Sometimes
(especially right now) I don’t want to work at things. If it isn’t going to be quick or easy, then I
won’t do it. Which is why I have not
cleaned out my sewing machine and oiled it so that I could sew a present for a
friend, and why I have not sat down to read a long book. I want instant results with as little effort
as possible.
In some ways
this is definitely a result of the culture I live in. We get everything we want whenever we
want. That’s why we have microwave
popcorn, fast food, instant hot cocoa, text messaging, sports updates on our
smart phones, and yes, even Facebook.
All these things give us the desired results with very little effort on
our part.
And so, if you
are like me, you might become lazy and impatient. You might start expecting instant results in
your relationship with God when you have given Him very little of your time and
life. You might get lazy and thing that
just because you are nicer to that one person now, you are a perfect human
being.
But that isn’t
true. As St. Josemaría Escrivá said, “Sanctification
is the work of a lifetime.” There is no
such thing as instant sainthood. We can’t
wake up one day and automatically be holy.
It takes hard work, discipline, and a continual openness to the grace of
God in order to live a life of virtue and to become the saints that He wants us
to be, the fullest version of ourselves. God is always
calling us to go deeper and to discover more and more about Him (and
ourselves). But it isn’t easy. We must be patient and we must work
hard.
That's why the New Year always encourages me. Just like confession, it gives me a chance to start over and to renew my commitment to become a virtuous and holy woman. So here’s to
continuing to work hard towards sainthood in 2013!
St. Josemaría,
pray for us!
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