In her reflections on the Song of Songs, St. Teresa of Jesus (of Avila) speaks of a “false peace” that can mislead us about living a genuine Christian/Catholic life.

 

She speaks of a woman who bore the appearance of a good Catholic — active at her parish, always smiling and joyful. Her life was in good order, and for years she was one of those people whom everyone enjoyed being around.

 

But ... as soon as her way wasn’t accepted as the only way, and her plans were challenged, her peace disappeared and she was not so pleasant to be around. 

 

For her, it was years before things went awry. All that time, perhaps she thought she was doing everything right. Surely she was supported in the view that her comfortable, in-control life was a success story and she pleased God. 

 

Hopefully this woman of long ago realized the upheaval she experienced was God’s way of providing her with the chance for true holiness and peace ­— a life where she would welcome God’s direction and seek His will instead of her own.

 

Some years ago, a presenter illustrated a common Catholic/middle-class lifestyle as often a matter of building up defenses to keep the world’s chaos out. If we think about it, things like education, hard work, good marriages, and healthful practices do help keep the chaos of illness, poverty and heartache at bay. We can reap many benefits from such defensive efforts.

 

But it is good to be aware that such success brings temptations that encourage us to please ourselves instead of pleasing God.

 

First, there is the temptation embraced by that long-ago woman — the belief that we are automatically good Catholics when we are living a successful life. We might be ... but if we make our decisions based on what we want and don’t seek to discover what God might want of us, we are treading on shaky and perhaps-unholy ground.

 

That may have us thinking to ourselves that, hey, we don’t steal, or lie (much), or wantonly harm others or the earth, and we give money at Church and/or buy a toy for a giving tree. If that is our reaction, we might benefit from re-reading Jesus’ parable about the Pharisee and publican. 

 

The Pharisee prayed to himself about the good things he did and the bad things he did not do. He appeared to be a faithful believer, but never did he ask God what HE wanted or volunteer to look at his heart and be willing to change.

 

Only God knows our hearts completely. We won’t know our need for change unless we ask Him. When life is going along smoothly, we must guard against the very normal risk of assuming we are good with God. Maybe we are — but we need to keep checking in with Him and be ready to accept what He says and work on inner change and/or risk outer change.

 

A second temptation is to be judgmental toward those whose upbringing did not teach them the value of the defenses against chaos. It is difficult to live as adults what we never knew as children. Possible, yes, but not all are able to know what needs to change or have the inner and outer resources to push against the norm of their upbringing. Think of how something as simple as healthy eating is fraught with difficulties.

 

So let’s not be like the Pharisee who distained the publican. 

 

A third temptation — very valued in society — is to simply enjoy a comfortable life. We spend our money to make us happy and comfortable. Our leisure time finds us doing what we enjoy. Our travel brings us to fun and interesting views and experiences — and we don’t question or ask God about any of it. That same not-questioning was part of the Pharisee’s problem.

 

Perhaps “comfort” is the word that best describes the false peace of the world. False peace dissolves with trials or discomfort or lack of control. We all perhaps have experienced going from happy and calm to sad/mad/frustrated in a moment of challenge. Such short-lived peace is good, but not true.

 

So much of spiritual growth includes the practice of letting go of what makes us comfortable in order to serve God. It is both humbling and uplifting to set ourselves aside for Him.

 

If ever we have noticed joy and hope and selfless love in people who are struggling with illness or misfortune or poverty, we have glimpsed the peace God wants for us. It is true peace!