Only with God…

WE should never forget that only with God can we properly

deal with our own weaknesses, and the many temptations and sins

around. Only with him can we manage to resist the devil himself.

Without him, we are easy prey, a sitting duck. Our earnest desire

should be how we can be with God always, our union with him as strong

and vibrant as ever.

  

            Let’s not forget that if our first parents, still in their

state of original justice and therefore in theory should have been in

close union with God, managed to sin, how much more us who are already

born with original sin and whose lives here on earth will always be

hounded by all forms of evil!

  

            In the case of our first parents, we know that in spite of

their very good condition, there was a moment when they failed in the

proper exercise of their God-given freedom and chose to listen to the

devil rather than to remain faithful to God. And so they fell.

  

            We have to understand that without God, the proper

exercise of our freedom would be out on a limb, and it would just be a

matter of time before we fall into sin. It is that automatic. We would

have no sufficient defenses against our real enemies. We may even

think that our enemies are our friends and allies.

  

            We should never forget that our freedom is a very

intoxicating endowment God has given us. It should only be exercised

with God as its beginning and end. Otherwise, we will only misuse and

abuse it and lead us to sin. We should constantly make the effort to

choose God instead of what we simply like by ourselves.

  

            We need to see to it that our union with God should, as

much as possible, be abiding, completely sealed with no opening, no

matter how minuscule, that can allow our weaknesses, the sinful

allurements of the world and the devil himself to enter. We have to

remember that as St. Paul warned us, we are actually ranged against

powerful enemies in this life. (cfr. Eph 6,12)

  

            Only with God can we be keenly aware of the many dangers

that lurk within us and around us. Only with him can we resist the

temptations and be unaffected by our weaknesses and the sins around.

              In other words, we really need how to pray always. This

means we have to know how to convert everything into prayer, always

relating everything to God—our joys and sorrow, our work and rest, our

successes and defeats, etc. Yes, everything can and should be a

material and occasion to pray.

  

            We should be in constant awareness of God’s presence in us

and around us. And our relation with him should be driven by love, by

desire to be with him and to do his will. We have to feel the need for

him. In fact, he should be our greatest need, without whom we should

feel completely empty. Nothing should replace or substitute for him in

our mind and heart. We need him more than we need air.

   

            What can show that we are truly with God is that in spite

of the drama of life, we will always feel driven to praise him, to do

a lot of good, to practice the virtues, to serve others. We would know

how to be patient, to be forgiving. There is some kind of excitement

and at the same time a deep sense of peace and confidence and joy that

the world cannot give.

  

            We would know how to sanctify our work and all the other

circumstances of our life, whether they are good or bad as regarded in

human and worldly terms. We would know how to flow with the times

without getting confused and lost.