Supernatural life, interior struggle

Supernatural life The Fourth Life 1. The Way, 279 Most people have a plane-like vision, stuck to the earth, of two dimensions. When you live a supernatural life, God will give you the third dimension: height, and with it, perspective, weight and volume. There is an order to living things: Lowest order: vegetative life, animal life and rational life. But often, men are ignorant or forget that there is another much more important kind of life, of a higher order, supernatural, way above the possibilities of human nature. It is a gift from God, fruit of his love for men. We may call it in different ways: **spiritual life, interior life, or supernatural life.** - I have a close friend, who is non Christian, he is really Kind and generous. But he always share with me this sense of emptiness. This void he is feeling. I tell him it's the yearning for God, for our homeland isnt here. But in heaven, united with God. But his rational side cannot accept it. Truly faith is a gift and we are blessed to have this outlook. The highest end of this supernatural, Christian life is eternal happiness in Heaven. He wants us to be saints! 2. so what is supernatural life? **It is the life of grace in the soul.** - This is done by way of a new birth - Jesus answered Nicodemus who wanted to know how to have eternal life: ‘I say to you: **unless a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God’** (Jn 3:3). It is necessary to be born to a supernatural life through Baptism and Confirmation, and to transform ourselves **into a new creature, image and member of Christ, son of God** - our aim is attain to perfect manhood, to the mature measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph 4;13) - It is a habitual grace, through the practice of our Christian virtues. It is a grace lost only through mortal sin. That is why there is a need to keep struggling against temptation through the habitual grace given to us. This is what we call the interior struggle. Interior Struggle 5. St Teresa of Avila, the doctor of the Church, wrote a very famous spiritual read known as the interior castle. She describes the soul as an Interior Castle made very clear crystal in which there are many rooms just as in heaven there are many mansions. For her, the "interior struggle" isn't just a single battle, but a progressive journey through seven distinct stages (or "mansions") of the soul. The struggle changes character depending on how deep you are into the castle. Here is how she breaks down that internal tug-of-war: 1. The Battle for Attention (The First Mansions) In the beginning, the struggle is purely distraction. Teresa describes the soul as being surrounded by "snakes and poisonous creatures" prowling around the castle—which are symbols for worldly anxieties, ego, and material attachments. • The Conflict: You want to pray, but your mind is "wild" and stays in the courtyard of the castle rather than entering the rooms. • The Goal: Simply making the decision to enter through prayer and meditation. 2. The War of Persistence (The Second Mansions) This is often where the struggle is most painful. The soul has heard God's call but still feels the pull of its old habits. • The Conflict: Teresa describes this as a "war" where the intellect and the senses are at odds. You understand what is good, but you lack the strength to do it. • Teresa’s Insight: She warns that this is the stage where people are most likely to give up because the "blows" of conscience are harder to ignore than they were in the first stage. 3. The Trap of Security (The Third Mansions) Here, the struggle is subtle. You’ve become disciplined and "good," but you risk becoming self-righteous or stagnant. • The Conflict: A lack of spiritual "fire." You are doing everything right, but you are overly controlled and afraid of losing your reputation or comfort. • The Goal: Learning that "perfection does not consist in delights, but in the strength of our love." ________________________________________ 4. The Transition: Effort vs. Surrender (The Fourth Mansions) This marks a major shift. The struggle moves from active effort (what you do) to passive reception (what God does). • The Conflict: Learning to quiet the "busy" mind. Teresa compares the mind to a grinding mill and the soul to a quiet spring. • The Image of the Two Fountains: She distinguishes between "Human Industry" (pumping water through a pipe with great effort) and "Spiritual Delight" (a spring that fills from its own source in total peace). ________________________________________ 5. The "Death" of the Ego (The Fifth and Sixth Mansions) The struggle becomes mystical. Teresa uses the metaphor of the silkworm to describe the soul’s transformation. • The Conflict: The "old self" must die to make room for the "butterfly." • The Sixth Mansion: This stage involves "Great Trials," including external criticism, illness, and "the dark night" where God feels absent. The struggle here is to remain faithful despite intense emotional and spiritual suffering. 6. The Peace of the Center (The Seventh Mansions) In the final stage, the struggle largely ceases. The soul reaches "Spiritual Marriage" with the Divine. • The Result: A state of profound interior silence. Even if the outside world is chaotic or the mind is busy, the "center" of the soul remains in an undisturbed union. Teresa’s Core Advice: The primary weapon in this struggle is Humility. She famously noted that "the soul's progress does not lie in thinking much, but in loving much." The struggle to achieve Christian perfection is called ascetical struggle or interior struggle because a great part of it is waged in our heart and because ‘the enemy’ is within us, i.e. the fomes peccati, the tendency to sin, consequence of the fall of our first parents. 6. In the order of grace, as in the order of nature, good is not imposed on the will. It is necessary to make an effort to second God’s grace. Jesus said, for all: the Kingdom of heaven is won by violence, by the holy battle of every moment. The Way #308 You write: 'My joy and my peace. I will never have real happiness if I have not peace. And what is peace? Peace is something closely related to war. Peace is a consequence of victory. Peace demands of me a continual struggle. Without a struggle I will never have peace.' **The struggle is real** *"Nobody can achieve anything great by being happy and lazy" - Alex Hannold, Taipei 101 free climber* **When we struggle, we challenge ourselves, we grow.** 9. Sportive Spirit Our ascetical struggle should be sportive and optimistic. The Forge 169 The ascetical struggle is not something negative and therefore hateful, but rather a joyful affirmation. It is a sport. A good sportsman doesn't fight to gain just one victory, and that at the first attempt. He has to build himself up for it, training over a long period of time, calmly and confidently. He keeps trying again and again, and if he doesn't succeed at the first attempt, he keeps on trying with determination until the obstacle is overcome. **It will lead us to be humble and to be ready to start and to start again as many times as necessary, without ever getting discouraged** in the face of our shortcomings. **Go at the pace of the tortoise. But always Forward!** You know well, my son, where you can end up, if you don't fight: one depth leads to another and another. 9. Once, a mountain climber narrated a story about a climb in the Alps. “The way would become occasionally hard; the cold air cutting through our faces, but the landscape was impressive for its beauty. On arriving in the mountain lodge, we saw a motto in one of the walls that read, **‘where others quit, we begin’**. And on the mantelpiece there was a phrase written: “My place is at the top’. The Christian’s life should be one of continuous effort, fleeing from mediocrity and struggling for sanctity. The Means 11. God really desires for us to be united with Him and He left us the adequate supernatural means, i.e. a) The Sacraments, especially Confession and the Eucharist, that are direct sources of grace. In confession, we experience the fount of God’s mercy, and in Communion, He gives himself to us as food. We receive the Author of Grace. b) Mental prayer. This is the biggest fight for Christians. It requires devotion of our time to get right close to Jesus daily. It’s the fight of the first mansion of distraction. During this exclusive time of prayer, good to put phone to “ Do not disturb” / flight mode to prevent distraction. I found the exercise of starting the prayer with this very helpful, to really focus on my prayer time, as how the priest begins his meditation before the tabernacle. And you can say it slowly, really meaning every word. “My Lord and My God. I firmly believe that you are here. That you see me and you hear me…” Apart from these dedicated times of prayer, we should speak affectionate words to him throughout the day. This is what we call: Aspirations. That is what people in love do. To maintain such presence of God throughout the day, saying short phrases of loving words to Jesus. St. Teresa of Avila often emphasized that "God walks among the pots and pans," meaning these aspirations are most effective when said in the middle of chores, emails, or commutes. Aspirations are short, rhythmic, and easy to memorize so they become "background noise" for your soul. It can be biblical quotes: The Publican’s Cry: "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner." • The Apostles' Plea: "Lord, increase my faith." • The Abandonment: "Jesus, I trust in You." • The Doxology: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit." 2. Situational Aspirations These are best used when you feel your peace being threatened by external circumstances. If you feel... Try saying... Overwhelmed "Lord, help me to do this for love of You." Anxious "Peace, be still." (Mark 4:39) Angry/Irritated "Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine." Tempted "Mother, be my guide." Distracted "My God and my All." ******* 2) Lent is a great time for a spiritual renewal Fasting from things will create spaces for spiritual elements. If you do digital fasting, then you have created space for the Rosary to be recited. Furrow 988 A day without mortification is a day lost, because if we have not denied ourselves, we have not lived the holocaust. 8) St Josemaria love to say that a Christian home should be bright and cheerful This means whatever problems you faced outside the home, you leave it outside and not bring it back home. Your wife, your parents, your child deserve the best version of you when you come back home. Sometimes, we spent all our energies at work, and leave the remnant for the family, which is not so good. I suggest a "Decompression Ritual"  Use the last 10 minutes of your drive or walk to stop thinking about tasks. Say an aspiration like, "Lord, let me leave the worker behind and become the spouse/parent."  Before you turn off the engine or open your front door, sit in silence for one minute. Consciously "drop" your work bags (mental and physical) at the door.  When you enter the door, Spend the first 15 minutes solely on connection. Not tidying up, not cleaning the house, not checking on chores. Just connection with your spouse, your child, with full eye contact and gaze at them.