So wrote Richard Rohr in his Meditation today*, a day which is both
the Feast of the Transfiguration and the 70th Anniversary of the dropping of
the atomic bomb on Hiroshima . He
wrote the article in the context of a series on the spirituality of S. Thérèse
of Lisieux. In it he observed that ‘through
prayerful self-reflection on her spiritual journey, Thérèse came to know
the depth of her self-centredness, the extent of her God-inspired desires, and
the role and significance of her thoughts, acts, and feelings in the spiritual
life.‘ Rohr went on to observe
that ‘as Carl Jung taught after the First World War, so much external hatred
and carnage could only have emerged if it was preceded by decades of inner
fear, hatred, and negativity that grew unchecked and unrecognized. Because the inner world was not healed or
renewed, Jung predicted that another blood bath was on its way, which of course
became the Second World War.’
In reading the article I found myself reflecting on the present refugee crisis in Calais and the cancerous growth of negativity and hatred that has developed towards those who are seeking to
enter Britain. Whilst recognising that there
are a number of reasons why people are there, it is that negative reaction that needs addressing. How does the reportage of newspapers such as the ‘Daily Mail’, which taps into our sense of fear and hatred, affect us? Instead of seeing these refugees as people
the reporting seems to de-humanise them and they become the focus of anger and hatred. Is this one of the consequences of our being a secular society which does
not want to recognise the power of spirituality for good (yes, and for ill)? If we don’t realise the negative power we can
unleash then it will, as Jung pointed out, give birth to violence. What might it take to remind us of our need
for self-reflection as we face the image of that which we seek to become. In his reflection on life in the risen Christ,
S. Paul wrote: ‘Cloth yourselves in love’ (Col.3:14). Perhaps we need to remember this in the face
of so much fear and hatred.
* http://conta.cc/1P7GnhM via #constantcontact
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