By Tom Thomas.
There are a lot of struggles in the life of a Christian. It certainly is not an easy life, akin to almost being a gladiator in an arena. These lines from Russell Crowe’s epic character Maximus in the hit movie Gladiator come to mind: “What we do in life echoes in eternity.” What are the struggles of a Christian in this life that will echo in eternity?
A recent catechesis message from the Holy Father, delivered during the General Audience on 3rd January, 2024, and building on the earlier one of Virtues and Vices, is on spiritual striving in the life of a Christian. The Holy Father says, “The spiritual life of the Christian is not peaceful, linear, and without challenges; on the contrary, Christian life demands constant striving: the Christian striving to preserve the faith and enrich the gifts of faith in us. It is no coincidence that the first anointing that every Christian receives in the sacrament of Baptism—the catechumenal anointing – is without any aroma and symbolically announces that life is a struggle. In fact, in ancient times, wrestlers were fully anointed before the competition, both to tone their muscles and to make their bodies elusive to their opponent’s grasp. The anointing of catechumens immediately makes it clear that the Christian is not spared the struggle, that the Christian must strive: his existence, like everyone else’s, will have to descend into the arena, because life is a succession of trials and temptations.”
Reading these words a few times, the importance strikes that we Christians are almost like wrestlers or gladiators, thrown into the arena of life, where we must hold on to our virtues to survive, and instead, if we hold on to our vices, we could perish. Are we clear about what our vices are? It is quite important to know what they are and ponder upon them, as the Holy Father says,” There are many people who absolve themselves, who declare they are “just fine”—”No, No, I am good, I don’t have these problems.” But none of us are “alright”; if someone feels they are alright, they are dreaming; every one of us has many things to adjust to and must also be vigilant. And at times it happens that we go to the sacrament of reconciliation and we say, sincerely, “Father, I don’t remember; I don’t know if I have any sins…”. But this is a lack of awareness of what is happening in the heart. We are all sinners, all of us. And a little examination of the conscience, a little insight, will be good for us. Otherwise, we risk living in the dark, because we have become accustomed to darkness and no longer know how to distinguish good from evil.”
The Baptism of Jesus by John covered in this communication beautifully explains that though Jesus was without sin, he accompanies us sinners and is with us in our struggles always.
I had a struggle recently, and it was about the publication of a piece I had sent to the editor of a Catholic publication and not heard anything back from. As the days passed without any response, I got increasingly anxious until, one fine day, the piece was published. Sharing my anxiety at that time with my spiritual guide, a Franciscan Friar, he messages me: “Dear Tom, This is about your anxiety over the publication of your write-up! A writer will have to face many rejections to become a perfect writer. Just imagine that Thomas Merton’s The Seven Storey Mountain was considered unfit for publication by his own classmate, and when it was finally published, it became the best seller of all time. A certain priest (Joseph Girzone) who had cancer withdrew from active ministry and started writing, and the first novel based on Jesus called “Joshua” was not accepted for publication. And when another publisher published it, it became a bestseller. Let us always wait for “God’s time” as the best time! It is very difficult, and it is easy for me to say it. Take heart, God is with us!”
In the context of reading the Holy Father’s words and the Franciscan Friar’s, it is clear to me that I let my vice of pride in my writing get in the way of my peace of mind. If I had remained humble and rooted in my faith, I would not have been worried about the situation at all. I resolve to surrender this vice of mine in confession. As the Holy Father mentions, “Jesus wants your heart to be open. He never forgets to forgive; it is we who, many times, lose the capacity to ask for forgiveness. Let us regain this capacity to ask for forgiveness. Every one of us has many things to ask forgiveness for. Let each one of us think about it inwardly and speak about it with Jesus today. Speak with Jesus about this: “Lord, I do not know if this is true or not, but I am sure that You will not turn away from me. I am sure that You will forgive me. Lord, I am a sinner, but please do not turn away from me.”
The ending lines of the catechesis echo powerfully within me as I read them. It is a constant spiritual struggle for a Christian, but knowing and rooting out our vices is essential, as otherwise we run the risk of changing our Christian nature.
“Let us remember that we are always torn between opposite extremes: arrogance challenges humility; hatred opposes charity; sadness hinders the true joy of the Spirit; the hardening of the heart rejects mercy. Christians continually walk along these dividing lines. Therefore, it is important to reflect on vices and virtues: it helps us to defeat the nihilistic culture in which the boundaries between good and evil become blurred, and, at the same time, it reminds us that the human being, unlike any other creature, can always transcend itself, opening up to God and journeying towards holiness. The spiritual struggle, then, leads us to look closely at those vices that shackle us and to walk, with the grace of God, towards those virtues that can flourish in us, bringing the springtime of the Spirit into our lives.”
The saints also passed through these struggles spiritually, and it certainly might not have been easy for them. But they persevered and are shining beacons of light for us, showing that we must keep struggling spiritually every day in the arena of life. To give an example, St Paul went through so many struggles in his life for standing with Christ—hunger, imprisonment, shipwreck, and homelessness are just some of them. Yet he could write, “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me” (Phil 4:13).
There is a purpose to every struggle in our lives as Christians. Let us persevere in this spiritual struggle.
“God leaves you in that darkness for His Glory. Here is a great opportunity for your spiritual progress,” St Padre Pio.