The Rector of my seminary is making long term plans for the curriculum. After jotting down everything I said I liked to teach, he smiled and asked, and what is your real passion presently?
“Hmmm! I know! It’s denial. I hate denial in myself and others. As a philosopher I tend to think that denial comes from lack of insight. Plato thought that knowledge led to virtue, but we know that we need grace. But some of us have insight into our worst traits and grace, and we still aren’t much better at virtue. Why?”
“Okay, why not work up a course called 'Denial: Insight and Grace,’ my genial rector asked. So, now I am picking everyone’s brain on what are the elements besides insight and grace that have to enter the picture to produce virtue?
Here are some candidates:
Unless we are willing to suffer in whatever way would be necessary when we want to choose our vice, fault, defect, or flaw, we won’t change. Example: I talk too much. Unless I am willing to accept the suffering of biting my tongue when what I want to say is neither edifying or charitable but just frisky anecdotal one-up-manship (one-upwomanship?) then I will not be able to talk less.
Another suggested candidate is to recognize that the devil wants us to do the evil, wrong, or inappropriate thing. So we need spiritual warfare prayers to move from denial to insight, to actually receiving the grace God is offering us and the devil is trying to deflect. Example: When I am dying to say this sarcastic, juicy, uncharitable thing, I could pray this way instead – “Guardian angel, protect me against the devil’s wiles right now.”
Your challenge! Can you flood my comments section with good ideas from your own experience of victory over denial? This could make my course someday be an inter-disciplinary Watershed virtual offering! Hurrah!
Dr. Ronda Chervin has many free e-books and audios on her website rondachervin.com. If you go to her website and read or listen and then want to correspond with her she will be available. Her schedule does not permit, however, responding to comments on the Blog, though she enjoys reading them. Dr. Ronda’s newest project is spiritualityrunningtogod.com.
Comments are closed.
Comments have been closed for this post.
Comments
1 Robert Fox says...
Ronda: There is a fabulous collection of little books (only 3 1/2 × 5 inches and about half inch thick). Perhaps you already know of them. These books are put out by the Confraternity of the Precious Blood. There is one on the Gospels, one entitled "My Daily Bread" (A Classic), one entitled "My Way of Life". These are spiritual works which are direct, to the point, and avoid some the extra babble which is common in many modern books on the spiritual life. There is also a bright RED one entitled "MY DAILY LIFE". This one is not so much a spiritual work as it is a psychological work which teaches how to navigate through the vast spider web which is the inside of our emotions. The little red book was written by Anthony J. Paone, S.J. in 1970.
Here is an image of the little book:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R21DK357JUJ94I
or perhaps here:
http://www.inhisname.com/group.php?group=CPB
GET THIS BOOK. It can actually serve as a textbook on denial and on how we navigate daily (sometimes constructively, at other times destructively) through our own interior psychological debris. Let me know if you wish for me to type up a chapter summary on this book. Here are some random chapter titles for you:
Man's Need for Order
The Nature of Self Fulfillment
Human Inadequacy
Anger and Hostility in Daily Life
Man's Struggle for Self-Possession
The Real Self Versus the Self-Ideal
Achievement Versus Fear of Failure
Unhealthy Defense Mechanisms
Adjustment through Compensation
The Power of Love
If every man woman and child had a copy of this book in their back pockets at all times (I have worn several of these out), we would find it much easier to live the ideals that Our Blessed Lord set out for us in the Gospels and in the life of his most holy Mother.
Ave Maria, ora pro nobis.
Bob
Posted at 10 a.m. on May 28, 2011