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What is the blessing of all this? A wonderful one: "... God will speak into you and will bring your resigned Will into Himself, in the supernatural Ground; and then you shall hear, my Son, what the Lord speaks in you."
See, our daily need is to be grounded in the "supranatural." Then we have a direct channel of divine Communication, however that arises to us.
My experience has been that most of the Church tries to solve its trials without even coming close to trying to get and stay grounded in the Supersensual Ground. Yet, it needs to realize spiritual needs, problems, and challenges cannot be addressed well in ways "sensual," "natural," "creaturely."
Why this reliance on "sensual" means, rather than Grace - and regardless of the talk otherwise? One answer: in the earthy, sensual, person, even religiously-sensual, is pride not willing to humble oneself in reliance on the Cross - so, saying "Your Will be Done" and meaning it - really. This is no less a problem, possibly, among clergypersons.
If anything, many of the laity put many - possibly, most - of us clerics to shame in their humble dependence on and love for Christ. Too many of us among the clergy and denominational leadership - based on my experience - try to manage the success of the church, rather than bowing in submission of even our efforts at success to the Cross.
When a spiritual leader lives daily dying under the Cross, to keep living again, he or she will not just give sermons, but given will be God's Presence through being and words. Such will be his or her presence among people. He or she will be a walking, breathing christ - far from an ecclesial functionary.
No, we clergypersons do not admit it, but we show our pride by refusal to be men and women Spirit-filled and humbly resolved to honor only God and in all things, and that without notice to position, advancement, pay, and privilege. How wonderful to see a cleric showing no pride in any of the above, but wanting solely to serve Christ in others. And there are those among the clergy of this Spirit.
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