You don’t have to look around long to come to the conclusion that we live in a fallen world – we know it so well firsthand! In addition to the gift of free will, we also inherited a state of disharmony within our human nature that leads to trials, sorrow, and pain – some that we bring upon ourselves, and some brought about by others. Because of this, we can find ourselves seeking comfort as the ultimate goal in life. Deep down we realize comfort, as delightful as it may be at times, is not what we were created for. The Lord didn’t come to give us comfortable lives – He came to give us “life in abundance,” (John 10). Life is meant to be a grand adventure, an epic drama; as Mother Teresa said, “Let us do something beautiful for God.” Jesus stirs within us the desire to do something great with our lives.
St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, “We are not saints, because we WILL not to be saints.” In order to achieve the integration and the freedom for which we long – to live “in the glorious freedom of the children of God,” (Romans 8:21) – it is necessary to develop habits of virtue, and to keep our eyes on the goal, which is heaven. In order to make my life a gift to another, I must first be in possession of myself. This is not a passive process, it is necessary to live with intentionality – actively engaging life, not living it as a passive spectator. We desire to be virtuous – but it takes more than that – we need to will it, to choose it, and the strength of our will depends upon two irreplaceable things: God’s grace and my effort to cultivate a life of virtue and to root out vices. Pride, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth will seek to trap us along the way. It is best to be prepared by countering them in advance – by striving to grow in the virtues which directly oppose those vices: humility, charity, chastity, patience, temperance, kindness and diligence.
THE PLAN:
The most successful tasks begin with a plan, and holiness is no exception.
1. Make a plan to root out those things that keep me from loving God and those around me. For example, if you are struggling with pornography, block all pornographic websites, or put your computer in a public place so you won’t be tempted. If you find that texting or social networking sites are leading you into gossip or if it is a constant source of misunderstandings, make an effort to communicate the important things with friends and family by phone or face to face in order to authentically foster and deepen your friendships. For all of the advances in our media and communications-frenzied world, there seems to be very little actual communion between persons. The resulting sense of isolation is the perfect environment for the seeds of a self-centered attitude to develop.
2. Make time for the simple but rich joys of life: eating together as a family, praying with your spouse and/or children, or spending quality time with friends. Take some time to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature, art or music and let them nourish and strengthen your soul.
3. Choose someone reliable to confide in, a friend who can encourage you and keep you accountable. Christianity is based on a relationship with a Person, Jesus Christ, and it is not accidental that He founded a community of believers – the Church. We need to support and encourage each other along the way. We do not walk through this life alone. We walk side by side with friends, and our truest friend, Jesus. It is hard to change our habits, to step away from the things that distract us, weaken us. Even though our “old self” is difficult to live with, the thought of leaving old habits behind can be scarier then inviting the Lord into those weak areas of our hearts. Blessed John Paul II gives us beautiful words of encouragement: “Do not be afraid. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society. The future starts today, not tomorrow.”
Originally printed in IMPRINT Magazine Fall 2012.
