Always seek conversion

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THIS is something the sense for which we really need to

develop consciously and deliberately. Given the temper of the times

that would desensitize us strongly of this need, we really have to

remind ourselves constantly that we need conversion all the time in

our life, and then come out with a practical, doable plan to respond

to that need.

            This is simply due to our very precarious condition in

life. No matter how good, pious and saintly we think we are, we cannot

deny that in this life we will always be assailed by the enemies of

God and of our soul.

            We have our weakened flesh to contend with, in the first

place. Then the world around us is full of temptations. And the devil

will always be scheming for our downfall, setting up traps everywhere

for us.

            As the Book of Job would put it, “The life of man upon

earth is a warfare.” (7,1) We have to get over the myth that in this

life we can achieve a stable state of sanctity and that therefore we

do not need to struggle anymore.

            The opposite is quite true. The closer we get to God and

the more determined we are in seeking holiness, the more vicious and

deceptive would also be the temptations to block us in our way.

            At best, whatever state of holiness we can achieve in this

life will always be tenuous. From morning till night, in all our

waking hours, we need to be guarded always even as we busy ourselves

doing our responsibilities. Even in our sleep, we need to entrust it

to the protection of our guardian angels, the saints and God himself.

            This is no paranoia, but rather an objective recognition

of out earthly condition that will always be hounded by our

weaknesses, the many temptations and sins around. We have to be

realistic in all this.

            We cannot deny that we always have the tendency to simply

be on our own, to be guided only by our own lights, and to make

ourselves in the end to be our own god. Even if we know that we are

nothing without God, our Creator and everything, we still manage to

detach ourselves from him at least from time to time.

            And given the galloping pace of the worldly development

that can give us the sensation that we are powerful enough to be on

our own, we really need to be injected with a strong dose of humility

to put ourselves in our proper place before God. We often do not

realize that we are acting out again the unfortunate story of the

tower of Babel. (cfr. Gen 11,1-9)

            It would be good if from time to time, we pause and

consider again our earthly condition. We have to realize that we

always need God, and that the more blessed we are and the more

accomplished we get in this life, etc., the more we need to be with

God.

            To arrive at that realization, we certainly need constant

conversion. And that’s simply because, even if at the beginning there

is no malice involved in ignoring God because we would be easily

fascinated by our own achievements, sooner or later we end up

forgetting and going against God.

            We cannot deny that we can be very good in rationalizing

our errant actuations. And before we know it we can already build our

own make-believe world, made all the worse when we happen to count on

a growing number of like-minded people. We may even reach a point of

invincible conviction that we can be on our own, totally without need

for God.

            Yes, we may need some extraordinary effort to cure us of

such almost-incurable blindness. But a daily practice of making

examination of conscience, and regular recourse to the sacrament of

confession may just do the trick for us without going through heavy

dramas.