Nov 19 2008
God-Centeredness
From Fr. Thomas Dubay’s Seeking Spiritual Direction:
Our first sign of growth comes from the lips of the Lord himself, and it strikes at the very heart of reality: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Lk 12.34). Or as St. Paul expressed it: since you have risen with Christ, mind the things above, not those on earth (Col 3.1-2). Love is like gravity: everything in the lover’s life tends toward the beloved. People growing toward God find that more and more the indwelling Trinity is their center of gravity. While they do not neglect duties toward others, their thoughts and choices are focused on their one love. When St. Francis of Assisi looked at a rose or a bird, he did not see only a remarkable artifact of the Creator. Deep in the center of the flower or the animal, he saw a glimpse of the divine glory, which is one reason why he and all the saints did indeed rejoice in the Lord always; they sought and found the supreme Beloved everywhere, even in hardships and sufferings.
Timely. I’m meeting, for the first time, with a spiritual director this afternoon. I have this book, but like you, I’m not great a time management. :-) I guess it’s good, though? (Dubay’s always good…?)
Hi Keith,
Congratulations on finding a spiritual director. I will keep you in my prayers today.
I have mixed feelings about Dubay. On the one hand, he’s rock solid when it comes to traditional and authentic Catholic spirituality. On the other hand, I find his writing style to be extremely irritating over the long haul.
To remedy this, I take him in bite-size chunks — a few pages at a time.