“The end for which you were created is infinitely more noble and sublime, and it is this: To love and serve God in this life and that way save your soul.” (Saint John Bosco).
It is a very easy thing to look after myself.
If I am only concerned with caring for myself – as I have every right to do – I can live a very comfortable life. Imagine if I only needed to feed and cloth and entertain myself – how easy life would be…
I would not need to ask others what they wished to do or how they wished to be treated. I would not need to consider the feelings or concerns of others. I would not need to share the fruits of my labours. I would not need to be compassionate or caring of another human being or creature or thing. Instead, I could simply take my own pleasure and enjoy my own company.
I could control the dialogue around me – nobody could harm me because nobody else would be involved. I could control the spending and entertainment – nobody could bore me because nobody else would need to be considered when I considered my own satisfaction…
And I have been reflecting on this because though sometimes – when the world and my life and my commitments and the people around me and in my life are just all too much for me – I think to myself that life would be so much better if I lived only for myself, I know with a spiritual certainty that this is not true…
And I know this because GOD – who is entirely self-sufficient and is PERFECTION in and of Himself and has no need of any other created thing for any reason – chose compassion over self-sufficiency. God chose to invite souls into the world, firstly through the angels (some of whom rejected Him and therefore started the trajectory for the fall of the world), and then through human souls (who certainly rejected Him through Original Sin and all the other sins)…
And He chose that compassion – that love for such weak creations when He is PERFECT love – because our God is a God who is infinite generosity…
Saint Martin de Porres was a Medieval Saint who said, “compassion is preferable to cleanliness: With a little bit of soap, I can clean my bed, but think of the flood of tears I would require to clean from my soul the stain that harshness against the unfortunate would leave.”
And he said this because he understood the words of the later saint, Saint John Bosco, who said, “Do not think you live in the world to have fun, become rich, eat, drink and sleep. The end for which you were created is infinitely more noble and sublime, and it is this: To love and serve God in this life and that way save your soul.”
And I have been thinking about that today. For it seems to me that compassion is the most important thing. After all, my God created a whole world based on His infinitely compassionate heart. And it occurs to me today that I have not ever thanked Him for that… Not even once…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.