Proud
I look at the cheering crowds and think that they cheer for me, when in fact, it is the Saviour upon my back (or inside my heart) to whom all things are owed…
I read something very profound the other day and it has stayed rattling around in my head ever since…
You see, we live in an age where everything that we are taught it how to promote ourselves and speak up for ourselves and be strong and demand our rights and responsibilities.
We are encouraged to have a presence in the world.
And there is nothing at all wrong with that. In fact, it is really important to have a healthy sense of self-identity and self-knowledge. It is important to understand who we are and what we are good at. But, if I consider this from a spiritual perspective, things feel somewhat different… you see, spiritually, I would ask myself – using the words of Saint Josemaria in “The Way” at 600 who wrote, “You... proud? About what?”
It sounds harsh at first, but it is not harsh at all. You see, the Saint had a point. What could we possibly have in our lives to be proud of? Everything that we have belongs to God and is a gift from God. If things are going well and working well, then that is all credit to God. If things are terrible and causing lots of trouble and stress, then that too is all credit to God. God is our eternal Father. And that means that He does everything for us in our own best interest.
Sometimes, I am required to make my children unhappy in order to do what is best of them. For example, they would probably like eating cake and chocolate day and night, but if I make the mistake of allowing that then I would be unable to ever ensure that they were healthy and happy and received everything that they needed. Thus, I will sometime deny them chocolate and cake and instead allow them to eat a more balanced diet.
God does the same with me. He allows me to succeed at some things as I sometimes allow my children to eat some chocolate and cake. Just as I sometimes stop them from eating that sort of food so that they will remain physically healthy, my Beloved restricts my consumption of pleasure so that I remain spiritually healthy…
And I have been thinking about that today as I have been reflecting on the true meaning of my achievements. For it seems to me that I have been proud all my life – but of WHAT? And when I stop and reflect on that I am quite overcome, for I have been no better than a spoiled child and my Beloved has been infinitely patient with me to put up with this sort of pride. For I walk around as the Donkey that bore Christ into Jerusalem… I look at the cheering crowds and think that they cheer for me, when in fact, it is the Saviour upon my back (or inside my heart) to whom all things are owed…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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