God Is Not For Extra Purpose

© 2003 Excerpt from "I Can Serve": A Community Journal written on 2003, 7th of June

For us trying to lovingly draw our dear friends deeper to God, we may hear these responses:
“I’d rather rest than spend time in church or join a Christian community.”
“I know people from a Christian community who are not good examples. They don’t practice what they preach. They still live in sin. They get angry, they speak bad words, they hurt people. Why should I join?”
“I’m also a member already of a sorority (or a fraternity or a club). They’re all the same as yours. We help the poor, we conduct self-development programs, etc. sometimes even more extensive and financially-organized than Christian communities.”
“I’m ok and happy with my life. Why should I complicate it further by spending on spiritual affairs inconvenient and a waste of my time and schedules. I help out my friends in need better than they do.”

Many of our friends and relatives right now, as I speak, go on living today treating God in two things:
1. That God is just a vending machine. When things, jobs, ambitions or health are failing or are not working, or needs divine intervention, that’s the only time they insert a prayer coin to a heavenly vending machine and ask God for an answered pop soda. They make a deal to God. “Lord, if I make this one, I promise to go to mass, I promise to donate something to charity, etc., etc.” They attend the 40 days novena prior to their set licensure examination; they offer eggs to the Carmelite; they visit the adoration chapel until sunrise. Then when their prayers are answered, they only make a passing or even forget to thank God.

 

2. That God is just an optional extra. Most of the people’s main priorities in life are their work, wealth, vanity, vying for social status, a new cell phone or a new car, travel, leisure and health. In other words, they are concerned first and foremost of their self-fulfillment and God is just a means to that end. And when they had accomplished them, they work on the next task and activity at hand, it's a vicious cycle, never satisfied. Yes, they also pray, they go to mass, they give alms to the poor, perhaps even pray the rosary, do novena, they never killed anyone, never stolen, profess a strict morality, living as upright men and women, honest in work, organized schedules, no vices. They say they are also asking for spiritual enlightenment (only if they feel like it.) “I also consider myself an active Christian, I involved God in my affairs, aren’t I?” They go on living their lives firmly believing it’s enough. “God should be happy with me, I’m doing enough.” “Prayer meetings? Community? Retreat? Been there, done that.” They feel a satisfaction which makes them think of themselves good and just already. “I live a clean simple life, why complicate things?” Life is that simple.*

But True Christians never think he or she loves God enough. True love for that matter, never thinks that it loves its beloved sufficiently.* As St. Augustine beautifully puts it: “The measure of loving God is to love Him without measure.” We cannot go on living life in spiritual paralysis or love God lukewarmly, halfheartedly while holding on to our materialistic priorities and views in life. We should make an effort, love requires struggle. We should persevere for a lifetime. And as what St. Escriva once wrote: "What’s the secret to perseverance? …Love, fall in love and you will never leave Him."

Our entire goal in life is not to work well, to achieve dreams, high hopes and ambitions in life, to find social and material satisfaction, tour the world, to seek leisure or good health for a long prosperous life. And treat God as a genie, a second best in achieving those goals, or even 15th place in our list.
Our end goal in life is "to know, to love and serve the Lord our God," Creator of all these things, things we so tediously work for ourselves to get. He is our first sole priority. Everything else ought to be the means to that end.*

“…The difference between the world’s view of being self-fulfilled and God’s view: The world says we should seek self-fulfillment; pursue it—work at it for our own sake. God says that if we forget ourselves and serve Him, the contentment of self-fulfillment will come as a by-product, without our having to work at it.” (Be Still and Know that I Am God by P.G. Opatz)
Footnote: *Jean Daujat

 

***

"My Nightly Examination of Conscience: A Prayer, Meditation, Examen & Gratitude Journal in One to Intentionally Cultivate Saintly Virtue, Grow in Holiness & Transform your Life Before Bedtime" is now available at Amazon.

The only companion you'll need for your evening prayer, meditation, examen and gratitude journaling, all in one notebook!

 

Get a copy by clicking this link: https://amzn.to/3go5ti4

or click the image above.