The unexamined life is not worth living. That's
wisdom of the ancients and its part and parcel of Christianity.
As Lent starts it's writ large for us, individually and through a modest programme in our community.
I don't know about you but I find self- examination flows too often from the unpleasant consequences of my shortcomings than from a godly routine.
I hope to redress this in Lent and, the words almost stick in my mouth, I would be grateful for any appraisal you might have for me that may be a God send.
To live in the knowledge of God's love is an immense privilege. I believe there's nothing I can do to make God love me less. I believe there's nothing I can do to make God love me more.
Wonderful! If I’d only God to consider! Alas there's a lot I do that makes my neighbour love me less and my failures have capacity to make me love myself less.
Here's the nub of our resistance to self-examination. Human beings can only bear so much reality. We are so easily defeated as we're so frail. Our foolish pride gets wounded by knowledge of failure. Would that we lived more comfortably with our capacity to fail trusting the mercy that surrounds us!
Remember you are dust and to dust you will return.
Yes you're frail, God says in scripture, you're mortal, but, for all of that I love you and, as scripture says again, offer you a glorious trajectory little lower than the angels.
That's why it's worth examining ourselves so we keep on an upwards course. The Church encourages us to examine ourselves daily, before the eucharist and in the penitential seasons of Lent and Advent so that our mortal being may be kept on an immortal course for our salvation and that of the whole world.
Self-examination lays hold of the good in me to be cultivated besides identifying the bad to be uprooted.
I remember receiving counsel from a Mirfield Father on this. He suggested I regularly switch my method of self- examination from the list in Galatians 5 of the works of the flesh to the verses immediately following that list the fruits of the Spirit.
Identify the good - the love, joy, peace, patience, self-control and so on - that's growing in your life for thanksgiving and cultivation. Then get weeding that pride, sloth, lust and so on.
Thanksgiving for what's good in our lives is a vital part of self-examination.
Identifying and putting that good to use - intellect, sense of humour, capacity to care for others and so on - is as important as tackling our bad tendencies.
We only live once and each one of us, in the Christian understanding, will have to give account of our lives on the Day of Judgement.
Our own self-appraisal anticipates that Day and will make it more favourable for us as we direct our lives towards where they're best applied. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
May God grant you a happy and holy Lent through growth in self knowledge and self application to his praise and service.
As Lent starts it's writ large for us, individually and through a modest programme in our community.
I don't know about you but I find self- examination flows too often from the unpleasant consequences of my shortcomings than from a godly routine.
I hope to redress this in Lent and, the words almost stick in my mouth, I would be grateful for any appraisal you might have for me that may be a God send.
To live in the knowledge of God's love is an immense privilege. I believe there's nothing I can do to make God love me less. I believe there's nothing I can do to make God love me more.
Wonderful! If I’d only God to consider! Alas there's a lot I do that makes my neighbour love me less and my failures have capacity to make me love myself less.
Here's the nub of our resistance to self-examination. Human beings can only bear so much reality. We are so easily defeated as we're so frail. Our foolish pride gets wounded by knowledge of failure. Would that we lived more comfortably with our capacity to fail trusting the mercy that surrounds us!
Remember you are dust and to dust you will return.
Yes you're frail, God says in scripture, you're mortal, but, for all of that I love you and, as scripture says again, offer you a glorious trajectory little lower than the angels.
That's why it's worth examining ourselves so we keep on an upwards course. The Church encourages us to examine ourselves daily, before the eucharist and in the penitential seasons of Lent and Advent so that our mortal being may be kept on an immortal course for our salvation and that of the whole world.
Self-examination lays hold of the good in me to be cultivated besides identifying the bad to be uprooted.
I remember receiving counsel from a Mirfield Father on this. He suggested I regularly switch my method of self- examination from the list in Galatians 5 of the works of the flesh to the verses immediately following that list the fruits of the Spirit.
Identify the good - the love, joy, peace, patience, self-control and so on - that's growing in your life for thanksgiving and cultivation. Then get weeding that pride, sloth, lust and so on.
Thanksgiving for what's good in our lives is a vital part of self-examination.
Identifying and putting that good to use - intellect, sense of humour, capacity to care for others and so on - is as important as tackling our bad tendencies.
We only live once and each one of us, in the Christian understanding, will have to give account of our lives on the Day of Judgement.
Our own self-appraisal anticipates that Day and will make it more favourable for us as we direct our lives towards where they're best applied. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
May God grant you a happy and holy Lent through growth in self knowledge and self application to his praise and service.
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