OUR life will always involve some
struggle. In fact, it is
and should be a daily affair. Failing in that struggle does not only
mean getting stuck at a certain point. It certainly means we have
retrogressed. In this business of struggle, if we don’t advance, we
retreat.
We should therefore be reminded of our duty to hone up our
skills in spiritual warfare. Christ already hinted this much when he
said: “from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of
heaven suffers violence, and the violent bear it away.” (Mt 11,12)
We have to understand though that to be violent in this
sense does not mean to be destructive but rather constructive, driven
by love and the desire to be united with God and with the others in a
way proper to us as children of God and brothers and sisters among
ourselves.
Our life here on earth cannot but be in some form of
struggle. Aside from our innate urge to grow and develop that requires
some effort, we also have to contend with enemies whose sole intent is
precisely to bring us down, to divert us from our proper path toward
holiness. This is not to mention that our ultimate goal is to reach
heaven, which definitely will require effort and struggle, and of
course God’s grace.
We are not simply ranged against natural difficulties,
challenges and trials in life, but rather with very powerful and
subtle nemeses. The natural enemies alone are already formidable. St.
John describes them this way:
“For all that is in the world is the concupiscence of the
flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life, which
is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 Jn 2,16) That’s why we
can talk easily about envy, jealousy, vanity, lust, greed, sloth, etc.
For this type of enemies alone, we need an extensive
spiritual pharmacopeia and moral regimen to cleanse us of their
affliction. That’s why we are encouraged to intensify our spirit of
penance and mortification. We should not take this indication lightly.
They are very necessary.
But what is actually practical in this regard is to make
little conquests everyday in every front of this spiritual warfare. It
can be in the battle for faith, hope and charity. It can be in the way
we pray and in the offering of sacrifices.
Any progress or victory in any battle or skirmish, no
matter how small, counts. As long as we struggle constantly, our
spiritual life will always advance. If we persevere in our spiritual
warfare, our fidelity to any commitment is assured, for God on his
part will always give us what we need. Things would just depend on us.
Any progress in the virtues, like humility, as when we try
to pass unnoticed while doing a lot of good to others, purifying our
intentions when we serve, will always go a long way in our spiritual
life. We need to remind ourselves strongly that everything that we do
should always be for God’s glory and not for our own glorification.
The strategy in our battle in temperance, for example, can
be concretized by having a good grip on our emotions and passions. It
can be in regulating well our use of time, our attachment to sports,
hobbies and other forms of recreation, our curiosities, our thoughts,
imagination and tongue that can go wild.
Of special interest these days is the use of the gadgets
that seem to be intoxicating people, especially the young. There is
need to put limits to their use, to be clear and pure about our
intentions in using them. We cannot deny the fact that while these
gadgets give us a lot of benefits, they also occasion a lot of grave
dangers.
Also in the area of temperance is the need to practice
some self-denial with respect to food and drinks. There is a lot of
gluttony around these days—people splurging and self-indulging.
Another area where we can make daily little conquests is
in the virtue of order. We have to learn to organize our day well,
observing the proper priorities—first doing our duties toward God,
then toward everybody else starting with those close to us, and then
toward ourselves.
We have to learn how to grapple with the many distractions
that we meet everyday, and how to maintain or regain our proper focus
as soon as possible. It would also help if we make a to-do list
everyday, so we don’t get lost and confused easily.
and should be a daily affair. Failing in that struggle does not only
mean getting stuck at a certain point. It certainly means we have
retrogressed. In this business of struggle, if we don’t advance, we
retreat.
We should therefore be reminded of our duty to hone up our
skills in spiritual warfare. Christ already hinted this much when he
said: “from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of
heaven suffers violence, and the violent bear it away.” (Mt 11,12)
We have to understand though that to be violent in this
sense does not mean to be destructive but rather constructive, driven
by love and the desire to be united with God and with the others in a
way proper to us as children of God and brothers and sisters among
ourselves.
Our life here on earth cannot but be in some form of
struggle. Aside from our innate urge to grow and develop that requires
some effort, we also have to contend with enemies whose sole intent is
precisely to bring us down, to divert us from our proper path toward
holiness. This is not to mention that our ultimate goal is to reach
heaven, which definitely will require effort and struggle, and of
course God’s grace.
We are not simply ranged against natural difficulties,
challenges and trials in life, but rather with very powerful and
subtle nemeses. The natural enemies alone are already formidable. St.
John describes them this way:
“For all that is in the world is the concupiscence of the
flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life, which
is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 Jn 2,16) That’s why we
can talk easily about envy, jealousy, vanity, lust, greed, sloth, etc.
For this type of enemies alone, we need an extensive
spiritual pharmacopeia and moral regimen to cleanse us of their
affliction. That’s why we are encouraged to intensify our spirit of
penance and mortification. We should not take this indication lightly.
They are very necessary.
But what is actually practical in this regard is to make
little conquests everyday in every front of this spiritual warfare. It
can be in the battle for faith, hope and charity. It can be in the way
we pray and in the offering of sacrifices.
Any progress or victory in any battle or skirmish, no
matter how small, counts. As long as we struggle constantly, our
spiritual life will always advance. If we persevere in our spiritual
warfare, our fidelity to any commitment is assured, for God on his
part will always give us what we need. Things would just depend on us.
Any progress in the virtues, like humility, as when we try
to pass unnoticed while doing a lot of good to others, purifying our
intentions when we serve, will always go a long way in our spiritual
life. We need to remind ourselves strongly that everything that we do
should always be for God’s glory and not for our own glorification.
The strategy in our battle in temperance, for example, can
be concretized by having a good grip on our emotions and passions. It
can be in regulating well our use of time, our attachment to sports,
hobbies and other forms of recreation, our curiosities, our thoughts,
imagination and tongue that can go wild.
Of special interest these days is the use of the gadgets
that seem to be intoxicating people, especially the young. There is
need to put limits to their use, to be clear and pure about our
intentions in using them. We cannot deny the fact that while these
gadgets give us a lot of benefits, they also occasion a lot of grave
dangers.
Also in the area of temperance is the need to practice
some self-denial with respect to food and drinks. There is a lot of
gluttony around these days—people splurging and self-indulging.
Another area where we can make daily little conquests is
in the virtue of order. We have to learn to organize our day well,
observing the proper priorities—first doing our duties toward God,
then toward everybody else starting with those close to us, and then
toward ourselves.
We have to learn how to grapple with the many distractions
that we meet everyday, and how to maintain or regain our proper focus
as soon as possible. It would also help if we make a to-do list
everyday, so we don’t get lost and confused easily.
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