The Seeking Heart by Fenelon
As anyone who has been reading this blog would know, I have not taken too many opportunities in this blog to focus on what one might refer to as “devotional literature”. I have tried, over the years to read broadly, to expose myself to many different views on many different subjects and so you will find book reviews of novels, books on science, books on music, books on relationships, books on social issues, books on ethical issues, books on philosophy, books on Science Fiction, and so on and so on.
A few weeks ago, a dear friend began recommending to me books of a spiritual and devotional nature and I have wanted to take an opportunity to reflect on them. They are, by their own admission, books which are intended not to be devoured so much as books to be savored and “burned like incense” rather than simply consumed.
Today, I would just like to take a moment to share a few thoughts about Francois Fenelon (b. 1651) and his devotional book The Seeking Heart. I confess that I like Fenelon and found myself intrigued by his biography as pictured in the introduction. “He was always original. Always creative, imitating no one, and himself wholly inimitable” a contemporary once described him. Its hard for me not to like a man like that.
His book is a reminder that there can be great power in great simplicity. The friend who sent the book to me in one of those people who proves the point about as well as anybody and so I shall not bother to get into an argument with the book simply because it is not the sort that I read nor suggest often. I’ll not even try to review it here. Fenelon is not an author to be reviewed really. He is a person to be experienced. And I think he would agree that the best knowledge is not distilled but experienced. As he says, “Don't live on a porch and think you are in the house!”
I like this paragraph about as much as any:
“A devout Catholic called upon Fenelon to come attend to its kin, a dying Protestant heretic. On the way, Fenelon composed a prayer which, we are told, the two men -- a Protestant heretic and a Catholic bishop -- prayed together!
“Thou knowest, my savior, that I desire to live and die in the truth; forgive me if I was mistaken.” P. iv
The question that Fenelon poses that is of most interest to someone like me has to do with the place of the intellect in the healthy spiritual life. I have always tended to believe that God, as I perceive Him, is one who is as interested in engaging a fine mind as he is a warm heart and a good soul. Perhaps, it comes from knowing how much I myself enjoy the fine wine of a good mind. I should not wish to diminish the importance of shared tenderness by saying so, as I myself also know the pain of much light and no heat in my relational life, but I finished reading this book with questions about whether my own intellect is a “problem” in experiencing the same sort of joy and peace in life that my friend who lent me the book enjoys.
Here are some select quotes from Fenelon on the subject of intellect:
“Practice what you already know rather than looking for more knowledge. You deceive yourself when you think you are growing spiritually because your curiosity has intellectually explored some spiritual idea.” P. 38
“Think little and do much. If you are not careful, you will acquire so much knowledge that you will need another lifetime to put it all into practice. There is danger in thinking that you are perfect simply because you understand what it would be like to be perfect. All your beautiful theories do not help you die to yourself. Knowledge nourishes the life of Adam in you because you secretly delight in your revelation. Never trust your own power or your own knowledge.” P. 59
“Perhaps this winter I will have time to set foot in my library. I shall enter it cautiously and listen for the slightest hint that God would have me elsewhere. The mind must fast as well as the body. I have no desire to write, speak or be spoken about, reason, or persuade anybody.” P. 60
“My own mind has been such a deceiver that I no longer count on it. Be simple.” P. 61
“I warn you again: beware of philosophers they will trap you and do you more harm than you know how to do them good. Their discussions go on forever, yet they never come to the simple truth. Intellectuals are unwisely curious; they are like conquerors who destroy the world without possessing it. Solomon himself testifies to the vanity of endless reasoning. Never study spiritual subjects unless God prompts you to. And do not study more than you can use. Study with a prayerful spirit. God is both truth and love. . . . I hope that you will obtain the knowledge that is kept for babes and the simpleminded. Such knowledge is hid from the wise and prudent.” P. 62
“Thinking too much will distract you. If you become trapped in your thoughts, they will blow out your inward spiritual sense like a wind blowing out a candle. If you keep company with people like this, you will see how dry their hearts are and how far their minds have drifted off center. It is best to stay away from such people.” P. 63
“Watch out that your curiosity does not cause you to seek things you shouldn't. “ p. 65
“All that buzzing in your mind is like a piece of the beehive. If you set your thoughts, they will grow angry and sting you! How can you expect God to speak in his gentle and inward voice when you make so much noise? Be quiet and you will hear God speak.” P. 87
“You already know much more about good than you currently practice. What you need is to put into practice what you already know. Don't try to gain more knowledge before you practice what you already see.” P. 97
“You will find some help in the books you have read. What you have read is true and will help you let a good foundation for your faith. Just do not put too much trust in books, and learn to put them aside as God directs. Your mind is a good thing, learn to distrust it and you will make better use of it. Become childlike. “ p. 110
“It is not enough to like good books. You must be a good book yourself.” P 111
“Most people don’t really know God. They know what they have read or been told, but it is an intellectual knowledge that lacks true spiritual experience.” P. 180
I suppose the above will suffice to give you the general idea. Here is a very intelligent man who has determined that the simplicity of a loving caring approach to people is far more powerful than a phalanx of hard logic, research, and intellectual fireworks.
I find myself wrestling with him … wanting to say “Why not both?” Must the two approaches be exclusive? I think of the image of young Jesus in the temple “listening and asking questions” and astounding the learned with his curiosity and insight while later serving as a teacher of simple – ever so simple parables – stories of seeds – stories of lost sheep – stories of the utmost simplicity … and I want to challenge Fenelon and say “Is it possible that God exists all across the spectrum?” In Einstein as well as Mr. Rogers? In Sir Isaac Newton’s Principia as well as Shell Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends?
Can simplicity augment intellect and intellect augment devotionalism? Is it possible to think hard and remain humble? To use one’s mind all day like a car mechanic uses tools … to come home after a day of thinking just as one might come from the fields after a day of plowing and feel that one is a “yeoman farmer” who has earned his days bread by the sweat of his brow and the gifts he was given to serve … producing nourishment for people who hunger for different things?
Question for Comment: I guess that is my question for today.What is the place of intellect in the devotional life? Is it a distraction or a pathway into something deeper?
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