THE MYSTICAL JOURNEY THAT REVOLUTIONIZED CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY-4

Our self-knowledge is deeply influenced by social factors. We have inherited a deeply rooted alienation that is the product of original sin. This disruptive force is nurtured by social, economic and cultural factors. These influences play a big part in creating a false consciousness for all of us. This, in turn, creates a worldview where we are strongly inclined to see things for our own benefit. We seldom look on the world free form the pull of our self-interest. From these most fundamental desires flow the division, the isolation, the conflict and hatred so inherent in our common human experience. Likewise, culture creates further false values to support hostility and separation. The economic system adds to the pattern of lies that define us as consumers. We wake up in the morning to face the on-slaught of our advertising industry that spends billions of dollars to set the priorities of our self-knowledge. It hardly is a level playing field that awaits us. We are told that we have needs can be met only by new and wonderous products. Happiness is always at our fingertips as long as they hold a credit card.

Consequences of False Consciousness

The following five observations help clarify the intensity of this false consciousness that engulfs us.

1. We are locked into a false consciousness.
2. This false consciousness creates a world view that is a gross distortion of reality but a world view, nevertheless, that we embrace as true.
3. Part of this perspective, fostered by society and culture, and driven by our innate egoism, defines us primarily as a consumer.
4. We are constrained by the deep and hidden prejudices aimed at protecting our economic, political, cultural, gender, social and racial privileges to the exclusion and deprivation of others.
5. The power of the ego is in a relentless struggle to avoid any diminishment of its control of our false consciousness.

The interplay of all these forces, generating a false consciousness, deeply influences our quest for happiness. The fact is that these patterns of consumption are a never-failing way to ultimate disappointment and grief. These are patterns of deceit and distortion. They create a mindset that pursues goals that, in the end, can never achieve lasting happiness. Authentic self-knowledge is the only way out. Jesus has told us, “The truth will set you free.” (John8:32) The first step on the road to freedom is moving out of the captivity of the destructive lies. We need to move into the truth of God’s call to our original innocence. This is the work of the Christian life. Self-knowledge is a critical feature of this venture. Likewise, we are bombarded by a heavy dose of prejudices that supposedly protect our self-interest.

My spiritual journey has been an on-going struggle to break free of this racism, prejudice against the LGBTQ community and sexism. All of these destructive lies have festered deep within my false consciousness over a lifetime. Like a cancer, they have quietly been eating away at my spiritual well-being. The search for true self-knowledge has led to a fierce battle against my ingrained captivity. Eventually, a growth in self-knowledge, has been generated by seeking a true life. This has been possible only with an encounter with Jesus in the Gospels and deep personal prayer. The struggle continues. Other elements of this communal false consciousness are our blindness to numerous and profound patterns against our environment. A second area is the blindness that props up the inherent injustice in the relations between the rich and poor at all levels of life.

The Urgency of Personal Transformation

Prayer has a special role in creating this life-giving self-knowledge. The encounter with God’s Word and God’s will in deep personal prayer is our ticket to our true destiny to be one with God. Prayer is an invitation to redirect our lives. The light of the Scriptures often opens new horizons in our normal awareness. At the heart of God’s Word is the person of Jesus. Knowing Jesus leads to deeper self-knowledge. This new spiritual maturity leads to novel ways of accepting others. Our relationships and responsibilities move out of a narrow world of self-concern.

They grow into a more spacious stance of openness, acceptance and service for others. This personal growth helps our love of Jesus become more real.

The slow process of growing in self-knowledge leads to a gradual development of personal transformation called conversion. It is repeated at several levels. The journey to discover and accept the True Self, leading to God at the center, can only begin when we acknowledge our sinfulness, prejudices and pettiness. Once again, humility surfaces as essential to our growth in prayer. Recognizing our sinfulness, sets us free to truly love Jesus and our neighbor.

To face ourselves with honesty is a challenging task. It is not a joyful part of our growth. The price tag for faithfulness to God, this walking with Jesus, drives away the timid and comfortable. When we accept the challenge of accepting our limits, we discover the bridge between our heart and our life. This connection always joins God’s loving call and our acceptance of these three items: our poverty, our longing for God’s mercy and determination move on to the True Self.