A Little Wickedness!

ignatius-webFrom the desk of Fr. Ignatius Waters CP

Sunday 7th February 2016

 

 

Thought 7Feb16

 

There’s a saying down Tipperary way about a fellow “having a great welcome for himself!” For himself! I’m sure it’s not confined to Tipperary! My father told us once that he saw a man “shaking hands with himself” all night at a function and we discovered afterwards that indeed it was true but the poor man was ‘a bag of nerves’ and the shaking was more in tension than in welcome! I also remember hearing long ago that a friend of Geoff Boycott, the great cricketer, said “Geoff fell in love with himself when he was young and he remained faithful ever after!” With friends like that who needs enemies? I must admit I’ve always been jealous of people who can dream up smart remarks like these. Why didn’t I think of that? In our community we love recalling how a certain Brother was driving a certain priest to the airport, and as they came close to the airport, the certain priest, who was a bit pompous, took to quoting Shakespeare very solemnly: “Brother, if you have tears, prepare to shed them now!” and Brother, quick as a flash, replied, “Why? Are you not going?” Wouldn’t it be great to be able to dream up responses like that on the spot and not a day later? I know some of you will feel I shouldn’t be enjoying remarks like these. Couldn’t they be hurtful? It’s true that humour can be hurtful but good humoured humour, which hurts no one but deflates the pompous seems to be applauded in scripture: “Be not just to excess, and be not over wise lest you be ruined. Be not wicked to excess but do not be a fool.” (Eccles. 7:16-17.) The inspired writer is asking religious people to keep their feet on the ground and seems to infer that a little wickedness is not all that bad!

The writings of St. Teresa of Avila are full of holy common sense, good humour and a little wickedness. In her commentary on the Song of Songs, she describes a lady full of self importance that’s all mixed up with religion and devotions, and Teresa says, “She and others like her were saints in their own opinion but when I got to know them, they frightened me more than all the sinners I had ever met!” She could laugh at herself too: “Blessed are you, Lord, who has made me so incompetent and unprofitable.” In her writings she calls herself stupid, always busy with really important things like her spinning wheel; she has no learning, suffers from ‘noises’ in her head, a bad memory and a rough and heavy writing style. And I’m sure you’ve heard her well known saying: “O Lord, it’s no wonder you have so few friends you treat them so badly!” And her other prayer, “From long faced saints and silly devotions, deliver us O Lord.” It’s true Teresa didn’t have much formal education but she had deep wisdom inspired by God’s Spirit: “You have not lost the anointing he gave you. You do not need anyone to teach you. The anointing he gave teaches you everything.” (1John 2:26). I meet people like that all the time and I’m sure you do too. They have wisdom learned from life and God’s spirit working in them.

“The important thing is not to think too much”, Teresa said, “but to love much, so do what best stirs you to love.”