A Few Caveats About Planning for Next Year
Today we share a few caveats regarding our recent series on planning your business and personal life. They should help align your plan with God's plan for you. We've already discussed this all-important aspect of planning previously, but now some further thoughts.
First of all, if you followed our suggestions, you included some sort of goal to enhance and advance your spiritual life as one of your three or four important goals. What follows will help you make sure that your spiritual life remains front and center:
“Here below man habitually lives in an atmosphere of error. Political events, material preoccupations, the tyranny of current principles, the customs of the world, the fads and vogues of society, luxury, and a hundred other things, insensibly engross his attention. To such an extent is his mind monopolized by these ideas that he seems not to realize that beyond this passing world in which he now lives there is another which is eternal. What is true of men in general is true, to a certain extent, of pious souls. Human respect, attachment to a person, an object, or an employment; little jealousies, friction with others, trifling pretensions – all these, and many other similar nothings, distract the best souls from the one thing necessary. One must always act against what the Holy Spirit calls: ‘The fascination of trifles.’ For while the soul is thus dissipated and absorbed from without, Jesus cannot occupy her from within. In order to get beyond appearances and to face realities, deep and frequent reflection is necessary so that the seriousness of life and what will follow it may be grasped.
“First then: What is the life of man? Compared with the eternity of God it is only an instant, or rather, the infinitesimal fraction of a second. Man appears for a short time on this earth to spend a few days; like a traveler he pauses here and there on the road and finally reaches his eternity. In this vast and wondrous universe the place he occupies is very small, and the part he plays there is very insignificant; few know him, and fewer still are interested in him. The space covered by his dwelling and what he calls his property is inconsiderable, and his death will make it still more so. The earth itself, on which man has so limited a place, is only an atom compared with the immensity of the heavens. ‘The generations which people it,’ the Holy Spirit tells us, ‘are like a drop of water sparkling in a vase.’ All men, who so greedily pursue wealth and pleasure, all nations who tear each other asunder to secure the preponderance of power in this world, are less than a handful of ants who dispute the possession of a wisp of straw. Whilst they thus pursue the objects of their dreams, they are advancing unconsciously towards the pit, which will swallow up all their vain hopes. Thus have lived, are living, and will live, the generations which have succeeded each other or will succeed each other on earth. The few chosen souls have lifted their thoughts and hearts above deceptive appearances and have sought after eternal goods.” - Fr. Joseph Schryvers, C.SS.R. (1876-1945)
None of this negates or undercuts our planning, or our pursuit of our goals. What it does do, however, is put our planning into into proper context. Organize your time to work your plan; be disciplined about it. Done persistently and well, you'll avoid the "fascination with trifles" that fills the time of so many. But don't forget to "get beyond appearances and to face realities." Recall Father Schryvers stark observation that "All men, who so greedily pursue wealth and pleasure...are less than a handful of ants who dispute the possession of a wisp of straw." That give us the proper context we need to work and live our lives according to God's plan.
First of all, if you followed our suggestions, you included some sort of goal to enhance and advance your spiritual life as one of your three or four important goals. What follows will help you make sure that your spiritual life remains front and center:
“Here below man habitually lives in an atmosphere of error. Political events, material preoccupations, the tyranny of current principles, the customs of the world, the fads and vogues of society, luxury, and a hundred other things, insensibly engross his attention. To such an extent is his mind monopolized by these ideas that he seems not to realize that beyond this passing world in which he now lives there is another which is eternal. What is true of men in general is true, to a certain extent, of pious souls. Human respect, attachment to a person, an object, or an employment; little jealousies, friction with others, trifling pretensions – all these, and many other similar nothings, distract the best souls from the one thing necessary. One must always act against what the Holy Spirit calls: ‘The fascination of trifles.’ For while the soul is thus dissipated and absorbed from without, Jesus cannot occupy her from within. In order to get beyond appearances and to face realities, deep and frequent reflection is necessary so that the seriousness of life and what will follow it may be grasped.
“First then: What is the life of man? Compared with the eternity of God it is only an instant, or rather, the infinitesimal fraction of a second. Man appears for a short time on this earth to spend a few days; like a traveler he pauses here and there on the road and finally reaches his eternity. In this vast and wondrous universe the place he occupies is very small, and the part he plays there is very insignificant; few know him, and fewer still are interested in him. The space covered by his dwelling and what he calls his property is inconsiderable, and his death will make it still more so. The earth itself, on which man has so limited a place, is only an atom compared with the immensity of the heavens. ‘The generations which people it,’ the Holy Spirit tells us, ‘are like a drop of water sparkling in a vase.’ All men, who so greedily pursue wealth and pleasure, all nations who tear each other asunder to secure the preponderance of power in this world, are less than a handful of ants who dispute the possession of a wisp of straw. Whilst they thus pursue the objects of their dreams, they are advancing unconsciously towards the pit, which will swallow up all their vain hopes. Thus have lived, are living, and will live, the generations which have succeeded each other or will succeed each other on earth. The few chosen souls have lifted their thoughts and hearts above deceptive appearances and have sought after eternal goods.” - Fr. Joseph Schryvers, C.SS.R. (1876-1945)
None of this negates or undercuts our planning, or our pursuit of our goals. What it does do, however, is put our planning into into proper context. Organize your time to work your plan; be disciplined about it. Done persistently and well, you'll avoid the "fascination with trifles" that fills the time of so many. But don't forget to "get beyond appearances and to face realities." Recall Father Schryvers stark observation that "All men, who so greedily pursue wealth and pleasure...are less than a handful of ants who dispute the possession of a wisp of straw." That give us the proper context we need to work and live our lives according to God's plan.
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