Abstract
One foundational backdrop for Evelyn Underhill’s BBC radio talks, 'The Spiritual Life' (1937), is her posture of ‘spiritual ecumenism’ (prayer for Church unity). In 1936, Underhill had published 'Worship' and participated in various worship practices, plus prayer groups for Church unity. During these years, loving rather than critiquing Christians different to herself had become an area of growth for Underhill (outlined in her spiritual journals). Bérulle’s three types of generous love - adoration, communion and co-operation - provided Underhill’s macro structure for 'The Spiritual Life.' Through the lens of ‘spiritual ecumenism’, Underhill emphasised the centrality of love in ‘the spiritual life’ – love of God and neighbour – particularly fellow Christians. Underhill encourages us to pray for Church unity and engage in spiritual understanding rather than judgment, competition and ‘mud-slinging’. In the context of growing secularism, individualism, and Church disunity, ‘spiritual ecumenism’ has the potential to enhance the Church’s missional impact.
‘God is present to us in the souls of our fellow men and women – this is a discovery of the very essence of love… our hearts are as great as our love.’
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Introduction
These words from Evelyn Underhill, a significant writer in the Christian tradition, remind us of the centrality of love in our spiritual lives. They also emphasise the link between loving God and loving others. If we claim to love God yet hate our neighbour, we are liars. 2 Yet tragically, a major barrier to contemporary seekers exploring Christian spirituality is the fractured, hardhearted Church disunity laid bare, with a lack of generous love at its core. Yet love is repeatedly placed at the centre of Jesus’ commands: love God, love neighbour; love one another, then people shall know you are my disciples. 3 However, it seems that these deceptively simple principles are incredibly challenging to live out. Tragically, few people in contemporary society view Christ’s body - the Church - as a community of love embodying generous, merciful kindness, but more often identify the Church with abusive power and control. 4 Judgement rather than love is what is often communicated. It is hardly surprising that many contemporary seekers avoid anything remotely Christian, being more attracted to more open, less institutionalised, Eastern spiritualities. For example, Buddhism’s ‘Path of Freedom’ which is characterised by ‘loving kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity.’ 5
Further, many contemporary seekers view the Church as irrelevant and disengaged from contemporary challenges. But once more, this primarily boils down to a lack of love: not loving our environment, hence climate change; not loving those different to ourselves, for example, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia etc. If a lack of love is one of the fundamental issues alienating contemporary seekers from engaging with Christian spirituality, how might we address this problem? What needs to change so that pathways can be created that draw seekers to encounter Christ – the source of love? When people consider how to engage contemporary seekers with Christian spirituality, ‘spiritual ecumenism’ – prayer for Church unity – is rarely on the list of considerations. Yet a united loving Church - rather than the ‘mudslinging’ between its different branches - has more missional impact.
In this article I argue that Underhill’s passion for spiritual ecumenism - that we love other Christians and pray for Church unity - provides one foundational backdrop for her words to seekers in her BBC radio talks presented in 1936, published as The Spiritual Life in 1937. 6 It is striking that the same year that Underhill wrote these radio talks, she published her book, Worship. Writing this text involved Underhill engaging in worship practices of various Christian denominations so she could write about their unique forms of worship from an experiential perspective. So behind her radio talks lay her growing appreciation of different styles of worship, plus a longing for love and understanding rather than judgement. Further, Underhill’s passion for loving others through prayer, rather than simply critiquing those different to herself, became increasingly important to her as she aged. Evidence from Underhill’s private journals and letters in the few years prior to and while writing her radio talks, indicate this desire for prayer and love rather than critique, was percolating in her heart during this time.
We now turn to consider Underhill’s journey as a lover of Christians who worship in various ways - one foundational backdrop for two macro arguments to seekers and Christians in The Spiritual Life when viewed through the lens of spiritual ecumenism: the shift from self-love to adoration to God, and secondly, to loving others.
Underhill’s Ecumenical Spiritual Journey
Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941) was a British retreat leader, spiritual director and author of 39 books and hundreds of articles. She was not brought up in a Christian home and always embodied an expansive openness. On her 17th birthday, she reflected, ‘I hope my mind will not grow tall to look down on things, but wide to embrace all sorts of things.’ 7 Italian art was the first medium that brought Underhill to what she described as ‘a gradual understanding of things.’ 8 Despite a short detour in 1907 - ‘seeking the light’ - as a member of the occultic ‘Hermetic Society of the Golden Dawn’, Underhill’s agnosticism ultimately shifted while on retreat at a Catholic convent. ‘Overcome by an overpowering vision’, she became convinced that the Catholic religion was true. 9 However, Underhill felt unable to convert to Rome because of her fiancé’s opposition and the Catholic Modernist crisis.
As early as 1911, Underhill’s ecumenical streak was evident when she described feeling ‘in sympathy’ with all Christians of whatever sort - ‘except when they start hating one another.’ 10 However she struggled to find a spiritual home and spent a decade without belonging to any form of Christian community. During the suffering of World War I, she ‘went to pieces’, for her abstract mysticism could not sustain her. 11 Perhaps the fact that Underhill herself was a seeker for a long period of time meant that her Christian spirituality could gently unfold with an openness and accessibility that resonated with people both inside and outside of the Church.
In 1919, Underhill was brought into contact with the Italian Franciscan nun, Maria Sorella, via her friend, Amy Turton. Together they formed the Confraternity of the Spiritual Entente – a group of denominationally diverse and geographically dispersed Christians, who were joined together through an invisible link of prayer. Their goal was the ‘increase of love, understanding and unity’ between different Church traditions. 12 By 1920, Underhill was central to this group, writing the leaflet explaining its aims. Each group member was to remain loyal to their own Church affiliation. The central ‘object’ for the Spiritual Entente was ‘hastening the Kingdom of God’ through prayer for unity. However, Underhill argued that this really involves the Kingdom invading our order – God redeeming us, His serenity enfolding us. 13 Key to this transformation is the Spirit reordering our love from self-love to sacrificial self-offering and hospitality for God’s purposes. Underhill wrote explicitly that ‘hard judgement’ opposes the coming of the Kingdom, hence the necessity for spiritual understanding. 14 Participation in the hastening of the coming of the Kingdom of God for the Spiritual Entente was primarily to occur through promoting spiritual union between Christian believers through prayer - working invisibly like leaven in the dough. 15 ‘Spiritual understanding’ rather than critique was essential to this prayer work. Each member was to look for Christ in all Christians, then diffuse that unifying spirit around them. They were to reverence all forms of worship and live out their conviction that God leads people by different roads to the one fold with Jesus, the one Shepherd. 16
In 1921, Underhill sought out Baron Friedrich von Hügel, for spiritual direction. She later claimed, ‘I owe him my whole spiritual life.’ 17 Though a Roman Catholic, lay, religious philosopher, ‘the Baron’ was also deeply ecumenical, having founded in 1904, the ‘London Society for the Study of Religion’, which intentionally included representative voices from all branches of the Church. Von Hügel recognised Underhill’s lack of institutional expression and relational commitment, so he encouraged her to attend Church and visit the poor. Even though the Baron described Church as his ‘hair shirt’ and ‘deepest pain’, he was adamant that Christians need to be part of worshipping communities. 18 Underhill later told her own spiritual directees that our spiritual lives are ‘steadied’ through Church involvement and that being drawn into a Christian community (whatever flavour) also helps cure our incessant individualism. 19
Underhill became part of a Church of England worshipping community, but she always wore her Anglicanism with a deference. Describing herself as unable to ‘crystallise into the official shape’, she once jokingly remarked that she was ‘like the cat of any other colour at a cat show.’ 20 But gradually, Underhill found a corner where she could fit and people she sympathised with when leading and attending retreats at the House of Retreat, Pleshey, in the diocese of Chelmsford, north of London. 21 Though she often felt more comfortable with Catholic spirituality, and also Orthodox spirituality in her final years, Underhill recognised a need in the Church of England for people who could pray and help others in prayer, so she chose to stay and feed God’s sheep, rather than ‘look for comfy quarters!’ 22 However, when leading retreats or speaking publicly, Underhill deliberately used the label of ‘the Church’ so her influence was not constrained. 23
Throughout her life, Underhill engaged in several contexts where she experienced the vitality of the invisible links possible when communities pray together for Church unity. These experiences made her adamant that unity begins through ‘union in prayer’ thence spreads to the surface. 24 From 1924 for a few years, she was part of the Order of the Holy Dove, a lay Order of contemplatives who prayed the Veni Creator together each Thursday morning. 25 Then during World War II, Underhill participated in the Abbé Couturier’s Reunion Movement, joining in forty days of prayer for Church unity. 26 Not long after Underhill’s death, the Reunion Movement became the Invisible Monastery, a global movement of Christians praying for Church unity. Couturier saw this ‘cloister’ as ‘living in the Christ who prays for Unity’, uniting Christians in the ‘same Love’ before uniting them in the ‘same Faith.’ 27
Given her conviction that spiritual understanding is central to ecumenism, Underhill researched and wrote about different forms of Christian worship. In her book, Worship, she described the Church as ‘chapels of various types in the Cathedral of the Spirit’ who lead souls in various ways to adore God. 28 Though aware of the ‘bit of religion we shall never share’, Underhill vividly highlighted the ‘glorious… large bit we can’t help sharing – the Many Mansions bathed in the same Light.’ 29 Essential to her research was getting to know the different types of worship from the ‘inside’ by actively participating in different types of Church services. 30 Underhill was convinced that ignorance and misunderstanding are why many Christians carelessly throw stones at each other’s differences, so she intentionally spent time worshipping in Catholic (Eastern and Western), Reformed, Free Church and Anglican churches. She was adamant that all Christians need to recover a fresh perception of God’s ‘overwhelming majesty’, the only source of peace, and hence understand themselves as small members of one united body of Christ. 31
In her final years, Underhill resonated with the rich symbolism of Russian Orthodox services, particularly the stimulation of the senses in their worship. In 1935, she became part of the Fellowship of St Albans and St Sergius and brought about closer unity between Anglican and Orthodox Churches. A decade earlier she had recognised that a spirituality that only draws upon Protestant and Catholic mystics is ‘incomplete’ and ‘lop-sided’. 32 Then during World War II until her death in 1941, Underhill sent letters to her ‘Prayer Group’ at key points on the Liturgical calendar, urging them to pray for Church unity. She encouraged these women to pray for a ‘renewal’ of the Spirit in the Church and in themselves to ‘lighten’ their dark minds, ‘kindle’ their cold hearts, reveal God’s will and enable them to fully participate. 33 Not long before her death, Underhill wrote, ‘new life when it comes’ will rise up from the ‘deepest sources of prayers’ rather than being the result of ‘discussions, plans, meetings.’ 34 Her passionate engagement in prayer for Church unity continued until Underhill’s final living moments. Even on her death bed in pain and suffering, she sent messages to people asking for prayers for union of Christian Churches. 35
Underhill’s narrative demonstrates her engagement with different branches of the Church and vividly reveals her ongoing practice of love for other Christians through praying for Church unity. Given her experiential research for her book, Worship, this loving ecumenical posture underlies her radio talks, written primarily for a secular audience. In these talks, Underhill explicitly tried to connect with ‘seekers’ by emphasising our common human experience. Though there are many threads of argument in Underhill’s radio talks, one aspect identified is Underhill’s encouragement that seekers shift from their naturally self-absorbed self-love, and be ushered into God’s love and respond in love. Secondly, Underhill highlighted the importance of loving others and being in community rather than individualism. Adoring God and intercession for others, can help us shift from our inherent preoccupation with ourselves and enable us to love others more. 36
From self-love to love of God
Underhill resonated with a diverse group of listeners in her BBC talks by focusing upon our common experiences as humans, regardless of one’s spirituality. She argued that to be human is to be naturally self-focused, so she invited her radio listeners to a more abundant life through shifting their focus from self to God. Encountering God, she argued, ‘delivers us from all niggling fuss about ourselves’ and ‘prevents us from feeling self-important about our own little spiritual adventures.’ 37 Underhill was adamant that simply focusing on ourselves puts the human creature at the centre, which she argued is ‘dangerous till we recognise its absurdity’; we can only truly grasp who we are our within the ‘great spiritual landscape’ of Reality. 38 Thus she invited her listeners to see themselves within this larger spiritual context and take their ‘small place in the vast operations of His Spirit’, becoming ‘tools and channels’ of God, rather than trying to run a self-focused poky little business of their own. 39
Underhill’s most influential spiritual director, von Hügel, had encouraged her to shift from her self-focus to God, arguing that ‘self-occupation’ dries up God’s work. 40 He told Underhill she had to get ‘self’ out of the way, not through ‘direct fighting’, but through ‘gently turning to God.’ 41 The Baron argued, we are ‘transformed’ from the ‘impoverishingly selfish self, with the help of God’s constant prevenient… grace.’ 42 Underhill gradually experienced how the ‘more vivid’ her vision of Christ became, the more she could ‘escape’ her ‘maze of self-occupation.’ 43 Through gazing at God – she was able to ‘drop’ her obsession with herself and she developed a generous longing to give to others. 44 To become a ‘light-bearing soul’, Underhill needed to develop this ‘ceaseless death to self’ rather than engage in constant self-examination. 45
In her radio talks, Underhill told her listeners that as we turn to God, ‘our tangled, half-real psychic lives – so tightly coiled about ourselves and our own interests’ (even our spiritual interests) come into ‘harmony’ with God. The ‘roots of self-love; pride and possessiveness, anger and violence, ambition and greed in all their disguises’ however ‘respectable’ are transformed into something consistent with our ‘real situation as small dependent, fugitive creatures.’ 46 Encountering God in his holiness and majesty enables us to recognise in comparison our true size as small and ‘unworthy.’ 47 According to Underhill, our conscious spiritual life begins when we shift ‘beyond self-interest’ and become aware of God’s creative action and respond. 48 Encountering God shifts our gaze from constantly thinking about ourselves as we are drawn into loving God.
This cure for our inherent self-focus was reiterated across Underhill’s corpus. Repeatedly in her retreat talks, she wrote that as we encounter Christ, we find ourselves ‘shrinking by contrast’ and recognise our true ‘place’ in the cosmos as the ‘mere crumbs’ we truly are. 49 Candidly recognising this gap between Creator and creature is essential so in Underhill’s words, we can become ‘self-abandoned’ and useful to God. 50 Similarly Underhill argued, we ‘learn about love’ becoming ‘smaller and smaller’ as God’s wonder becomes ‘greater and greater;’ as we recognise this ‘love pouring from the heart of God’, our love in return grows deeper. 51 So to see ourselves truly, we need to first attend to God.
But Underhill was acutely aware that even Christians can be utterly self-focused with little relational experience or authentic encounter with God. In her radio talks, she highlighted how so many Christians are like ‘deaf people at a concert’. They ‘study the program carefully, believe every statement made in it’ and ‘speak respectfully’ of the music, but they only ‘really hear a phrase now and again.’ They are thus oblivious to the ‘mighty symphony’ filling the Universe to which our lives are ‘destined to make their tiny contribution.’ 52 Underhill described how some Christians’ spiritual lives are like ‘impressive fur coats’ with ‘no one inside.’ 53 These people embody an empty shell of head-knowledge beliefs rather than a lived, experienced relational reality. Underhill thus encouraged her radio listeners, whether Christian or seekers, to put the emphasis on God not ourselves, from first to last, and truly encounter him. She drew upon Cardinal de Bérulle’s three emphases for a rich relationship with God: adoration, communion and co-operation, and these became the macro structure for her radio talks. These three elements, Underhill argued, involve three kinds of generous ‘self-forgetfulness.’ 54
Adoration and Communion – loving God
The first two elements, adoration and communion, relate directly to our love of God. Adoration is our upward gaze in awe of God, in and of Himself; it is an ‘attitude of the soul’ that purifies us from egotism straight away and provides a ‘realism’ that becomes the ‘very colour of life.’ 55 Adoration of God widens our horizons and drowns our limited interest in God’s interests, redeeming us from ‘all religious pettiness’; even the most ‘homely of our practical life’ can become part of this ‘adoring response.’ 56
Secondly, this ‘self-obvious adoration’ leads to an ‘ever-deepening communion’ and intimacy with God. Underhill spoke of how God ‘rides upon the floods’ but our own ‘limitations’ mean that we only seem to receive Him in ‘the trickles.’ Her listeners were encouraged to humble, grateful acceptance, ‘self-opening’ and ‘expectant waiting.’ 57 Drawing upon the parable of the Pharisee and the publican, Underhill highlighted how the publican knew he was ‘needy’ and ‘imperfect’ which opened a ‘channel’ to communion with God. By contrast, the Pharisee was ‘dressed in his own spiritual self-esteem’ which acted ‘like a mackintosh’ so the ‘dew of grace could not get through’ thus there could be ‘no communion between spirit and spirit.’ 58 Underhill had experienced how our desire for God’s will can ‘gradually swallow up’ and ‘neutralise’ our ‘small self-centred desires.’ When that happens, our inner and outer life becomes ‘one single, various act of adoration and self-giving’; one ‘undivided response of the creature to the demand and pressure of Creative Love.’ 59 Underhill emphasised that when we truly believe that God is all that matters, we will humbly respond to being drawn ‘at His pace and in His way, to the place where He wants us to be; not the place we fancied for ourselves.’ 60
Underhill had experienced how adoring prayer and communion can deepen the soul, ‘awakening’ us to an ‘ever more wide-spreading, energetic, self-giving and redeeming type of love’ called ‘intercession’, which she described as a prayerful ‘love’ where we ‘reach out to, penetrate and affect other souls.’ 61 In her retreat talks, Underhill encouraged retreatants to ‘balance’ their adoration of God and communion with him with a ‘widely stretching movement of love’ towards all humanity; it is ‘under this double influence’ that our ‘souls will grow most quickly in reality, in love, and in power.’ 62 So the third kind of self-forgetfulness Underhill emphasised is loving humanity and Underhill’s spiritual ecumenism provided a foundational backdrop.
Co-operation – loving humanity
Following adoration and communion comes our co-operation with God as we love others through prayer. Opening ourselves to God expands us, bringing forth a ‘generous self-opening to our fellow creatures’ and a growing sensitivity to their needs. 63 According to Underhill, we are made so God can use us for his purposes, whether as ‘tools’, ‘currency’, ‘servants’ or ‘conscious fellow-workers’ but always as intercessors and more and more it becomes ‘God’s work in us.’ 64 Underhill emphasised that as we engage in love for others and co-operate with God, our obsession with ourselves starts to gradually dissolve.
From individualism to community (love of neighbour)
Loving People in the Present
Underhill reminded her radio listeners that to be human is to be part of communities and love other people, rather than simply exist in our own bubble of individualism. She was vividly aware that our thoughts and loves reveal our very selves. 65 Von Hügel had encouraged Underhill to be occupied with other people and through ‘much self-oblivion – gently turning… to acts for others.’ 66 Gradually Underhill began to view the spiritual life as not about cultivating my soul but as ‘intensely social’ where all humans ‘interpenetrate.’ 67 Quoting Dante, Underhill argued that when we cease saying ‘Mine’ and begin saying ‘Ours’, we are transitioning from a narrow, individual life to a truly free and personal spiritual life, for we are all linked together and affect one another. 68 In a retreat talk, Underhill echoed the fourteenth century, Flemish mystic, Ruysbroeck, arguing that a life of prayer results in this ‘wide spreading love to all.’ 69
In The Spiritual Life, Underhill argued that we can only truly love others through God’s love. The quality of our spiritual lives is revealed through the extent to which we exhibit ‘tranquillity, gentleness’ and ‘strength’ in our love for others, plus a deep ‘steadiness which comes from the fact that our small action is now part of the total action of God’ who always works ‘in tranquillity.’ By contrast, ‘fuss and feverishness, anxiety, intensity, intolerance, instability, pessimism and wobble... hurry and worry’ are signs of the ‘self-made and self-acting soul.’ 70 But when our ‘abiding place’ is God, all our loving actions come from that ‘centre’ and have something of the ‘leisure of Eternity’ rather than being ‘enslaved by rush and hurry.’ 71
Shifting from Criticism to Love - Underhill’s Journals
During these years when Underhill wrote The Spiritual Life, her letters indicate her ongoing encouragement that her spiritual directees love others rather than be critical. In 1936 she encouraged a directee to focus on ‘love and offering oneself’ to God for others. 72 In 1937, Underhill told another to ‘do one or two little things, as acts of love’ and ‘guard’ against ‘criticisms of others’ hence ‘custody of the Tongue’ a ‘verbal hair-shirt… for love’. 73 Similarly, later that year, Underhill wrote that the ‘dry’ times we endure test the ‘quality of our love’, hence try to ‘keep in charity with all’ people. 74 Underhill believed ‘self-occupation checks development’ and viewed jealousy as one of the worst toxins produced by our self-love. 75 Only the Spirit can cleanse us of our natural ‘spiritual self-seeking’ so that we become ‘un-selfed.’ 76
Gradually Underhill became acutely aware of a leisurely interweaving of love for God and love of those around her. She had learnt from von Hügel the principle that ‘in loving God’, love others, and in ‘loving those, love God.’ 77 In her radio talks, Underhill emphasised how love of God and love of humanity are ‘two loves which at last and at their highest become one love.’ 78 For Underhill, ‘no really good work is ever really done unless it is done in love and when we love God, we will also give ourselves to the whole world in love.’ 79
Shifting from Criticism to Love - Underhill’s Letters
Underhill’s personal spiritual journals from 1933 until her final entry in mid-1937, reveal her vivid consciousness of her own self-love, critical spirit and lack of love for others and provide a foundational backdrop for writing, The Spiritual Life. Underhill’s final journal entry described her arrival at a ‘new sense of penetrating presence and action of God’ and ‘subjugation,’ hence increased ‘gentleness,’ ‘elimination of hardness and curb judgements: more generosity, less criticism.’ 80
This shift from criticism to generous love grew over the previous four years. Following a retreat in 1935, Underhill reflected upon her desire for ‘no expressions’ of ‘hardness, criticism’ or ‘prejudices.’
81
Writing in 1934, Underhill highlighted her determination to deepen and widen charity, to check all unloving thoughts, criticism… only the life of charity can unite to God, the all-loving will. Surrender my life and desires again and again to Him and seek for active expressions of love, especially to those where it is difficult… Complete suppleness in God’s hand.
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The influence of Underhill’s spiritual director, Reginald Somerset Ward, is evident in this ongoing formation. She noted his ‘Advice’ in her journal in 1934: ‘God’s undivided love is poured out on my soul’ and is the ‘cause’ of our ‘power of response’, so Underhill ‘opens’ her soul to it.
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In 1933, Ward emphasised deliberately refusing opportunities of sharp, clever criticism and – when thought of – not uttering them, and taking these renunciations to Communion and offering them to God as done for Him will extract real gold from the situation… mortification of thought and speech, patience, gentleness, to take its place, especially deliberate renunciation of criticism…. Avoid self-occupation.
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Again in 1933, Ward advised Underhill to ‘feed’ on Christ’s ‘gentleness’ and to be His ‘apprentice in the art of living and dealing with people, acting as He would act.’ Underhill was to ‘deliberately plan and carry through at least once a week the acting towards some person in His spirit of gentleness.’ Ward indicated this ‘positive exercise’ as the ‘best way of driving out hardness, sharpness, criticism and general uncharitable thought and behaviour.’ 85 In her Easter confession to Ward, Underhill had indicated her lack of ‘patience, gentleness and charity’, her ‘critical and unkind thoughts’ and how when exhausted, she held ‘unfair and intolerant judgements…’ 86
In her spiritual journals before these years, Underhill had similarly reflected that her ‘self-love’ and ‘self-interest’ were ‘rampant’ though often ‘disguised.’ 87 Underhill began to see her ‘definite call’ was to a ‘wide and generous spending of love’, adding, she was either a ‘minister of love, or nothing’, for it is ‘impossible to love enough.’ 88 Underhill expressed how she experienced God ‘coming’ to her in human ‘opportunities of love.’ 89 She felt God encourage a ‘determined war on self-love’, so she began to ‘look for beauty instead of faults in all souls.’ 90 Underhill wanted to embody greater ‘compassion, sympathy’, and ‘self-oblivious kindness’ toward others. 91 This naturally developed as she centred her effort on ‘feeding’ on Christ’s gentleness and being his ‘apprentice in the art of dealing with people. Acting as He would act’, becoming a ‘channel for Christ’s action’, a ‘humble’ soul ‘learning’ from Him. 92
Given these emphases in Underhill’s journals, perhaps it is not surprising that Underhill argued, even as early as 1932, that ‘generosity’ rather than ‘correct belief’ need to be the ‘controlling factor’ in our relationship with others. She wrote that when we look out ‘towards this Love that moves the stars’, we ‘see our human situation’ as more ‘dependent’, ‘humble’ and ‘splendid’ than we had ‘dreamed’; we cannot understand our lives except in relationship to that ‘unseen’ reality which ‘penetrates and supports us’, who perpetually transforms our selfishness into that ‘wide-spreading, outpouring love’ required of Heaven’s citizens. 93 An intriguing and perhaps less emphasised aspect of Underhill’s ‘outpouring’ of generous love focused not only on loving people we see and touch in the visible Church, but her love for the historic Saints in the invisible Church.
Loving the Historic ‘Communion of Saints’
The Church is a great ‘historic society’, according to Underhill. It is one undivided Church - visible and invisible - a ‘living organism’ through which the Spirit acts, thus she urged people to gain a sense of that ‘vast world of the living spirits, all attuned to God and existing to do His will - those great and unseen presences.’ 94 Underhill was vividly aware of all Christians who have lived before us - the ‘Communion of Saints’ and the ‘Cloud of Witnesses.’ She referred to them as God’s ‘intimate friends’, ‘fully grown spiritual personalities’ who have responded fully and generously to God’s demand and who provide us with vibrant examples to emulate. 95 Underhill was adamant that we cannot build a solid, vivid spiritual life by ourselves and that the Saints teach us how to love. We see the Spirit’s ‘radiance’ and learn from them as ‘their loving spirits’ set our spirits ‘on fire’ and help us be less ‘fed-up.’ 96 She thus rebuked one of her spiritual directees for not having enough of the Communion of Saints and all it ‘implies’ in her ‘creed.’ 97
The ‘mark’ of a Saint, according to Underhill, is ‘love for other souls.’ 98 The Saints teach us how to love for they are ‘irradiated with love’, having killed the ‘poison of self-interest.’ 99 Underhill was not simply referring to canonised Saints, but to any people of ‘supernatural heroism and love’, who demonstrate how to grow up into the ‘fullness and stature of Christ.’ 100 Von Hügel emphasised the Saints as those who have ‘the one great gift of the love of God.’ 101 Underhill had experienced that as members of Christ’s mystical body, it is often through the Saints that God reaches us, so she encouraged her retreatants to think about them and ‘love them’, as an integral part of ‘Christian fellowship.’ 102
Spiritual reading, prayer and liturgy were the means through which Underhill encouraged her retreatants to engage with the Saints. In her final years, Underhill had explored ancient liturgies for her book, The Mystery of Sacrifice, published in 1938. She encouraged her spiritual directees to join with the great liturgical ‘Chorus of the Church’ to try to share the Saints’ ‘outlook’ - the ‘family point of view.’ 103 Central to this spiritual ‘outlook’ was a deep sense of unity – love for all people, and adoration of the same God. Underhill encouraged her retreatants to recover a sense of the visible and invisible Church as ‘really one’ - all Christians woven into ‘one Body.’ 104 She argued, we are ‘literally members one of another’ with physical death making ‘no difference.’ 105 On All Saints’ Day, 1937, Underhill described being ‘encompassed by a great Cloud of Witnesses’ in their ‘myriads, surrounding the Throne of God, all standing on tiptoe and crying at the tops of their voices, Alleluia!’ 106 This unity of Christians in the Invisible Church became a model for unity in the Visible Church. Underhill was vividly aware of the role of the Communion of Saints in hastening the coming of the Kingdom, so emphasised Church unity through praying communities as not limited to people in the present, but also including the Invisible Church – the full body of Christ.
Love and Church unity in Underhill’s day
As argued in this article, one foundational backdrop underlying Underhill’s radio talks was her passion and prayer for Church unity – evidence of love of neighbour. This spiritual ecumenism provided one foundation for her emphasis from our inherent self-love to love of God and others and is a powerful aspect of her legacy. Rather than being a ‘comfortable religious club’, she wrote in The Spiritual Life that the Church needs to be a united ‘tool of God’ to ‘save the world.’ 107 She took Jesus’ words - ‘that they might be one’ - incredibly seriously, becoming a spiritual ecumenist who loved other Christians and fervently prayed for Church unity. Having discerned the ‘deep underlying unity’ of our supernatural experiences, Underhill passionately believed that Church unity must be ‘interior’ and ‘secret’, not just focused externally on ‘ecclesiastical controversies’. It is ‘through the Praying Christ’, through a ‘widespread group of praying souls, Orders and Individuals’ - all Christian communities - that authentic unity is experienced and achieved. 108 So rather than focusing only on dialogue and doctrinal debates, prayer was viewed by Underhill as central and essential.
In 1927, Underhill experienced disunity within the Anglican communion, when both sets of ‘extremists’ were unable to understand each other when debating Anglican Prayer Book revisions. In her article, ‘The Hill of the Lord’, Underhill argued that in Christian conflict, the different groups ‘steadily recede from those summits where they might be at one; and each new shower of stones, announces a constantly accelerated retreat, which inevitably drives them further and further apart.’
109
She proposed the solution as a recovery of that sense of the mountain which makes the true mountaineer, and reduces to their true proportion, the alpine adventures of men [and women], in religious terms, a fresh perception of the overwhelming majesty yet actualness of God, over against these small achievements, can alone bring the contending climbers peace.
110
So once again, Underhill emphasised the importance of adoration of God as the essential foundation for any authentic Church unity.
In her book, Worship, Underhill provided a mountain-top view of humanity’s adoration of God, above the superiorities and quarrels that have fractured Christian worship. 111 This came from her vivid experiences of how ‘we are in Christ and He in us - the interpenetration of Spirit - and all of us merged together in Him actually, and so justly described as His body.’ 112 Central to Underhill’s ‘creed’ was the work of the Spirit. 113 In her various prayer communities, she had experienced the unity that comes from the Spirit, regardless of the external form or flavour of our worship.
Phyllis Anderson argues that a deepening of our ‘ecumenical consciousness’ means ‘being open to and accepting’ those Christians who ‘experience the faith’ differently to us and working towards ‘understanding’ not simply ‘benign tolerance’; unity is a ‘gift of God.’ 114 Underhill’s increasing emphasis on love and understanding of others (rather than a critical spirit) is evidence of the Spirit who draws us into unifying loving relationships with each other.
Concluding Thoughts
In closing, The Spiritual Life contains many macro threads but one emphasis is the two-fold shift from our natural bent of self-love. Firstly, the necessity for all people to be ushered into God’s love and respond with love. Secondly, the essential shift from our individualism to community – love of others. These macro arguments about love still contain much relevance for the contemporary Church and its missional impact. As TenElshof argues, ‘unity’ and ‘harmony of love’ have potential to ‘attract’ people to the church and our ‘responsibility’ as the church, is to ‘cultivate this model of unified love…’ 115
In the mid-1960s, Peter Scholte wrote the song, ‘We are One in the Spirit.’ The lyrics are extremely pertinent to our discussion: ‘we pray that all unity may one day be restored. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love…’ Given the crises of our times - wars, climate change, the pandemic, coupled with a rise in secularism, we do well to heed the voice of Evelyn Underhill and her loving spiritual ecumenism. This begs the question, what might be clear paths to enable the Church to become communities of love who try to understand, value and celebrate worship styles different from their own? For Underhill, three aspects were key: firstly, unity and love come through ‘union in prayer’ thence spread to the surface; secondly, engaging experientially in the worship of different Church communities can help bring spiritual understanding; and thirdly, focusing upon God in adoration is always the required foundation for love and unity. All three aspects enabled Underhill’s growth in love for other Christians to blossom. These spiritual practices are worth exploring as ways forward for contemporary Christians today.
Perhaps now might be the time to become the ‘Invisible Cloister’ once more - ‘living in the Christ who prays for Unity’ - uniting us in the same Love. 116 Perhaps it is time to cultivate online prayer communities through email and Zoom gatherings more intentionally, and like the Spiritual Entente, make the increase of love, spiritual understanding and Christian unity our goal. Perhaps now is the time to get ‘inside’ and participate in different worshipping styles so that we can genuinely value them from a place of genuine understanding. From this place of experienced worship, we are more able to see the legitimacy of different approaches and remember that no one branch of the Church has the monopoly. Bérulle’s emphasis on adoration of God and communion as the foundation for our love for others is a message we cannot hear too often. Underhill’s spiritual ecumenism, which provides one significant and foundational backdrop for The Spiritual Life is a word for all Christians, so that seekers experience the overflow of love and unity. Church unity impacts mission.
Underhill recognised that visible union of the Church through love, when achieved, would be the ‘flower of a seed sown long before in the fields of the Spirit… cherished in secret by a few’. 117 A Christian spirituality that responds to our time needs to embody openness, kindness, and a compassionate embrace of the many versions of Christianity. We are called to love others and that includes the body of Christ, both the visible and invisible Church. The Invisible Church are united in their ‘Holy, holy, holy’, showing us how to worship God together and love others whose worship styles are different to ours.
Ultimately, the Spirit is the one who enables this unifying generous love - breaking down barriers created through our fear and ignorance, uniting hearts in spiritual understanding, healing hurts, overcoming prejudices, and helping us repent of past errors. The Spirit can give us a loving, ecumenical posture, helping us cease being competitive, so we can rejoice in and receive the gifts of others. We are all enriched spiritually when we can receive the gifts from different branches of the Church, rather than think that somehow, we ‘know it all’. Rather than ignorant critique or unkind slander, authentic unity begins with union in prayer which then spreads to the surface. 118 Praying together for Christian unity provides a foundational backdrop for authentically living the ‘spiritual life’. As Underhill argued, with eyes ‘cleansed by prayer’, we are made able to ‘read the letters of the Name, wherever found, and in whatever script’. 119
