THIS is what we need to learn to do. We have to overcome our
narrow-mindedness or blindness, because no matter how much we ignore
it, we cannot deny the fact that the full dimensions of our life go
beyond the temporal, the material and natural. We are also meant for
the eternal, spiritual and supernatural.
The fact that we can think and reason out, wish and desire, choose or
not, love or not, are clear indications that we are not meant only for
the here and now, the tangible and the worldly. We go beyond them.
We need to know how to properly handle this fundamental aspect of our
life. We have to overcome the bias that considers this truth as being
obsolete, primitive, medieval, out-of-date.
It’s true that there are things in the past that we need to leave
behind. But it’s equally true there also are things that we need to
keep for they have permanent value to us. We have to be very
discerning. We cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Fact is the modern and contemporary culture has far more grievous
errors and more rotten ways than those of the old days. In fact, we
should be more afraid or more cautious of them than those of the
previous eras.
Linking time with eternity is first of all a matter of the belief
that there is God and that he is our creator who gives us our very
existence and that he continually, without any gap or break,
intervening in our life.
We have to be more aware of this truth, and more important, know how
to deal with it. We often take it for granted, or worse, we can think
that our life can just be on our own, completely dependent on what and
how we make it to be.
Or we can think that we can be with God at some time and can be on
our own at other times. We need to outgrow this mentality, because it
simply does not correspond to reality. Ok, it’s not easy. There’s deep
and vast awkwardness especially in the beginning. But it’s not a
problem that cannot be solved.
To achieve a constant awareness of God’s presence and intervention in
our life, we need to exert the effort to pray and to reach what is
called a contemplative lifestyle even in the hustle and bustle of the
world. There’s no other way.
This can be done if there is the will to do it, a will that needs to
be continually renewed and refreshed, and that needs to go through
continuing conversion, looking always for motivations that actually
are endless. There are infinite possibilities for this.
To achieve this, some saints have associated their own breathing with
the mental effort to call God’s name. Others have come up with all
sorts of human devices to help them to be with God all the time. Each
one of us can think of other means fit for our condition.
What we should remember is that God always has a marvellous plan for
each one of us. His interventions in our life are never passive or
cold. It’s full of love, of concern, of goodness and wisdom. It will
be very exciting if consuming to intimately cooperate in God’s
providence.
This truth should impel us to know God’s will for us as promptly and
as best as we could and to do our part as actively as we could. God’s
will for us is like the end-all of our life. There could be no better
plan for us. Would we dare to compare and prefer our will over God’s
will?
And so we just have to help everyone acquire this attitude and get
into the act, starting with our very own selves and then with those
close to us and then the others in an ever-widening ripple that should
cover the whole world eventually.
Truth is there are a lot of people trapped in their own world and in
their own fantasies. Many of them do not even realize it. Some may,
but do not know how to get out of the predicament.
We need to face up to this daunting challenge. We have to be prepared
for this, more spiritually and morally than physically.
But let’s keep the faith in what God himself promised: “Ask of me and
I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your
possession” (Ps 2,8) It’s always a matter of faith, where our faith
is.
narrow-mindedness or blindness, because no matter how much we ignore
it, we cannot deny the fact that the full dimensions of our life go
beyond the temporal, the material and natural. We are also meant for
the eternal, spiritual and supernatural.
The fact that we can think and reason out, wish and desire, choose or
not, love or not, are clear indications that we are not meant only for
the here and now, the tangible and the worldly. We go beyond them.
We need to know how to properly handle this fundamental aspect of our
life. We have to overcome the bias that considers this truth as being
obsolete, primitive, medieval, out-of-date.
It’s true that there are things in the past that we need to leave
behind. But it’s equally true there also are things that we need to
keep for they have permanent value to us. We have to be very
discerning. We cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Fact is the modern and contemporary culture has far more grievous
errors and more rotten ways than those of the old days. In fact, we
should be more afraid or more cautious of them than those of the
previous eras.
Linking time with eternity is first of all a matter of the belief
that there is God and that he is our creator who gives us our very
existence and that he continually, without any gap or break,
intervening in our life.
We have to be more aware of this truth, and more important, know how
to deal with it. We often take it for granted, or worse, we can think
that our life can just be on our own, completely dependent on what and
how we make it to be.
Or we can think that we can be with God at some time and can be on
our own at other times. We need to outgrow this mentality, because it
simply does not correspond to reality. Ok, it’s not easy. There’s deep
and vast awkwardness especially in the beginning. But it’s not a
problem that cannot be solved.
To achieve a constant awareness of God’s presence and intervention in
our life, we need to exert the effort to pray and to reach what is
called a contemplative lifestyle even in the hustle and bustle of the
world. There’s no other way.
This can be done if there is the will to do it, a will that needs to
be continually renewed and refreshed, and that needs to go through
continuing conversion, looking always for motivations that actually
are endless. There are infinite possibilities for this.
To achieve this, some saints have associated their own breathing with
the mental effort to call God’s name. Others have come up with all
sorts of human devices to help them to be with God all the time. Each
one of us can think of other means fit for our condition.
What we should remember is that God always has a marvellous plan for
each one of us. His interventions in our life are never passive or
cold. It’s full of love, of concern, of goodness and wisdom. It will
be very exciting if consuming to intimately cooperate in God’s
providence.
This truth should impel us to know God’s will for us as promptly and
as best as we could and to do our part as actively as we could. God’s
will for us is like the end-all of our life. There could be no better
plan for us. Would we dare to compare and prefer our will over God’s
will?
And so we just have to help everyone acquire this attitude and get
into the act, starting with our very own selves and then with those
close to us and then the others in an ever-widening ripple that should
cover the whole world eventually.
Truth is there are a lot of people trapped in their own world and in
their own fantasies. Many of them do not even realize it. Some may,
but do not know how to get out of the predicament.
We need to face up to this daunting challenge. We have to be prepared
for this, more spiritually and morally than physically.
But let’s keep the faith in what God himself promised: “Ask of me and
I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your
possession” (Ps 2,8) It’s always a matter of faith, where our faith
is.
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