False Expectations and the Wisdom of the Dominicans

his past Monday’s article “Divine Hope and Human Expectations" in the Dominicana Journal, was as a rather timely affirmation of many of my own thoughts and struggles recently. 

The Friar's reflection speaks of the false expectations we fall into in the spiritual life. How often do we try to achieve our own sanctification? We rely on our own standards and methods and not those of God. We place great trust in our limited ability to see and understand. Thus it is easy to become convinced that we can mold ourselves into “self-made saints”. But our human efforts will inevitably fail, discouragement ensues, and we become suspect of God and his plans for us.

It takes humility and resignation to God's will for us to reach a state where we are docile to the graces he bestows and willing to do only that which we are meant to do. Since his knowledge of us is perfect, unlike our imperfect self-knowledge, we do well to place our trust in his desires and plans and not our own. We must lean not toward our own knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 3:5), but on the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit given to us through prayer, Holy Scripture, spiritual direction and the words and lives of the saints. 

"He who constitutes himself his own director, becomes the disciple of a fool. As far as I am concerned, I declare that it is easier and safer for me to command many others than myself alone." 

-St. Bernard 

Excerpts from the article:

“Hope is a theological virtue infused by God into our souls to keep us from discouragement. Expectations, on the other hand, are human ideas of which we sometimes need to be wary. How often we expect too much from ourselves and become overly dejected when our all too familiar imperfections creep in! When our best resolutions fall prey to weak resolve, we are tempted to despair of ever improving at all. If this isn’t bad enough, we set equally high standards for others, and then we give in to anger when we realize that they too are imperfect. Our expectations can be just too high.”

“We are obsessed with our own conceptions of what holiness should look like, and we would limit God to working only in those ways that we expect Him to. But God both acts contrary to all human expectation, as when He chooses the powerless and the weak to make His salvation known (CCC 489), and far exceeds human expectations, as when He sent His own beloved Son (CCC 422).”

“If only we knew that our imperfections and weaknesses, far from disqualifying us from God’s mercy and love, rather entitle us to them. “The Lord has compassion for those who fear him because he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust” (Ps 103:13-14). If we expect to fall at least seven times a day, we will not be too ashamed to get up every time and beseech God for forgiveness. To put our hope in ourselves, or in others, or in any created thing is to set ourselves up for discouragement. But if we trust that God is at work, even when we are devoid of any sensible devotion, we may have every expectation that our hopes shall not be disappointed, “as scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in Him shall not be disappointed’” (Rom 10:11).”

http://www.dominicanajournal.org/divine-hope-and-human-expectations/

 I have long had a great love for the Dominican Order. Through the lives and writings of their saints, the spiritual and intellectual contribution they have made to the church throughout the centuries is immense. This Dominican wisdom has played a key part in my own formation in the faith. I chose the "Angelic Doctor", St. Thomas Aquinas as my confirmation saint. Anyone who knows St. Thomas knows that his writings really cannot possibly be appreciated enough. I say this in spite of the fact that he claimed they were all but "straw" in comparison to the beatific vision he was granted a glimpse of. He even tried to burn his works, but providence intervened and his faithful scribe convinced him not to. I digress. 

It is also worth noting that now during the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, the order is also celebrating their own Jubilee. St. Dominic founded the Order of Preachers 800 years ago in 1216. The celebration of this historic anniversary extends until January 21st.

Webpage of the Jubilee Year: http://www.op.org/en/jubilee

And lastly, the Friars of the House of Studies in Washington, DC have put out a record of beautiful sacred music (chant, polyphony and hymns) on the occasion of this anniversary. Consider adding this music to your library and supporting the friars and their labors for the salvation of souls. 

http://www.dominicanajournal.org/records/

God Love You,

N.C.E.