other occasions he was accused of blasphemy, or of conspiring against the government...On another occasion, when he was serving six months for blasphemy, he was offered his freedom in exchange for service in the republican army. He refused...and from that point on, the Friends have been known for their staunch pacifist convictions.

Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, Vol. 2 (New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1985), 198-201.

Sixth Meeting

The Reformation Era: Part II

Time: February 2, 2009 at 7:00 pm

Location: RCN Coffee Room (Room 233)

A short story from George Fox's Journal (Fox was the founder of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as the "Quakers"). Click here for the story.

Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God. Click here for an online version of the book. This is a very short book (about 20 pages).

I think you will find these readings highly interesting and meaningful. Invite a friend!

Ecclesia semper reformanda est?

This Latin phrase, coined by the Reformers, means "the church always needs to be reformed." The following are my musings on the meaning of this phrase.

When we confess the Nicene Creed in worship, we claim that the church is "holy." That is true. The church is holy because Christ has called it his bride (Eph. 5:25-26). The church is holy because it is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Yet because the church is a fellowship of human beings, it is also sinful. It is blemished and imperfect. The church, therefore, is holy and sinful. Losing sight of this paradox can cause us to become either too pessimistic or too optimistic about the church.

The saints in the Christian faith always have a deep awareness of their sinfulness, and thus a deep awareness of their need to be constantly reformed. I think the same ought to be true of the church. "The church always needs to be reformed" because we recognize that it is broken and corrupt.

How do we go about that reform?

Here I think Martin Luther's life is instructive. Luther did not critique the Catholic Church from the outside; rather, he critiqued it from within. In point of fact, Luther's very ability to critique the church was the result of the fact that he had been positively shaped by the church. Luther's voice was not one of "external criticism but of a conscience reared within the tradition which it denounced. If Luther condemened the church on the authority of what he read in the Bible, or in the writings of St. Augustine, it was the church...who had put these documents into his hands" (Collinson, Oxford History of Christianity, 246). When Luther posted his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg--a document which boldly critiqued the church's brokenness--he was not trying to start the "Protestant Reformation." He was trying to reform the church he loved.

To all zealous reformers of the church--the church needs your creativity, passion, and critique. It also needs your love. The church needs you to reform from within. I will let Derek Webb, a Christian artist who has written many songs about the church, have the last word.

"If you love me [Christ], you will love the church" (She Must and Shall Go Free, INO Records, 2003).

Fifth Meeting

The Reformation Era

Time: January 12, 2009 at 7:00 pm

Location: RCN Coffee Room (Rm 233)

Short Readings from Martin Luther and John Calvin

For Luther's Preface to Romans, click here.

For Calvin's writings on eternal election, click here.

We will also be watching a few clips from the 2003 film "Luther." Invite a friend!

Environmental Stewardship

In our last meeting, we read a short story about Francis of Assisi preaching to a wolf that was at odds with a local village. Francis asked the wolf to repent of his ways (he had been eating some of the villagers!) and make peace with the village. The wolf listened to Francis; he promised to be gentle. The villagers, in turn, promised to feed the wolf for the rest of his days.

In our discussion of this fun little story, we asked the question of why Francis would preach to the animals. The best answer that we came up with was this: the gospel is good news to all creation. In its original state, all creation lived in peace and harmony. In its current state, however, all creation is broken. The creation is, as Paul says, "groaning in labor pains" (Rm. 8:22). Christ initiated a peacable kingdom which is bringing about a restoration of the broken creation. St. Francis believed that there will come a time when the kingdom will be fulfilled, and all creation will be restored to its original harmony. His preaching to the animals is a hopeful anticipation of that time. His life is a testament to the fact that we need to, as best we can in the here and now, live in harmony with God's creation.

Interestingly, John Wesley held a similar belief about the restoration of all creation: "Will the creature, will even the brute creation, always remain in this deplorable condition? God forbid that we should affirm this; yea, or even entertain such a thought. While the 'whole creation groaneth together,' their groans are not dispersed into idle air, but enter the ears of Him that made them...The whole brute creation will then, undoubtedly, be restored...whatever affections they had in the garden of God, will be restored with vast increase...They will be delivered from all irregular appetites...no rage will be found in any creature, no fierceness, nor cruelty, or thirst for blood." (The Great Deliverance).

If this is how creation will be restored in the end, then how should we relate toward creation in the here and now? How could we imitate the Fransican spirit with specific practices of environemtnal stewardship?

Christianity and Asceticism

Both Thomas a' Kempis and Francis of Assisi emphasized the importance of ascetical practices in the spiritual life. Asceticism comes from a Greek word which means "training." An ascetical practice is a practice of self-denial. It is a matter of denying yourself something so that you can learn how to control your passions. The "passions" include your desires for earthly goods, such as food, drink, relationships, knowledge, possessions, sex, etc. From time to time these desires can become disordered. They become disordered when you want too much of something or when you become bound to something. So, in the monastic tradition, it is important to restrain your desires for some of these goods, with the hope that by learning to control your passions you will achieve true spiritual freedom.

For Thomas a' Kempis, asceticism leads to growth in grace and deeper union with God: "The more completely a man renounces worldly things, and the more perfectly he dies to self by the conquest of self, the sooner will grace be given, the more richly will it be infused, and the nearer to God will it raise the heart set free from the world.” --Imitation of Christ 4.13

There are certainly extremes in asceticism of which we need to be aware. What, though, are the advantages of these practices? What are the dangers? What would it look like to practice some form of asceticism in your own life? Comments are welcome.