from Pope St. John Paul II - Christifideles Laici, 16; Veritatis Splendor, 19, 22
Reflection:
I'm grateful that I don't have this existential crisis of not knowing my purpose in life. Seriously, living a Catholic life has its perks, and one of those perks is the understanding of one's purpose. Mission. Calling. Or should I say... vocation.
Pope St. John Paul II writes
the prime and fundamental vocation that the Father assigns to each of them in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit: the vocation to holiness, that is, the perfection of charity. Holiness is the greatest testimony of the dignity conferred on a disciple of Christ. (CL, 16)I am called to live a life of holiness. In the deepest sense. And what is that? A perfection in charity. It's not enough to follow commandments, but rather live out a call to a rooted life of holiness abounding in charity. To the rich man, who was an ardent follower of the commandments, Jesus said
You lack one thing; go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.The one thing he lacked was charity. He had many possessions. He didn't share that. He thought it was only good enough to follow the law.
It is a daily reflection as to how God wants me to grow in charity. I'm not always good at responding to every opportunity. Oftentimes, I'm like this rich man who left sorrowful because he had great possessions. I become sorrowful when I lack the interior disposition to live a life of charity because of my pride, selfishness, and ego. I lack the one thing.
Response:
I shall strive to imitate Mary's example of holiness by living a life of virtue. And allow my love for Jesus and Mary to grow all the more.
Asking for St. Therese of Lisieux's intercession, I'll strive to see the little ways and opportunities to grow in holiness in my day to day life.
Totus tuus,
-JD
I'm using Fr. Brian McMaster's Totus Tuus to prepare for Total Consecration. Get yours here on Amazon!
