When losing is winning

WE need to be familiar with this phenomenon and eager to

welcome it. This is how God treats us given our wounded condition

which is prone to undue attachments to earthly things and other

anomalies.

            Divine logic many times baffles us because God’s ways are

different from our ways. St. Paul articulates this predicament when he

said, “O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments, and untraceable his ways. Who has

known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” (Rom

11,33-34)

            He wants us to lose in human terms so that we can win in

the end in divine terms which is what really matters. This is made

clear, for example, when Christ articulated the beatitudes that would

somehow put us in the losing end in order to have the victory of being

truly blessed. (cfr. Mt 5,3-12)

            This is reiterated when he talked about the willingness to

lose an eye, an arm, a foot, if these would cause us to sin. Better to

lose them and enter heaven rather than to have them and get to hell.

(cfr. Mt 5,29-31)

            In another instance Christ clearly told us that for us to

be his disciples, we should be willing to ‘hate’ our father and

mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even our own

life. We should be willing to carry our cross. (cfr. Lk 14,26-27)

            Of course, he means that nothing and no one should compete

in our love for God. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his

righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Mt

6,33) He does not mean that we hate anyone, for he himself told us to

love even our enemies.

            St. Paul was willing to be regarded as scum and refuse of

the world just to be with Christ. (cfr. 1 Cor 4,13) The ultimate

example of all this is Christ himself when he offered his life for our

salvation.

            To be able to live by this divine logic, we of course

would need first of all the grace of God. We have to ask for it with

humility. And then we need to do our part, exerting the due effort to

acquire the appropriate attitude and corresponding virtues.

            We should have the attitude of willingly giving up

everything else just to be with God. “Vale la pena,” it is all

worthwhile, should somehow be like a slogan for us. In the gospel, the

same spirit is expressed when Christ said, “The kingdom of heaven is

like a merchant seeking pearls, who when he had found one pearl of

great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Mt

13,45-46)

            We know that even in our daily affairs, we often have to

give up certain things if only to get a greater good. Thus, we are

willing, for example, to skip some moments of relaxation if only to

attend to an emergency, etc.

            Everyday, we have to see to it that there is always

something that we give up not only for some personal goal or interest,

but also and mainly for the love of God and others. Let’s hope that

the little self-denials we do everyday will prepare us for the

ultimate self-detachment we have to make to enter into our definitive

union with God.

            Yes, the virtue of total detachment from oneself should be

developed with gusto everyday. Every time we suffer inconveniences,

discomfort, misunderstanding, and all kinds of pain, we should somehow

be happy in the sense that we are actually going through what is

necessary in our life—detachment from self so we could have the

attachment with God and others.

            We should not be afraid to lose in order to win!