Monthly Osuna: Letter S
A Way of Life
This is a monthly series on Francisco de Osuna’s The Third Spiritual Alphabet.1 In each post, we reflect on one letter from his Alphabet. The Alphabet was written as an aid to recollection. Recollection (being recollected in God) is both a form of prayer and a way of being in the world. This month’s letter is S.
This Letter Cautions Us to Combine Exterior and Interior Perfection, Saying: Have Your Body Follow Jesus and Your Soul His Divinity. Siga tu cuerpo a Jesus, y su divinidad tu ánima.
Contemplation: A Way of Life
“The body is to follow Jesus in terms of outer works and the soul his divinity in spiritual works…” (SA 452)
“The life of a good Christian is nothing other than holy desire. You desire what you do not yet see, but in desiring, you are made capable of being filled with what you will see at the appropriate time. By deferring it, God also enlarges our desire, and in desiring the heart is magnified, is made sufficient. Let us desire, then, that we may be filled, for this is our life, that in desiring we may be prepared, and the more we magnify holy desire, the less we will love the world.” (Osuna quoting Augustine; SA 468)
The affective core of recollection is our desire for good. As we sit in the stillness and silence of the divine presence, this simple desire is both satisfied and strengthened so that it begins to permeate not only our practice but our perception and day-to-day activities. Invariably, our way of life in the world is affected by our practice.
Ideally, we acquire a degree of detachment to the extent that our desire for good is satisfied by the divine presence, and detachment gives us freedom to pursue the good, particularly the good of others, without inordinate self-interest. As Maximus the Confessor puts it: “Love is begotten of detachment” (MC 36).2 That is the ideal, at any rate.
I think it’s important to recognize the contemplative life is a process and not get discouraged if this ideal is slow in coming. As Osuna insists, the key to a healthy practice is perseverance because it is a process that takes time. The object of our good desire during recollection is infinite and eternal so that “no one who lives this present life as a traveler has reached such a degree of perfection that they could go no higher” (SA 469).
Following Christ
“‘Come to me all who labor and are burdened and I will relieve you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.’ The Lord himself calls us as a way to instill confidence and urges us to follow him. He does not specify particular people, for he accepts all and does not discriminate.” (Osuna quoting Matt.11:28-30; SA 459)
Jesus can be a helpful model for the contemplative life, exemplifying both inwardness as well as active love for others. In one moment, Jesus is searching for a solitary place to recollect, sometimes spending hours in prayer. In another moment, he’s actively engaged in helping others and revealing a way of life that works in favor of life. His spiritual practice and his way of life are intimately connected; his own love being grounded in and flowing from eternal love.
Jesus also gives us an image of healthy detachment. For instance, his detachment is not self-negating. To the contrary, what we see is someone with healthy self-love. Not only does he take time away to refresh from the challenges of serving others, but he also enjoys the leisure and fellowship of a communal meal. Food, wine, and good company were part of his way of life. Except for his time of preparation in the wilderness, Jesus’ way of life is not the harsh asceticism that assumes detachment depends on a strict and sometimes destructive form of self-denial. His detachment comes not from what he lacks but from the fullness of being recollected.
Jesus’ detachment is moderate and gentle as he humbly adjusts to the goodness and needs of the moment. His detachment is less about himself and more a general orientation toward the good of others. In one scriptural account, Jesus is seeking a solitary place for recollection. The crowds are searching and eventually find him because they want his help. With compassion, Jesus delays his own need for recollection to help them. Nevertheless, once he is able, he resumes his solitude and recollection.
I don’t take that example as a hard and fast rule that one must follow, sometimes we must address our own needs first, but it is a helpful reminder that our active love, the love for others begotten of detachment, is grounded in our practice of recollection and the fullness of the divine presence.
“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” (Psalm 90:14)
Francisco de Osuna The Third Spiritual Alphabet (Trans. Mary E. Giles; Preface Kieran Kavanaugh; Paulist Press, 1981)
Maximus the Confessor Maximus Confessor: Selected Writings (Trans. George C. Berthold; Paulist Press, 1985)