Assurance and caution

CHRIST’S redemptive work that culminated in his passion,

death and resurrection should reassure us that there is really nothing

to worry about our precarious earthly condition. As long as we unite

ourselves with Christ, at least to some degree, everything will be

taken care of.

  

            Christ already assumed all our sins. With his death, he

delivered death also to our sins. And with his resurrection, he

conquered them. The sting of our sins, and especially of death itself,

has been removed and changed into a balm of redemptive power.

  

            This truth of our faith should leave us at peace and more

focused on the things we ought to do. It’s important that our earthly

life be spent more in doing good rather than in worrying about the

mistakes and sins that we commit. This is what true love is.

  

            Just the same, we should neither forget that, human as we

are, we can also get spoiled by this sense of security provided by

Christ. We should be most guarded against this danger that will always

be around.

  

            To counter this potential danger, and if we truly identify

ourselves with Christ, we should always feel the need for contrition,

atonement and reparation even if we can also rightly say that we have

been behaving as we should in the eyes of God.

  

            That is to say, that we have been guarding and defending

ourselves against temptations and trying to lead a holy life. We

should never think that our duty for contrition, atonement and

reparation is lightened because of our good behaviour.

  

            In fact, if we truly identify ourselves with Christ, we

will never forget his words: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must

deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Lk 9,23) We

should do all to put these words into practice. No day should pass

without having to live by these words.

  

            If we have the mind of Christ, we should all the more feel

the need for contrition, atonement and reparation while we are

progressing and improving in our spiritual life. Christ’s love for us

went and continues to go all the way. It is limitless, given without

measure. Our love for him and for others should be patterned after

that divine love.

  

            So we have to learn how to blend a sense of confidence and

assurance with the sense of caution by generously practising penance

and reparation. We should feel confident and secure, but not

over-confident as to get blind to the need for continuing penance. A

certain equilibrium between these two attitudes should be established.

  

            It’s important that the life of Christ, especially that

part of his passion, death and resurrection, be always clearly borne

in our mind. We need to realize more deeply that more than just

following our own ideas, no matter how brilliant and smart, we always

have to follow Christ’s life and example.

  

            This, of course, will require that we spend time

meditating on Christ’s life. Let’s hope that this practice becomes a

regular feature of our day. We have to overcome the thought that this

practice is something optional or that it is just a luxury that we can

afford to let go.

  

            Let’s never forget that we are meant to be patterned after

Christ. We are meant to be ‘alter Christus,’ another Christ, if not

‘ipse Christus,’ Christ himself. That is truly our fundamental and

indispensable identity!