Shoot-to-kill order

SORRY for the belligerent tone of the title. But if we understand our spiritual life to be in continuing warfare, then we would know why we have to employ some military terms and tactics in our daily affairs.

There simply is an endless flow of elements, harmful to our human dignity actually, that needs to be promptly tackled, neutralized if not converted to something useful in our spiritual life. Thus, we know there are things that deserve to be given the shoot-to-kill orders. In fact, they have to be shot on sight.

I’m referring to pride mainly that can so hold us in captivity that we would not even realize it. In fact, we can enjoy it. It is such a sticky affair that it can cling to us even days after our death.

Indeed, there are now human ways meant to perpetuate a legacy of pride. Sophisticated memorials are made to sustain this heritage long past one’s death. Endowments for this purpose can be deep and extensive. Really saddening!

Obviously, we should not be rash in pointing to suspected culprits. But neither were we born yesterday. We know that pride and its cohorts are driving many memorial initiatives. It’s sad that even in the business of memory-making, pride still takes control.

In the gospel, Christ heavily laments this predicament. He once told his disciples: “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.” (Mt 23,1-2) Then he enumerated some details.

We have to be most wary even of the slightest manifestation of pride. We need to shoot it down immediately, because once it grabs on something in us, its only aim is to spread and grow like a cancer.

We have to be most wary of things like conceit, condescension, vanity, arrogance, the tendency to lord it over, etc. Nowadays, we almost do not see any instance where authority, power and their legitimate privileges are not spoiled and contaminated by pride.

There’s that disturbing impression that many politicians and other leaders believe their power and authority cannot be exercised properly unless these are infused with pride, conceit, condescension, arrogance, desire for control and perpetuity, etc.

These evils literally reign supreme in the entertainment and celebrity world and in the social networks where even the most pitiable of characters manage to show off their vanity.

We have to shoot these spiritual and moral enemies down on sight. What can help is to develop the attitude and lifestyle of thinking always of God and of the others, and forgetting oneself.

We need to pray always, to give glory and thanks to God always, and to serve others always. We have to be strict in our self-discipline, knowing how easy it is for us to get spoiled. Of course, we have to do all these with naturalness, without as much as possible attracting unnecessary attention.

Our Lord was very clear on the need for humility. He once said: “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Mt 23,12)

And to dramatize it, he washed the feet of his apostles. The apostles were shocked. Peter at first refused to be washed, but Christ insisted. He wanted to give them a clear lesson. He said:

“If then I being your Lord and Master have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so you do also.” (Jn 13,14-15)

St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians echoes the same idea which he links with the goal of building better unity and fraternity among ourselves He said:

“Let nothing be done through contention, neither by vainglory. But in humility, let each one esteem others better than themselves, each one not considering the things that are his own, but those that are other men’s.” (2,3-4)

This should be the attitude we have to cultivate in ourselves!

St. Paul concluded this piece of advice by pointing to the example of Christ who, he said, “though God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men…He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross.” (6-8)

Let’s have this mind of Christ to build a wonderful world!