Christmas Hope!

 

A Sister of  St. Paul of Chartres has a meditation in View from the Ark of the Catholic Times on Hope.
 

On the familiar road of her hometown, on the way home, she was caught between a truck hauling a large load and a car chasing her from behind, and she was momentarily unsure what to do. It was a brief moment, but it reflected our time, when we don't know where to put our minds in the hyper-digital era.

In the midst of voices of concern that the country is on the verge of extinction due to the declining birth rate, and the movement to become a leading country in artificial intelligence (AI) by promoting economic growth, in-depth discussions on renewable energy issues, human alienation in the labor market, and ethical issues are all discussed. Some people discuss how history progresses and why it regresses.

If we go one step further in diagnosing the uncertain future that surrounds us and ask the essential question of life: what happens to the most basic food and drink that life requires, human labor remains the same, with little change. We still cook rice and trim green onions and garlic to eat. Even with digital culture in our hands, people live their daily lives with all their hearts, praying and facing pain. When fundamental rights are denied, they fight to regain them, resist with all their hearts, and stand together to pave the way to a better future.

In this era of easy change, before we can adapt to the beautiful values we want to inherit, other things rush in, and we pass super fast and don't allow ourselves to stay and look at who we are and ask what we are about, who I am, and how the world works.  

However, the religious and monks who remain silent in the presence of God and prepare for their ordination and lifelong vows are no different from the hermits who once stayed in the desert to become monks. Even amid urgent global issues that could disappear at any moment, new hope always permeates. In short, God's birth, how can we not hope in the face of this tremendous fact?

There is hope. With hope, we can once again create a unique dance that belongs to humanity. The miracle that faith brings—yes, it is. We have the space to pray and preserve together the precious values that we must strive to protect.

In our Catholic Tradition, we have many miracle stories with their history of hope. Isn't the miracle born from their prayers a long-standing sign of new hope for us? By walking this path of faith through constant daily prayer, is it not through continuing to walk in hope that our future lies?

We dedicate our existence at the close of this year, under the gracious light of this holy Christmas, to the Lord, with a passage from a poem by Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801–1890), proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIV in November this year. 

"Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th’encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me."

A Blessed and Happy Christmas.

Spiritual Laziness

In the Wisdom of the Church Fathers Column, we hear about the sin 'acedia' (spiritual laziness). Desert monks consistently sought to preserve the zeal of the early days of monastic life, and each day began anew as if they were beginners. Progressing forward is never easy, but we must keep moving. Because God is infinite.

Desert monks always tried to preserve the zeal of the early days of monastic life. So, they would start each day anew as beginners. “Who is the faithful and wise monk who maintains the fire of zeal? It is the person who, until death, never ceases to add fire to the fire, zeal to zeal, eagerness to eagerness, and desire to desire every day.” It is essential to keep and continuously nurture the initial zeal. As time passes, we lose that initial zeal, and our hearts can become cold and extinguished like firewood. Therefore, we must ignite our hearts with fresh zeal every time.

On this journey toward God, zeal is the energy that keeps us from growing weary and drives us forward. Like Moses, who endlessly moved toward the promised land, the desert fathers emphasized maintaining new zeal in the heart daily and spiritual progress. Do not settle for the familiar present and continue the spiritual journey without pause. This concept of progress is a key idea, particularly highlighted in Gregory of Nyssa's 'Life of Moses'. It indicates that we must continually advance in our spiritual life. The relentless movement of the soul toward the immutable God—that is Gregory's concept of progress. Since the soul is not identical with God, the soul’s participation in goodness results in endless progress. This is because only God is infinite. Humans, created in the image of God, are finite beings striving toward God. This implies beings in motion, beings of desire. Moses, who lived a life moving toward the promised land, is a model of this.

It signifies existence. Moses, who lived a life moving toward the promised land, is a prime example. St. John Climacus also states that virtue and love have no limits or endpoints, whether in this world or the next. Progress is a sign of life not only in this world but also in heaven. The essence of perfection, paradoxically, lies in the fact that we never become absolutely perfect and continuously move from glory to glory.

The more he becomes aware of his spiritual growth, the more he feels a hunger and thirst to receive more grace and to grow within that grace. The richer he becomes spiritually, the poorer he considers himself, for his spiritual longing for the heavenly Bridegroom has become insatiable.” Therefore, saying ‘It is enough. I need nothing more’ is very dangerous. “The Lord is infinite and hard to reach, and a Christian must never dare to say that he has reached the Lord but must seek Him day and night and remain humble.” There is no graduation in monastic life.’ This means that monastic life is not a temporary process but a continuous journey throughout one’s life.

According to Saint Benedict, a monastery is “a school for serving the Lord. Graduation from this school likely comes, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, when one leaves the school, and ultimately when one completes this earthly journey. The same applies to spiritual life. The spiritual journey toward God can have no end. We must continue to move forward. Stopping is regression; it is death. We are still on earth. The perfection that saints attained on this earth is only after the resurrection, “when the resurrected body is clothed in a new divine garment and in heaven.