|
Jesuit Journeys
Fall 2000
It's best to avoid 1st class on this flight
Have you done much flying? For me, getting on a plane involves a certain amount of letting go, surrendering my need to be in control, and trusting. Also, when I fly I like the freedom of having all I need packed into one carry-on bag. That way I don't have to wait around at the baggage claim or worry about whether my bags will be there when I arrive.
working on a house-building project sponsored by the Lutheran Brotherhood.
In its own way, flying has helped me to appreciate St. Ignatius' meditation on the three classes or types of people, a segment of the Spiritual Exercises having to do with different degrees of freedom.
For St. Ignatius, the first class of people is those who find it very hard to "let go." They want to be prepared for every eventuality and try to hold on to everything. Packed to the max, they end up having too much baggage. Further, their need for control is such that they can't trust giving anything up, even for a moment. Caught in a conflict of wanting everything and controlling everything, they trust nothing to the baggage handlers. As a result, they end up not even getting on the flight! This is fortunate for them anyway, because were they ever to get on a plane, they would never be able to trust the pilot.
The second class consists of people who are able to let go of most things. They have carefully packed all their items in one bag that can easily be carried on board and stowed away. But as they go through the metal detector something shows up that can't be allowed on the plane. They are told they must check their carry-on. Again, the desire to be in control of their baggage is too strong. They refuse to surrender their bag to the flight attendant and miss their flight.
The third class of people is those who may have a lot of possessions with them, or they may have carefully packed all their belongings in one carry-on. In either case, they are ready to let go of anything that would hinder them from making the flight. It is just too important for them to be on that plane, and so they will do whatever it takes to get on board.
As each of us travels through life, our journey consists of a series of flights. We are constantly faced with challenges to let go, to surrender our control. It may be a small surrender, letting go of something we would really like to do but can't because it conflicts with something else on our schedule. Or it may be something much larger, like the loss of our health, the weakness that accompanies the aging process, the death of aloved one. Each one of these is an opportunity to surrender, to get used to the idea of traveling light, to become comfortable with letting go.
All these surrenders are ways that God helps us practice for the final flight that we all must make.
On that last flight we won't be allowed any carry-on luggage. In the end we must let go of everything and walk to the gate empty-handed. That can be very difficult, but we have a lifetime in which to practice. And we won't need to take anything with us because we won't need anything at the other end. Our Loving God will take care of everything. We simply need to surrender everything to the One who will never let us down, the One who will always be there for us.
By choosing to be in Third Class, we can be more ready to follow the directions of our Loving God, both while we are on earth and on our final flight. On earth we will be better prepared to hear God's call and understand how we are directed to serve others. And on our final flight, unencumbered by baggage of any kind, we will have our hands open and ready to receive much more than we could ever hope for or imagine. We can pray, as the great Jesuit apostle of the Sacred Heart, St. Claude la Colombiere, once prayed:
"My God, I believe most firmly that You watch over all who hope in You, and that we can want for nothing when we rely upon You in all things; therefore I am resolved for the future to have no anxieties and to cast all my cares upon You. I know that my confidence cannot exceed your bounty, and that I shall never receive less than I have hoped for from You."
To contact Fr. Kubicki, write him at:
Jesuit Retreat House, 8243 Demontreville Trail N, Lake Elmo, MN 55042-9546 Telephone: 651-777-1312 e-mail: kubickij@aol.com
|
