The conversion experience: notes from a retreat

More about the conversion experience. (My notes from our retreat conferences at St. Anselm Abbey this summer.)

Conversion comes to us as a gift from God. It comes to us through several means:

·         a moment of acute spiritual experience; perhaps an experience of compunction or an experience of waking up from a stale, sleepy state of mind.

·         something that takes us out of our routines. Suddenly, things begin changing with any noticeable effort on our part. Things are happening to us from outside of us and things move along quite easily.

·         It comes to us through relationships. We become drawn to some person, some figure in our life who becomes a model for us.

·         The counsel and advice of a wise person leads us to conversion.

·         Books, plays, movies, the words and deeds of children awaken our insight.

·         Disaster is often a gift from God, which creates a new and higher interpretation of the former aspects of our life. As a result we become liberated from staleness. Therefore whenever disaster strikes, look for the God-message within, look to the promise and the possibilities it may lead us to. Through this event we are becoming liberated from staleness.

·         This conversion stays with us until the end of life. We can never see what’s around the corner, but we are led through a life-long process.

·         As a result of a conversion experience, it often happens that we stop trying to master-plan everything but let go of the obsession to be in control of every aspect of our lives.

·         We begin living from the deep self. The average person lives a life entrapped by superficiality. After a conversion experience, we get liberated from that superficiality and get in touch with what we couldn’t perceive before, with what is now available to us. Since you have been raised to life with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. (Col 3:1)

If you understand these things and begin to think about them, keep in mind something which was urged by Theophan the Recluse: Man is a doing creature. What is in the mind is only in the mind. For it to become complete, it must be translated into a different way of doing what we do in the world. Keep that in mind, and then when the opportunity comes, put it into action. Pray for this grace.

God bless you!