Maintaining and changing

IN these increasingly complicated times, we need to learn

the skill of what to maintain and what to change as we go on with our

life. There definitely are things that we should keep constantly, no

matter what, but without getting rigid, and things that can and should

vary, depending on the circumstances, but without getting lost.

             This, to me, is a skill that should be learned by all of

us, especially the young ones who will bear the brunt of all the

challenges of our modern times. Let’s hope that we can put up the

proper structures for this purpose, the proper hardware and software,

so to speak, especially in the context of the family, school, and the

apostolate with the youth.

  

            Everyday, we need to ask ourselves this question of what

to keep and what to change, since everyday we have to adapt ourselves

to different persons and situations which can expose us to a dizzying

variety of possibilities.

             St. Paul offers us a clue when he said that he had to be

all things to all men. To the weak he became weak. To those under the

law as if he was under the law, etc. (cfr 1 Cor 9,21ff)

             If we look closely at this Pauline passage, we can see

that the very motive of St. Paul’s adaptability that gave him a

certain consistency is the salvation of souls.

  

            “I became all things to all men, that I might save all,”

St. Paul said. So, it is our salvation that drove him and should also

motivate us in all our efforts to adapt ourselves to every person and

to every situation of our life. It is the eternal salvation of man

that would give consistency to the changing demands of adaptability.

  

            Our adaptability should not just be a function of an

exclusively practical and worldly value and purpose like convenience,

or the pursuit for wealth, power and fame. Of course, these motives

can be legitimate as long as they play an instrumental role, always

subordinated to the necessary motive of our eternal salvation.

  

            In this regard, we have to understand that the true

standard and measure, the true source and purpose of our adaptability,

flexibility, versatility and consistency can only be Christ.

             We have to be wary when we reduce our sense of these

qualities to some human criteria alone, like sheer practicality,

publicity, or worse when we make them a tool for hypocrisy, deception

and other ulterior motives.

  

            What we have to do is to avail of a personal plan of life

that contains certain acts of piety, spread throughout our day, our

week, months and years. These should help us to be closely in touch

with Christ so we can follow him in his ways.

             This should include a time for prayer, continuing study of

the doctrine of our faith, recourse to the sacraments, never-ending

ascetical struggle to develop virtues and fighting against sin and

temptations, etc.

             Very often during the day, we need to pause and ask

ourselves: Is this what Christ is asking me to do at this moment? Is

this how Christ is asking me to do?

  

            This way, we can expect to be both consistent and flexible

in our ways, and achieve the effectiveness of the mission of Christ

himself.