I took up the General Chapter 27 document for reading this morning. I took my own time to read it well. Right in the first section itself something that struck me was the 'concern' about symptoms of self-referentiality whereby we do not go out of ourselves to be open to the demands of God and go out to encounter others. This can be seen in our lack of updating, reference to a stable spiritual director and 'do it yourself' spirituality.
Now that's something! Perhaps it is the other extreme of the mean called independence and self-mastery. So I did a simple exercise on myself. I asked myself this question: Who is better than me, around here? Frankly speaking it was a mere act of accessing my degree of humility, but all the same if I said to myself, if I can speak of somebody as inspirational and can even have the courage to tell that person that you inspire me for this and this, then I think I'm still on the right track. But if I have a great difficulty in recognizing the virtues that surround me, here and now, then I would be like a peacock strutting myself around, foolishly convinced that I'm the best. This would also explain why I would not approach anyone to be my regular spiritual director.
Now that's something! Perhaps it is the other extreme of the mean called independence and self-mastery. So I did a simple exercise on myself. I asked myself this question: Who is better than me, around here? Frankly speaking it was a mere act of accessing my degree of humility, but all the same if I said to myself, if I can speak of somebody as inspirational and can even have the courage to tell that person that you inspire me for this and this, then I think I'm still on the right track. But if I have a great difficulty in recognizing the virtues that surround me, here and now, then I would be like a peacock strutting myself around, foolishly convinced that I'm the best. This would also explain why I would not approach anyone to be my regular spiritual director.
We should have the openness/humility to be able to recognise virtue anywhere we see it. It certainly does not mean that every person with some virtue is capable of spiritual direction. And it certainly is not a sign of foolish pride that one does not ask anyone and everyone for spiritual direction. In that case, I could approach Narendra Modi for spiritual direction. I am sure he must possess at least some virtue.
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