Men's Rosary

I have asked myself what the worse things are for the development of the person.  I would have to say they would be fear and complacency, followed by outright laziness. 

Too many times, we let fear of risk, or the unknown or failure keep us from stretching out and reaching our full potential.  This happens all too often with those who are stuck in a job they dislike, only because it “pays the bills” or provides “security.”  In reality there are many ways to pay the bills and there really is no such things as security in this world.  We are warned against this by personal and business development philosophers.  “Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions.  Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives.  Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us.”  (Jim Rohn)

If we do overcome some fear and take a risk and are successful, we can fall into the next trap of complacency.  We can take pride in our successes and relish the rewards of our efforts to the point of sabotaging the future.  We can stop our growth and perhaps even become less.  Again, we are warned against this by the experts.  “Do not let your success of today lull you into complacency for tomorrow.  For that is the worst form of failure.”  (Og Mandino)

It is more than plain that these ills can and will undermine and wreck our secular lives and social standing.  However, these same things will do serious harm to our spiritual lives.  While we can regroup and recover from financial mistakes and failure, we are given but one soul to prepare to be with God forever.  We are not guaranteed heaven and if we miss that, we do not recover, there is no re-do of life.  “Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”  (Matthew 7:13-14)

While our personal and business development gurus are quite accurate in their teachings, we have the Saints among us that bring this all into the light of our spiritual nature, which is the most important nature of our being.  On speaking to fear, “Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul,  except sin.  God commands you to pray, but He forbids you to worry.”  (St. Francis de Sales)  Fear can keep us from growing in love and in service to God.  The worse fear is the concern of what others will think.  To fully step up and serve God and proclaim the good news of Christ will be countercultural.  We will be challenging the status quo of the world and the actions of others contrary to Christ’s teaching. We fall into the “what will people say” mentality.  So, we keep silent.  In answering God’s call, it is a simple yes or no.  To be silent  is to say NO!  We answer to God only and the answer to His call should always be YES!  “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the lord is safe.”  (Proverbs 29:25)  Fear can also keep us from doing.  When a need presents itself to us or we feel called to serve in some capacity, we many times are fearful of our lack of knowledge or experience.  Perhaps, as we just mentioned, we are afraid of what others may think of our doing something.  Maybe they think we should not be doing it.  Or we may think “who am I to be doing this or that?”  It does not matter what anyone thinks or what we do or do not know.  God uses imperfect people to do His work in a perfect way.  These opportunities, many times, are God speaking to us and asking us to serve.  We need to discern these things and act on them, trusting in His providence.  “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”  (1 Peter 5:6-7)

On speaking to complacency, “Comfortable living lulls the soul into complacency, chaining it to worldly ease.  True prayer calls for inner poverty, sacrifice, and longing for God alone.”  (St. Teresa of Avila)  Oh, the danger that lies in spiritual pride!  We can assume all is good.  We go to Mass, say our prayers, treat people nicely.  So, we pat ourselves on the back and call it a day. The problem here is that we fail to grow.  We cease answering the call to serve.  This is spiritual suicide.  We are cutting ourselves off from God and his graces.  “For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them.” (Proverbs 1:32)  Though we have our faults and failings, the important thing is to be earnestly trying to be better.  God is merciful and is perfect love.  We need to meet him there.  All are called to be saints.  The question becomes “how hard are we working on that?”  It is easy to say we believe in God.  It is another story to say we follow God.  This is where our examination of conscious and time spent in quiet, mental prayer with God is indispensable.  This is how we will hear God calling us and challenging us.  This is how we can keep from becoming complacent.  When we take time to recognize our weaknesses and failings, not beating ourselves up over it, but recognizing them, we can take steps to grow in God’s love and grace. The salvation of our soul depends upon it.  “At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, The Lord will not do good, nor will he do ill.”  (Zephaniah 1:12)

The most tragic would be to turn from what we should and must do and to give in to shear laziness.  A complete lack of striving for God and spiritual growth.  This, of course, is the playground of the devil.  In the secular life or the spiritual life, the reward is commensurate with the work.  Every day, we make the choice whether to work or not to work.  We are responsible for the outcome.  “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly rewarded.”  (Proverbs 13:4)  It is important not to be lazy and to work diligently.  A strong prayer life is required to hear God speak, to discern his will for our life.  Here, in union with him in prayer, we can ask for guidance and wisdom to make right decisions and serve others and the Church well.  It will be hard work; it will cost us in terms of our time and priorities.  However, the reward of this work is like no other.  “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  (Ephesians 5:15-17)

Let us not be fearful to serve the Lord.  Let us not be fearful of serving the Church and our parishes.  Let us not be afraid to share our faith and our love of God in the face of others.  Let us not be complacent in our faith, falling into spiritual pride.  Let us encounter God at every Mass as if it is the first time, never becoming comfortable and rote in our participation.  Above all, never be a sluggard.  Work hard for the glory of God through service to others.  Pray always, unite our will to God’s will, and know that he is with us in everything that we do.

God is served only when He is served according to His will.”  (St. Padre Pio)