November 28, 2005   

"New Commandment"

The New Commandment is a commandment that fits into this stage of the journey, the Unitive Way.  In fact I think one really has to come into the deeper love relationship to really live out this New Commandment the way Jesus intended for us to live it out.

At this stage of the journey, the soul is coming into new life like the Apostles at Pentecost being transformed, strengthened, and confirmed.  When we get a confirmation on a decision, there is a strengthening.  There is a strengthening that comes at this stage of the journey, and it's all by the grace of the Holy Spirit.  Theologians and the saints tell us that this the Unitive Way is like a third conversion.  Some of us might have had many conversions along the way, like when we came into the Illuminative Way.  But this particular conversion process is quite a transforming conversion process because it is union at all times.  It's a third conversion of praying without ceasing.  In other words, the soul here is able to be in God's presence at all times.  The soul is able to be in intimate communion with God all day long.  The soul isn't in communion anymore with itself.  It is very focused.

The analogy that I use is of a woman who is pregnant.  That might fit some of you.  It's not going to fit all of us.  When I look at a woman who is pregnant, she has that life.  It's with her all the time, no matter what she does.  She doesn't have to be in a certain place or time of the day to think, "I'm carrying a baby."  She's aware.  She must be aware all the time, particularly as the baby grows, that she is pregnant with life, whether she's cooking, visiting, socializing, or doing something with other children, it is just part of her.  That pregnancy goes wherever she goes. 

I think the saints are trying to tell us that in this intimate conversation with God all day long, the soul is very much aware of being impregnated, you might say, with life and aware of that divine life within.  The soul thinks continually of God, of His glory, and the salvation of souls because the soul has picked up the heartbeat of Jesus by this time.  It beats constantly for souls.  There's a union that's coming with the Father.  Jesus' union with the Father is what makes His heart beat, always, for souls.

The words of the Gospel will frequently come to the soul's mind at this stage to enlighten whatever that soul is doing.  There's a light on it.  There will be a grace.  There will be an insight.  There will be a mystery to it that one hasn't seen before.  Teresa of Avila wrote about her first breakthrough into mysticism. It was when she was in the kitchen, cooking.  She began to experience God in that simple little task.  She was in a mystical state, not elevated off the floor or anything, but in that beautiful, down- to-earth, Nazareth encounter where God is in everything I do.  We are all called to this sanctity.  There is a difference in souls and the degree of perfection but it's always going to be a call to love God with our whole heart, soul, strength, and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves because this holiness is the perfect will of God.  Paul says this in Scripture.  The constitution of the Church says the same thing.  This is the way of God - your sanctification.  None of us can say, "God, I didn't know Your will.  I didn't know You wanted me to become a saint."  He wants all of us to become saints.  He wants all of us to come into the fullness of the Christian life and that means to the perfection of love.

It doesn't really require extraordinary gifts and graces.  It's the Little Way.  It's the Little Way of love - doing ordinary things with extraordinary love.  It means a tremendous generosity in whatever we do.  We need only to ask for these graces.  They are free; the price has been paid already.  They're costly, but for us they are free.  We need to love God with His own love.  At this stage, it's not enough to love God with the soul's love (and the soul knows it).  It has to return love for love.  "How can I repay the Lord for all of His goodness to me?" the Psalm says.  This is how: to love God with His own love.

Christianity is not natural; it's supernatural.  God is asking us to live out a New Commandment that is supernatural.  It isn't natural for us to love one another as He's loved us.  He didn't love us naturally; He loved us quite miraculously and very supernaturally.  He says, "That's alright.  I can give you the love that you need to live out what I'm asking you to do."  God isn't saying, "It would be awfully nice if you would start living this New Commandment."  It is a commandment.  He's commanding us.  He's saying that it is essential, it's necessary, but that  "I will give you the love in order to do it."

Excerpt from Mother Nadine's "New Commandment," Omaha, NE, 2004.