Strive for Excellence

   “Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.” (1 Cor 12: 31) 

   The question I must ask myself is whether I am striving to achieve excellence in my spiritual life.  Am I willing to take the time to spend in prayer with our Lord, to submit myself to His will no matter what it might entail?  If not, how will I ever enter His kingdom?

   As a Benedictine Oblate I am guided by the rule of St. Benedict which urges me to “strive for Christian perfection.”  Of course there is no perfection in this world, but to strive for it is what is needed if I am to enter the kingdom of God.  Failures will come, and yes, I will sin.  But I will also turn to the love and mercy of God for forgiveness and the strength to do better going forward.

   Regardless of my state in life, regardless of my success or failure in the ways of the world, only my desire and effort to find spiritual excellence will matter at the judgement.  As an athlete must train, as a musician must practice, I must pray and spend time with our Lord.  I will never be an Olympic athlete or an award winning musician, but I can be a saint, the person God created me to be.

   I must do all I can to excel in Christianity.  I must offer myself to the Lord.  I must say and live by the words, “I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me.” (Gal 2: 19 -  20).

 

 Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks 

   “Rejoice always; pray continuously; give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God for you in Jesus Christ.” (1Thes 5: 16 – 18) 

   Strong words from St. Paul.  Words that express the will of God for me; the way I am to live my life.  Heeding these words and living according to them is a challenge at times but to do so is to be on the path that leads to  heaven.

   “Rejoice always.”  How often do I turn to God and rejoice in His love, His mercy, the many blessings He has given me?  Not often enough I’m sure.  It’s quite easy to slip into complacency, to take for granted all that He has done and continues to do.

   “Pray continuously.”  How can I spend all my time in prayer?  Even the religious in cloisters and convents must work as well as pray.  Ora et labora, Latin for “work and pray” is the answer.  When I offer all that I do to the Lord and ask for His guidance and direction in all I do then everything I do becomes prayer.

   “Give thanks in all circumstances.”  It’s hard to give thanks for the difficulties in life, the hardships and the crosses life brings.  Yet all that comes to me in life is the will of God.  This fact gives purpose to even the pain and suffering I may be called to endure.  Jesus, in His passion and death, suffered far greater than anything I might suffer.  To give thanks, even in suffering, is to acknowledge and give thanks for His suffering.  To offer the pains and sorrows of this life to Christ is a way to share in His suffering, which is a noble and good thing.

   “This is the will of God for you in Jesus Christ.”  If these things are the will of God, then I must accept them as such and give all glory and thanks to Him.  I can’t decide that I will thank Him only for the good things in life but resist His will when it may not be to my liking.  I do not know His plans, but I know that His will is the only path to His kingdom.

   Rejoice, pray, give thanks.  Only when I live by these words do I live in the will of God.  Only by the will of God will find eternal happiness in His kingdom.

 Where Is Our God? 

   “The light of faith makes us see what we believe.” (St. Thomas Aquinas) 

   We cannot see God, but we can see the evidence of God.  With an open mind and an open heart our eyes will be opened, and we will see God in all there is.

   St. Thomas Aquinas said that God is not a being.  God is “Being” itself.  He is, always has been and always will be.  He told Moses when asked for His name, “I am who I am.” (Exodus 3: 14).  The great I AM is the God of creation and the God of love.

   We tend to want to picture God, but nothing we may imagine can adequately portray Him.  In art we often see Him depicted as an older man, even grandfatherly in appearance.  In fact God is not a man at all, He simply is. 

   But where is God?  We speak of His throne in heaven, but I question whether heaven is a place or a state of being.  If it is a place, where is it?  Christ told His apostles, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” (John 14: 2).  Does this imply that heaven is a place?

   Jesus also said, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with Him.” (John 3:14).  So is heaven a place or within us?

   If asked where God is I would answer, He is within me and within you.  He is in the majesty of His creation, from the vast universe down to the smallest atom.  He is in the sunrise and the sunset.  He simply is all things and all people.  He is “I am who I am.”

 

 Peace in God 

   “Don’t worry about anything, but present your needs to God in prayer and petition, with thanksgiving.  Then the peace of God, which is beyond all understanding, will guard your hearts and  your minds in Jesus Christ.” (Phil 4: 4 – 7) 

   I grew up with a father who was a worrier.  He worried about everything, even the most trivial of things.  It made him miserable and negatively impacted his health.  His constant worrying taught me that worrying is usually futile and unhealthy.

   Worrying rarely, if ever, results in a solution.  Rather it increases anxiety in life.  Fretting about every little thing is a trap of Satan, a means to draw us into ourselves and away from God.  We feel that we are alone with no one to help, but God is always with us.

   Even in times of crisis we can find peace and comfort when we accept what comes as the will of God.  Nothing happens to us that God is unaware of.  He knows of our pain and our struggles.  He will grant us peace when we offer those things to Him in prayer, a peace that can overcome any trial. 

   I find it odd, but true, that many times the worst moments in life can bring us closer to God if we will turn to Him, accepting His will and seeking His strength.  When we feel most lost and forsaken, God is there to strengthen and comfort us.  He will never turn away from us even though, in our despair, we often turn into ourselves rather than turning to God. 

   The peace of God can overcome all anxiety, all worry in our lives.  By giving ourselves over to God and His will we can overcome any obstacle, any trial.  His peace is beyond all understanding.  He is love and His love for us is eternal.  Worry has no place within us when we place ourselves in His hands.

 

 Without Love 

   “If in speaking I use human tongues and angelic as well, but do not have love, I am nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and the ability to understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and have all the faith necessary to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give away everything to feed the poor and hand over my body to be burned but do not have love, I achieve nothing.” (1 Cor 1 – 3) 

   I can spend my life doing good, but if I do not have love it is of no value.  Nothing is accomplished by all the good I may do unless there is love behind it; the love of Christ who exists within everyone we encounter.

   Many people do a lot of good in this world but the good they do does not edify them spiritually because it is not done for love.  Charity and good works must come from the heart, not the mind.  It is a means of loving Christ.  “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brethren of mine, you did for me.” (Matt 25: 40).  Loving and caring for others is loving and caring for Jesus.

   Loving others can be difficult, especially those who are evil.  A brutal tyrant or an abusive spouse tempts us to condemn them for all they do rather than love them as a neighbor.  But I must remember that God “…causes his sun to rise on evil people as well as those who are good, and his rain falls on both the righteous and the wicked.” (Matt 5: 45).  It is not up to me to condemn, but to love and to pray for the wicked in the world.

   “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12: 31).  Do I love myself?  Am I forgiving of myself?  If not, I am not accepting the love and mercy of the Lord.  Though I may, at times, seem unlovable, still God loves me.  When He forgives me I must also forgive myself.  That is how we must view others.  They may also seem to be unlovable, but God loves them just the same.  If we have the love of God within us, we are obliged to share that love with others, even those who are difficult to love.

   God is love.  If we do not have love we do not have God within us.  Without love, we will never enter the gates of heaven.

 

 Questions 

   “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:  8) 

   Sometimes I wish I could sit down with my Lord and ask the questions that abound in this world.  I do not question His ways; I just wish I knew them more fully.  Yet, I must admit that understanding God and His ways is not possible in this lifetime.

   I wonder why there is so much evil in the world.  I know that evil is not of God, but I also know that He sometimes allows it to exist.  Evil is of Satan, and he is present in all that takes place in this world.  But why are so many willing to follow his ways rather than Gods?

   And yet, without evil how would we know good?  Without sorrow, how would we know happiness?  If we never knew pain, how could we experience joy?  In many ways we learn from comparisons to understand what is not understandable.  Without experiencing the bad as well as the good, we would never appreciate the good.

   What is God’s plan for me?  I guess that’s the question most of us would like to have answered.  If I don’t know His plan how will I know if I am following it.  There are clues and nudges which point me in the right direction but never a clear answer.

   Why do I sin?  I don’t want to sin, but still I do.  Is it the result of original sin or am I weak and easily misled by Satan.  I want to live for God and to obey Him in all things but try as I may I still fail from time to time.  Do I fail because I try to do it on my own when what I need is God’s help?

   There are many questions, but few answers.  Yet even that leads me to trust and faith in God.  The questions fade when I look to Him; I know longer wonder, but place all in His hands.  Through faith, trust, and sincere effort to serve Him I know that in His love and mercy He will lead me home.

 

Sunrise – Sunset 

   “The span of our life numbers seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we have enough strength.” (Psalm 90: 10) 

   One way to look at life is to compare it to a day.  The sun rises, the day progresses, and the sun sets.  In life, we are born, we grow and mature, we age and grow old.  Then, at the time appointed by God, we leave this world.

   In the morning of life I was often far more consumed by the desires of this world.  My efforts were directed to having fun and enjoying life, never worrying about the future.  My death rarely, if ever, crossed my mind.

   Now in my 70’s, the reality of my morality is more evident.  My body shows signs of age, I have less energy, and suffer more bodily aches and pains.  I recognize that the sunset of life is approaching.  This reality has created a more fervent need to ensure that I am in the grace of our Lord, prepared for what comes after this life.

   I regret that I didn’t come to understand my need to know, love, and follow my Lord sooner.  Looking back I see times in my life when God was calling me, but at the time I ignored Him.  In His mercy, He did not take me when I was unprepared but gave me time to come to Him.  For that I will be eternally grateful.

   Death is a transition from one life to another.  It is a door that I must pass through at some point.  The question I must answer is whether I’m prepared to open that door and walk through?