Posted by johnboy on September 11, 1999 at 19:12:21:
In Reply to: Re: Magnificent Magnificats - True Glory (an Ortho-doxology) posted by april on September 10, 1999 at 19:09:08:
: I read your poem about Nouwen's book.
: I am having a problem with seeing passivity
: as a virtue. Perhaps, I am thinking of a
: different kind of passivity. When I think
: of passivity, I think of the woman who stays
: in an abusive marriage because "it is God's Will" or the woman who wants to be a priest but is refused because "it is God's Will."
: I don't think this is what you are saying......
: But how do we know what to let be?: Am I totally off the track here? I haven't read
: Nouwen's book so I don't know exactly where you
: are coming from.
good clarification---Nouwen's thrust, not from __Adam__ but moreso from __The Return of the Prodigal Son__ has 3 movements: from dissipation to containment, from resentment to gratitude, from fear to love
transformative passivity (let's call it) of the variety Nouwen is talking about seems to bear fruit AFTER we move from fear and resentment to love and gratitude, AFTER we've gone through deeply prayerful discernment processes and have sought the wisdom, courage and serenity that are ours for the asking, AFTER we've abandoned our own agenda and our own subtle and insidious pelagianism
the distinction between dissipation and containment would require too many more words but just think of the prodigal son and how, gifted by the Father, he dissipated such gifts on his own agenda
there are "passivities" which are nontransformative and saying "let it be done to me" must always be coupled with "according to Thy Word" ---and "Thy Word" is certainly not the emotional or physical abuse coming from a spouse
there are those who prayerfully seek to be formed with an upright and mature conscience, who pay proper and dutiful deference to magisterial teachings, who nonetheless find themselves dissenting from authoritative teachings ... some may find the transformative path to be a quiet but difficult assent and obsequium, some might be called to prophetic protest
i suppose the key to this is that passivity isn't the "only" transformative path and that not all passivity is transformative
the true beauty of Nouwen's final gift to us is that He helps us rediscover a path that has too long been disparaged, ignored or neglected
it is deserving of our attention because of its prominence in the Gospel Mysteries
hope this helps,
jboy