Comparing Our Work and the Battle of Our Spiritual Life
For the next two weeks we're going to pick up where we left off on Sunday, focusing on the battle we face in our spiritual life and compare it to the battles we might face in our work. We've already seen that "battle" lies at the center of our daily spiritual struggle to grow in holiness. Now we'll look at how battles at work can mirror those in our spiritual life. As we noted on Sunday, our spiritual guide will be Fr. Jacques Michel, S.J. (1712 - ?).
Let's look first at those times when no matter how hard we try, our efforts just don't bear fruit. It happens to the best of us. We're usually okay if we hit a speed bump or two once in a while. But over the course of a lifetime, some of us may have found ourselves stuck in a losing streak; kind of like a batter in a hitting slump. And the longer it drags on, the more discouraged we get.
The same holds for our spiritual lives. We put our best foot forward each day, but every once in a while (or maybe more often than that), we trip and fall. Over time, despite our faithfully going to confession, the consistent failure to excise this personal fault or that sin can cause us to become discourage. In both our work and and our spiritual lives we need to pick ourselves up and persevere. But sometimes that's easier said than done.
As Fr. Michel explains, Our Lord's life provides the perfect example of how a Christian should understand his shortcomings, as well as what we need to do to overcome them. But while our first response should be Christian hope, we frequently don't cooperate with the graces that virtue might bring (emphasis ours):
In the same way, we become discouraged in our spiritual lives. Our spiritual discipline suffers. Those difficulties we all face in pursuing holiness appear only as "torture and a constant battle" rather than a means to grow closer to God.
Our first lesson: We can't fight our battles effectively when we're discouraged either at work or in our spiritual life. So shake it off dude. Easier said than done, of course. Next time we'll see why.
Let's look first at those times when no matter how hard we try, our efforts just don't bear fruit. It happens to the best of us. We're usually okay if we hit a speed bump or two once in a while. But over the course of a lifetime, some of us may have found ourselves stuck in a losing streak; kind of like a batter in a hitting slump. And the longer it drags on, the more discouraged we get.
The same holds for our spiritual lives. We put our best foot forward each day, but every once in a while (or maybe more often than that), we trip and fall. Over time, despite our faithfully going to confession, the consistent failure to excise this personal fault or that sin can cause us to become discourage. In both our work and and our spiritual lives we need to pick ourselves up and persevere. But sometimes that's easier said than done.
As Fr. Michel explains, Our Lord's life provides the perfect example of how a Christian should understand his shortcomings, as well as what we need to do to overcome them. But while our first response should be Christian hope, we frequently don't cooperate with the graces that virtue might bring (emphasis ours):
"...the devil endeavors, by his artful suggestions, to make the despondent soul find pretexts for not applying them to herself. Indolence or aversion to everything that gives trouble is common to all men. When we have devoted ourselves to God’s service, we would like to enjoy the happiness of our condition without its costing us much, forgetting the words of our Savior: ‘The Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away.’ Let us ever remember that Christ did not enter into His glory until after He had suffered, and that He has admitted His saints to share it only after crosses and combats and sacrifices; the renouncing of their passions and their self-will. Heaven is a reward; and we can earn it only by preferring God and His holy will before all other things, and being ready to sacrifice whatever is dearest to us whenever He requires it. This, then, is certain, and St. Paul declares it: ‘He also that striveth for the mastery is not crowned except he strive lawfully.’ To aspire to the crown of justice without fighting is a contradiction to the truths of faith – to expect to fight and yet not to suffer is contrary to common sense. But it is often from the very knowledge we have of what God requires of us, that the devil uses his arguments for discouraging us, making use of our sloth to intimidate us from undertaking the necessary labor. It costs us nothing to follow our natural inclinations; it costs us much to repress them, and the enemy of our souls never loses sight of that, to make us prefer the former. Therefore does he set before our eyes a lively representation of the difficulties we shall undergo in the service of God, and that our life will be a constant torture and a constant battle. But, on the other hand, he carefully conceals the peace of heart which we shall find in obeying God, the solid consolations we shall receive in our trials, the hope of our eternal reward. No, the devil will show us our weakness to its fullest extent, will remind us of our repeated relapses; but the mercy of God, and the support of that all-powerful arm which so often upheld us, he will try to make us forget."At work, discouragement can drag us down and prevent us from doing what needs to be done to get out of our slump or reverse our losing streak. Instead of putting our shoulder to the plow and doing what needs doing, we instead sit on the sideline. Despite our hard work in the past, we wound up in this losing streak. Why should hard work help now? Sloth replaces industry and we may even wallow in self-pity.
In the same way, we become discouraged in our spiritual lives. Our spiritual discipline suffers. Those difficulties we all face in pursuing holiness appear only as "torture and a constant battle" rather than a means to grow closer to God.
Our first lesson: We can't fight our battles effectively when we're discouraged either at work or in our spiritual life. So shake it off dude. Easier said than done, of course. Next time we'll see why.
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