It’s Fénelon Friday!
LETTER 31: The Gifts of God Are Not to Be Rejected Because of the Channel That Brings Them
I am glad you have found a friend to help you in your time of need. God’s ways of providing for us are both beautiful and mysterious. He puts what He pleases where He pleases. Naaman could not be healed by all the waters of Syria, and so had to wash in the waters of Israel. It makes no difference how our help comes. The source is the important thing, not the channel. Of course, God always uses the best channels. And, for us, the best channel is that which most exercises our faith, puts to shame our human wisdom, keeps us simple and humble, and reminds us of our dependence upon God. So, regardless of the channel through which your help has come, reach out and accept whatever help God gives, fully aware of your dependence upon the Holy Spirit that moves wherever He wishes. You can’t tell from where He comes, or where He is going (John 3:8). God often sends help in mysterious ways, and we are not trying to understand the secrets of God. We only need to be obedient to what He has revealed to us.
Too much reasoning is a great hindrance to the spiritual life. And you know that the educated men of this world are always quenching the promptings of their conscience by reasoning away what they know to be right, just as the wind extinguishes a candle. And after being with such people for a while, you sense that even your own soul has become dry and off center. Be careful about associating with such people. It is very dangerous, especially for you.
Some of these highly educated people appear to enjoy spiritual meditation, but do not be deceived by appearances. It is easy to mistake intellectual curiosity for spiritual hunger. You must understand that men driven by intellectual hunger are really in pursuit of some worldly objective. They are driven by strong desire. They are constantly involved in discussions and reasoning, but they know nothing about that inward peace and silence that listens to God. I mention these people because they are more dangerous than others. You are likely to be deceived by their disguises. And I think if you question them carefully, fully, you will find that they are restless, faultfinding, finding, grasping, worldly, harsh, selfish in all their desires, touchy, full of their own thoughts, and impatient with anyone who contradicts them. In a word, they are spiritual busybodies, annoyed at everything, and almost always annoying everybody body else.
Francis Fénelon, Let Go (New Kensington, PA: Whittaker House, 1973).
Learning To Be Full Of Grace And Truth. 