Innocence

Of late, maybe because I pray to St. Therese of Lisieux, I am conscious of innocence: innocence in myself and in others. I am aware, of course, of how I (and others) have violated and polluted this innocence. But I marvel...that innocence remains, with a stunning resilience and sturdiness. A worldly understanding of innocence would see it as a deprivation: an immaturity, a weakness that lacks experience, testing and temptation. But to a Christian, innocence is a fullness, a positivity, an original and abiding openness to God which is quietly but powerfully generous and fruitful. This is seen most clearly in the mystery of the Holy Innocents, who died for our Lord without deliberation or effort but in whom we perceive an inherent, effortless holiness. Innocence, than, is primordially a gift from God, a state of overflowing goodness, a fruit of grace. Mature innocence, of course, entails conscious and deliberate awareness and assent and eventually effort, achievement and fruitful results. But innocence itself is first and always gift...something received gratefully and shared generously. In its gentleness and quietness it is far more powerful than violence, evil, sin and even death. Our Blessed Mother, The Immaculata, is its epitome, of course. Imagine her as a young girl...say 10 years old...she does not struggle against jealousy, resentment and anger...her spontaneous gratitude, joy and generosity are increasing conscious, deliberate, and voluntary and thus take on a depth, a toughness,a broadness, and a purposefulness. We can speak of an Original and a Redeemed Innocence. Original Innocence was that of the Garden of Eden: it was wounded but not completely destroyed by the original sin. And so, intuitively we sense the original innocence, albeit weakened, of an infant or a child or even many older, simple and good people. What amazes me is that actual sin, even mortal, seems not to completely obliterate a remnant of original goodness. It is this remnant that is the basis for conversion of even the most sinful. Saddam Hussein, just before his execution, walked up to each of the American soldiers who had guarded him, and treated him with dignity, in his last months, and stuck out his hand in an expression of gratitude. This mass murderer had a remnant of original goodness. A close examination will probably unveil residues of innocence in Hitler, Mao, Stalin and even Judas whose suicide suggests a regret associated with love. I find that when I love others I see them with clarity, including sin and weakness, but that their abiding goodness and innocence appear with lucidity and radiance. Surely, Jesus on the cross saw the innocence of the repentant thief. While I regret the ways I have desecrated my original, baptismal and Eucharistic innocence, I am mostly grateful for the ways actual grace has protected it. I am amazed by its resilience, strength and fertility. I pray that it be increased in me and everyone I love.