I have been consumed by the idea of how this highly intelligent lady and untrained theologian somehow had the privilege of speaking/training ministers on the Inner Life. Why would she be qualified to do so? It occurred to me that Evelyn Underhill had great experience with the journey into the inner life, but more importantly a unique perspective as a thinker from the seats of the congregation who could speak into the lives of those who guide and lead the church. Don't we need more of this?
Underhill spoke from a conviction of the Holy Spirit leading and guiding one's life and as she allowed the Spirit to lead her own retreats and her spiritual direction with others, she was also being prepared for such a time as for the school of clergy in North England. Here is what she saw:
"The laity distinguish in a moment the clergy who have it from the clergy who have it not: there is nothing you can
do for God or for the souls of men, which exceeds in importance the achievement of that spiritual temper and
attitude."
"We, the laity, know instantly the difference between the churches which are served with love and devotion and
ministers are like. And what you are like is going to depend on your secret life of prayer; on the steady orientation
of your souls to the Reality of God."
"People want to see and feel this in those who come to them with the credentials of religion: the joy, the
delightfulness, the transfiguration of hard dull work and of suffering, which irradiate the real Christian life."
Underhill clearly knew what the people in the pew were looking for, she was one. People under the care of ministers are looking for authenticity, ministers who live what they talk about and that have a natural flow of spiritual talk. I suppose this is why she focused on the inner life of a minister because no one wants to entrust the guidance of their inner life to someone who has no idea about taking care of one.
"A priest should be an agent of the supernatural. We ordinary people hustle along; trying to get through the
detailed work of each day, and respond reasonably well to its demands, opportunities and obligations. We are
obsessed by the ceaseless chain of events, and forget for the most part the mystery that surrounds us; the
overplus of spiritual reality and power, far beyond anything that we are able to conceive, and yet constantly and
intimately conditioning us."
This is a great perspective, the one from the pew says, that the minister is always concerned with spiritual things, or at least they should be, and the average person in the church gets caught up in the day to day affairs. It is the ministers job to remind, direct, help, nudge all people under their care to an inner life reminded of the supernatural happening every second in daily life.
Why was she qualified? Was it because she wrote one of the most in-depth books about "Mysticism" and the inner life of saints? Was it because she led endless retreats or guided others in their walk with God? Is it because she was one of the first women to speak at Oxford in front of men? All of these are great accomplishments, but what qualified her most was that she observed introspectively her own need for guidance. She was a part of those sitting in the pews, an average woman who was given the opportunity to listen to God and gently speak into the lives of the clergy. I think the perspective should change in the minister's training, there should always be some instruction from the pew included, maybe the influence of an average woman from the the early 20th century.
All quotes are from "Concerning the Inner Life" by Evelyn Underhill