Facing Our Mortality

26 | February | 2018

We all have dreams about the perfect life: a life without pain, sadness, conflict, or war.

The spiritual challenge is to experience glimpses of this perfect life right in the middle of our many struggles. By embracing the reality of our mortal life, we can get in touch with the eternal life that has been sown there. The apostle Paul expresses this powerfully when he writes: “We are subjected to every kind of hardship, but never distressed; we see no way out but we never despair; we are pursued but never cut off; knocked down, but still have some life in us; always we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible in our … mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:8-12).

Only by facing our mortality can we come in touch with the life that transcends death.

Our imperfections open for us the vision of the perfect life that God in and through Jesus has promised us.

What Is Most Personal Is Most Universal

23 | February | 2018

We like to make a distinction between our private and public lives and say,

  “Whatever I do in my private life is nobody else’s business.” But anyone trying to live a spiritual life will soon discover that the most personal is the most universal, the most hidden is the most public, and the most solitary is the most communal. What we live in the most intimate places of our beings is not just for us but for all people. That is why our inner lives are lives for others. That is why our solitude is a gift to our community, and that is why our most secret thoughts affect our common life.

Jesus says, “No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house” (Matthew 5:14-15). The most inner light is a light for the world.

Let’s not have “double lives”; let us allow what we live in private to be known in public.

Hidden Greatness

25 | February | 2018

There is much emphasis on notoriety and fame in our society.

Our newspapers and television keep giving us the message: What counts is to be known, praised, and admired, whether you are a writer, an actor, a musician, or a politician.

Still, real greatness is often hidden, humble, simple, and unobtrusive. It is not easy to trust ourselves and our actions without public affirmation. We must have strong self-confidence combined with deep humility. Some of the greatest works of art and the most important works of peace were created by people who had no need for the limelight.

They knew that what they were doing was their call, and they did it with great patience, perseverance, and love.

The Balance Between Closeness and Distance

February 22, 2007 in Inspiration

Intimacy between people requires closeness as well as distance. It is like dancing.

   Sometimes we are very close, touching each other or holding each other; sometimes we move away from each other and let the space between us become an area where we can freely move.

To keep the right balance between closeness and distance requires hard work, especially since the needs of the partners may be quite different at a given moment. One might desire closeness while the other wants distance. One might want to be held while the other looks for independence.

   A perfect balance seldom occurs, but the honest and open search for that balance can give birth to a beautiful dance, worthy to behold.