"Repent, therefore, and be converted", says St. Peter to the crowds gathered to listen(Acts 3:19). Commitment to conversion, repentance or just following the Way, i wonder aloud in prayer just how much of my old Self am i willing to leave behind? How far am i willing to go in fulfilling Jesus' invitation to love all mankind in His name?
Most people react indignantly and adversely to anyone who is 'holier than thou', yet i am asked to be just that, namely to turn from my evil ways. I see the immediate danger of evil as that which creates distance from the godhead, from Love. Like the slow accumulation in sedimentation or the flash destruction in natural disasters, evil closes doors and burns bridges. The more one submits (or chooses) to evil (or sin, that is, the Selfish choice), the greater the separation from God becomes.
It is not irreversible, we are told by Jesus, for our sins can be wiped away! Through grace and baptism, through repentance / conversion and vigilance, each one of us can restore the connection we now have with God and get closer. All evil can be undone if we call it out for what it is, if we truly regret our unhelpful choices, if we try to make up for the accumulation of sin by choosing good in thoughts and words and especially deeds. Many saints are a brilliant examples of this, like St. Ignatius or St. Francis of Assisi. Forgiveness gives us room to breath. Grace gives us the capacity to love ourselves enough to bravely take the 'narrow path'. Faith more strength. Hope more determination.
On this narrow path there is little room for baggage ... and all that the ego would use to weaken our commitment, to lessen our faith, to trip us up and have us return to easier paths, more familiar paths ... these character traits of 'who i am' must be left behind. Friends and family and all who 'knew' that old Self will resist change. My change brings their own being into question. And most people resist change, especially when the change is confrontational or inconvenient to their own life-styles: how quickly do we then get branded 'holier than thou', when all we want to do is grow as human beings!
How far am i willing to go in accepting Jesus' invitation? Perhaps i might better notice my own path and count my own small steps. If i start by examining my motivations, being mindful of my choices, the path will be clearer. Overly cautious? Timid? Perhaps, but i believe in the process of change. Peter could not walk on water even as Jesus was present to aid him, yet only after crucifiction, resurrection and an appearance before the disciples did the apostle have the faith and courage to heal and speak in public in the name of Christ. There are those who transform in an instant, but i am not one of them. However, by walking the Way, pilgrim in life, together with church and Christ and Love, i believe that the slow accumulation of a lifetime of evils great and small can reversed, limited and eventually ... well, let's just say the threshold has been adjusted and the door can once again swing open to let the light shine in.
Deo gratias.
Most people react indignantly and adversely to anyone who is 'holier than thou', yet i am asked to be just that, namely to turn from my evil ways. I see the immediate danger of evil as that which creates distance from the godhead, from Love. Like the slow accumulation in sedimentation or the flash destruction in natural disasters, evil closes doors and burns bridges. The more one submits (or chooses) to evil (or sin, that is, the Selfish choice), the greater the separation from God becomes.
It is not irreversible, we are told by Jesus, for our sins can be wiped away! Through grace and baptism, through repentance / conversion and vigilance, each one of us can restore the connection we now have with God and get closer. All evil can be undone if we call it out for what it is, if we truly regret our unhelpful choices, if we try to make up for the accumulation of sin by choosing good in thoughts and words and especially deeds. Many saints are a brilliant examples of this, like St. Ignatius or St. Francis of Assisi. Forgiveness gives us room to breath. Grace gives us the capacity to love ourselves enough to bravely take the 'narrow path'. Faith more strength. Hope more determination.
On this narrow path there is little room for baggage ... and all that the ego would use to weaken our commitment, to lessen our faith, to trip us up and have us return to easier paths, more familiar paths ... these character traits of 'who i am' must be left behind. Friends and family and all who 'knew' that old Self will resist change. My change brings their own being into question. And most people resist change, especially when the change is confrontational or inconvenient to their own life-styles: how quickly do we then get branded 'holier than thou', when all we want to do is grow as human beings!
How far am i willing to go in accepting Jesus' invitation? Perhaps i might better notice my own path and count my own small steps. If i start by examining my motivations, being mindful of my choices, the path will be clearer. Overly cautious? Timid? Perhaps, but i believe in the process of change. Peter could not walk on water even as Jesus was present to aid him, yet only after crucifiction, resurrection and an appearance before the disciples did the apostle have the faith and courage to heal and speak in public in the name of Christ. There are those who transform in an instant, but i am not one of them. However, by walking the Way, pilgrim in life, together with church and Christ and Love, i believe that the slow accumulation of a lifetime of evils great and small can reversed, limited and eventually ... well, let's just say the threshold has been adjusted and the door can once again swing open to let the light shine in.
Deo gratias.
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