Part 2: Every Symphony Unfinished

Transformation of Desire

But, our hungers and our desires can lead us down troubled paths. Our God-given spiritual longing, which may be expressed in many ways, including creative, erotic energy is dangerous for us if not carefully tended. We need to be realistic, and have a reverence for that energy within us. One contemporary spriritual writer comments: "Spirituality is about finding the proper ways, disciplines, by which to both access that energy and contain it." The goal is not the annihilation of desire, but the transformation of desire.

Over a lifetime, our desires, which often dissipate and fragment us, are gradually shaped through discipline and grace. We are not getting tougher. Our desires are changing. The desires of our hearts are more and more in accord with God's desire for us and the world. We begin living in a consonance of desire. Or, as Saint Teresa of Avila said simply, "And now, I want what you want."