"Further up & further in..."

My blog is named after St. Therésè's concept of riding a "little elevator" to Heaven. I have to mention that I am constantly amazed at how often Catholic theology uses the concept of having many 'levels' to achieve a spiritual goal.


For example...


This Fall my company is publishing a book titled, Hungry Souls, which chronicles stories about holy souls in purgatory who have visited loved ones on earth begging to be prayed for so they can reach Heaven. 


My co-worker, Lesly, has been reading the book and mentioned to me today how it is interesting that purgatory is defined as having many 'levels' and depending on what level those Holy Souls are at determines what they have permission to do (the lowest level  they can do nothing but wait for prayers to elevate them to the next... as they progress they can entreat souls on earth to pray for them, etc.).


This prompted me to recall Teresa of Avila's beautiful Interior Castle or, the more secularly known, Chronicles of Narnia.


My husband and I were watching The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe Sunday night and I recalled Mr. Beaver's hushed instructions to Lucy when they first meet after she asked about the safety of her friend, Mr. Tumnus:


"Further in..." Beaver whispers to her and her siblings. And he scampers away, prompting them to follow him.


C.S. Lewis proves his deeply Catholic thinking once again with this reference of saying that Lucy, Peter, Susan & Edmund must move further "in" Narnia to find safety and find deeper meaning. This concept is expanded all the more in the final volume of the Narnia series: The Last Battle...


The world comes to an end and Lucy (along with other Narnia friends) is brought to Narnia as She is fading into nothing. Lucy weeps at the sight, having held Narnia near and dear to her heart for so long. 


But Lucy is filled with joy when Aslan brings her (along with the others deemed worthy) into a new world. "Further up & further in..." she is told... and they move into this new Narnia - which is so much more wonderful than the original - and up the mountains only to discover and newer and MORE wonderful Narnia there. And on it goes... "further up and further in..." until Lucy cannot recall why she ever thought the original Narnia was wonderful at all since these new ones shine so much brighter.


There are so many layers to our faith that we cannot imagine. We deepen our relationship with God and we wonder how it was possible that we thought our faith was ever this wonderful before...


Our faith is the same way. The key is to always to pursue that deeper level - with God, with our spouses, children, friends...


We must continue to move "Further up & further in..."