God-and-others formula

THIS is the proper formula for our own development. To the extent that

we are always thinking of God and of others, finding ways to love and
serve them, we achieve our own fulfillment. That’s when we would be on
our way to our human and Christian maturity and perfection.

To be persons for God and for others is written in our nature. The
structure and features of our life, especially our intelligence and
will, all demand that we actually need to get out of our own selves,
otherwise we get short-circuited. This is what a person is. He is
always mindful and thoughtful of God and of others.

We need to be mindful because we have to know what’s going around us.
We should never be aloof and indifferent. We have to be aware not only
of things and events that are taking place, whether near or far, but
also and most especially of persons, starting with the one right
beside us.

We also need to be thoughtful. We should think ahead of how things are
developing and of what we can do to help shape its evolution. Life is
always a work in progress, and there are goals, the ultimate and the
subordinate, to reach. We should not get stuck with the here and now.

Our joy, our fulfillment is in God, and because of God, it’s also in
others, since loving God always passes through loving others. The
gospel tells us that. “The greatest commandment is to love God with
all your might... and the second greatest commandment is to love your
neighbor as yourself.” (Mt 22,38-39)

We need to be prepared to do serious and constant battle against our
tendency also to get self-centered and self-absorbed. This, of course,
is a very likely possibility, easily and quickly verifiable around.
That’s because we actually contend with a great number of hostile or
negative elements.

In fact, to the extent that we always think of God and of others,
again finding ways of how to love and serve them, we manage to stay
away from temptation and sin, as well as to deal with our weaknesses.

We need to do everything to be able to follow this God-and-others
formula. This task is not going to be easy. But neither is it
impossible. We just have to see to it that all the elements that go
into the upbringing of children—parents, home, teachers, school,
etc.—are properly equipped to carry out this delicate responsibility.

So important is the need to have the families and the schools undergo
continuing formation to be able to cope with new and old challenges!
How to form children in virtues to make them more mature and able to
face life properly, how to help them make use of their time and
overcome their weakness—these should be their constant concern.

In school, while children understandably have to be given a protective
and controlled environment, they also need to be exposed to the
realities of life. It would be anomalous if they are quite good in
school but seem not to remain so at home, and especially outside.

We have to consider that nowadays the environment is saturated with a
culture that fosters frivolity, triviality and easy-going ways, averse
to any form of sacrifice, as if sacrifice is in itself bad. We have to
find ways of how to tackle this real threat to the proper development
of children.

There may be children who can be active, but active in a selfish
way—pursuing only their own goals, interests and concerns, and never
thinking in terms of God’s will and the common good. This is quite
common also.

We should not hesitate to introduce these realities to them. They are
not mere theories or abstract values. The reality and immediacy of
God’s will and the common good have to be shown to them as early as
possible, done through personal witnessing and timely pieces of advice
and reminders.

Therefore, a lot of catechesis is needed, something that of course has
to be done with a lot of naturalness, always respecting freedom, never
using coercion or pressures.

That’s why it is also important that warm human relations should be
fostered and kept. We have to stay away from simply imparting things
through lectures. Things have to be based on real friendship and
confidence.

We need to spend time and develop the true substance of friendship or
paternity or filiation, etc. In these, we cannot cheat for long. It’s
an investment worth making, for its dividends will always come, if not
here, then definitely in our eternal life.