Take the Elevator

I don't know about you, but after 40 Lenten days of sort-of tackling penances and prayer exercises, sometimes I wonder if I've made any progress at all up that "rough stair of perfection" we call the spiritual life. I feel like each stair is 6' tall, and I can't seem to clear one of them.  Worse, sometimes in my failings, I think I don't even WANT to climb up.

The much-loved St. Therese of Lisieux could relate. She lived in a time when the "lift" or elevator was just being invented.  Being of a weaker physical build, and often sick as a child, she was definitely someone who would take advantage of that elevator instead of opting for the stairs. 

Her ponderings on this subject led her to wonder if there were such a thing as an elevator for the spiritual life!  There has to be,she thought, because Jesus knows how little I am and how there is no way I can climb up that rough stair! Her famous "little way of perfection" is one that is perfect for all the little souls out there (of any size).  Her "elevator" is simply the arms of Jesus. 

In our "Don't be a wimp! Take the stairs!" culture, it can be hard for some of us to feel like it is right to do this.  Here's a story about a girl who didn't take the elevator: Out of love for Jesus, she climbed each rough and broad stair. She called on Jesus for help, but she definitely wanted to finish on her own. (Parents--can you hear your young stubborn toddler saying, "I do it!"??)

When this girl arrived at the top of the stairs, her virtues were shining and she had such love in her heart. She was able to offer Jesus her sufferings and a lifetime of effort.  Jesus welcomed her in to heaven, and she was so happy.  But she looked up ahead and saw saints who just glowed with love.  They were as close to the throne as they could possibly get.  "Who are these, Lord? Who are so happy and so exalted here in heaven with you?"  His answer, "These are the saints of the Little Way."  

She was not troubled, but puzzled. She asked God why this should be so.  She felt that her hard work for the love of Jesus, her "I do it!" attitude, and her perseverance should have been most pleasing to the Lord. She did not expect that she was a great saint, but she expected "great saints" to be closest to God. It surprised her that these who took the "elevator" would have been so highly exalted in heaven.

His response: "You held me at an arm's length while you climbed the stair. Your heart loved me, but you did not trust me to love you until you were more perfect.  We lost so much time in your life that we could have been close because of this.  These little ones came into my arms in trust FIRST.  Their virtues were developed in my arms and close to my heart, not just in my service."

We can't really forget the stairs.  Our efforts are still important and worthwhile. They just aren't going to get us very far, very fast. St. Therese discovered that building the virtue of trust first made everything else fall into place.  

Maybe we can make this our prayer this Easter season: 

"Jesus, I trust in you!  And I'm taking the elevator!"