The Martial Art of Abandonment

“It is a struggle to endure in abandonment.  If this is the case, enduring in abandonment is not only an art, but a ‘martial art’-an authentic struggle.” 

This quote is taken from Fr. Joel Guibert’s book Abandonment to God, The way of peace of St. Therese of Lisieux.  Recently in my prayer I have been captivated by this Little Saint.  The total giving of herself to the Will of God, to Jesus, to Love, this is how I want to live my life.  But it is a fight.  Read her autobiography, Story of a Soul, and you will see the struggle that she entered into.  The suffering of her later life was an absolute battle, physically, not just spiritually.  She battled the dark night of feeling far from God’s consolation, she battled the slow agony of death by tuberculosis, and she continued to love.  She is a model for all, period.  Christ’s passion was present in her, not just a spiritual remembrance and reflection, not just an exercise.  This saint knew that union with her Lord, union with Jesus, was the path of suffering and she would take no other road.

In manuscript C of Story of a Soul, St. Therese writes,

“Oh! No, I do not have any fears of a long life and I do not refuse the fight, for the Lord is the Rock to which I am raised.  ‘He teaches my hands to fight, and my fingers to make war.’" 

Sound familiar?  That is St. Therese, the Little Flower, quoting Psalm 144:1, the C2D tagline.  

I almost spit up my morning coffee when I read that quote.  I chuckle at the various images of Jesus hip-throwing the devil, or choking the devil, or one of my favorites-crossing the devil up on the basketball court, but following Jesus is the entering into a real battle, real spiritually and real physically. 

My warrior brother Pat Molitor and I were talking yesterday about “Why jiu jitsu?” Well, one of the reasons lies in the fact that real physical struggle in jiu jitsu prepares us for real physical struggle in abandonment to following the Will of God, in Christ Jesus.  Ponder it…and bring some grappling clothes to the C2D5 retreat. 

The annual C2D5 retreat is fast approaching.  Get to the website and register:  www.Call2Duty.net

Enter the struggle, get on the mat – you will be surprised by how it speaks to you.