Faith Is Needed On Our 'Journey'

"A man who once has understood what makes the greatness of the soul cannot be happy anymore if he will allow to himself to be stingy, selfish, disturbed by trivial incidents or fearing what destiny could reserve. A man capable of the greatness of the soul will open completely his soul's windows to the Universe", (Bertrand Russell - The Conquest of Happiness).

Oh, how much I so wish for myself to reach such an elevated stage of understanding which would allow me to experience a complete harmony within myself!

But in fact I am so far away from this level of understanding! "I take strong resolutions, but to the smallest temptation that befalls me, I will fall immediately into a big discouragement, I am so fragile and weak in resisting the smallest annoyance! I find myself almost beaten by the slightest blow", (De Imitatione Christi).

I know that our life is a continuous fight and I am struggling and fighting day after day inspired by Abraham Maslow's 'reasoning', "think of life as a process of choices, one after another. At each point there is a progression choice and a regression choice, a movement towards defence, towards safety, towards being afraid; but over on the other side, there is the growth choice."

We cannot wallow in self pity despite our character defects. We know that everybody has defects, problems and weaknesses. To find the courage to overcome all these 'handicaps' stays the magnificence of our lives!

And for who is a Christian it is not too difficult, because "in our moments of absolute failure, there is also an absolute choice between despair and hope, ourselves or God. The Lord waits humbly to enter in at the door of our helplessness", (Way of the Cross, Station IX).

We are falling; always we are falling, because we are 'on the journey'. Sometimes we doubt if we will be able to continue.

"Success is not measured by what is achieved by us or by where we have arrived, but by the obstacles that we have overcome trying to succeed", (Booker T Washington).

The Saints, who were people just like us, are now in the glory of heaven and they are there not because they never fell, but because they 'knew' to rise up after each falling.

Instead of trying to apologise and colour our fallings we have to accept them. We are weak and cannot predict our fallings because we have our feet on the ground but it would be wonderful to keep our eyes upwards.

To live well depends on each of us, depends on our capacity to enjoy our lives and depends on knowing to give value to our lives.

For all of these we need to have faith, because the faith makes us to feel strong, free and safe.

We should always be remembering that God writes our destiny with our own hand.

But, until that time I have a long way to cover, a harsh dangerous and difficult way, which alone, certainly I would not be able to do.

Only thinking about it and the despair takes me, making me feel useless and sad.

But I know that there exists an "inexhaustible power that makes the Universe revolve" (Dr. Alexis Carrel) and linking up to this force I will overcome the most difficult adversities that I will meet on the way in my life.

I and many others are so depressed, sad, scared, worried thinking of our miseries - and forgetting why we were sent to this world; I say that the answer is to become saints, heroes of our lives - but for it we need to fight, to dominate and to control ourselves, and to become able to convert the "bad things - into a good and invigorating tonic." (William James)

Everything that is necessary for it exists in us - "the Divinity that moulded our purpose exists in ourselves." (James Lane Allen)

I like very much the song that says, "Everything I can in That that comforts me." And who comforts me is my Lord, who is "eternal and immense, extremely powerful, who will perform the amazing and incomprehensible wonders in the Heaven, on the Earth'" and in my life.

And because of all of these, I believe that I can do everything, because I have faith, this immense force that "was born in God's heart and is then given to people as a grace." (Iran Ibrahim Jacob)

I know that I am not alone; I am not 'walking' alone.

But, even so, with all this certainty, I have moments in my life when I soften and allow my soul to sadden even unto tears, allowing myself to be subjugated by the tribulations and I feel completely abandoned.

In these situations my Lord retreats for a short time His grace - only to strengthen me - because only in this kind of situation we can give proof of our virtues.

Being put face to face with the adversities, we are capable to discover "in our inmost, profound sources of energy that we never use" in times of happiness. (Richard Byrd)

And all of this is achieved with prayer; the prayer is "for our spirit as the air is for our lungs. To pray is to breathe spiritually, it is to fill our interior with God and with the grace of life." (Iran Ibrahim Jacob)

"The prayer is - a bright self generating fountain of strength; the prayer is the most powerful form of energy that we can produce. It is a force as real as the Earth's gravity." (Dr. Alexis Carrel)

Let us pray then, trusting entirely in our Divine Guide who can comfort us, in any moment, converting our afflictions into joy and happiness. "God and us have problems in commune - and when we open our hearts to receive this influence, ours, the most profound, destiny is accomplished" said William James.

With other words, through prayer, we open our heart to God, making ourselves available for our Lord, allowing Him to perform wonders and miracles in our lives.

Because, we are nothing alone and nothing we have, we 'clay' creatures, have only what we received from God, without any of our own merit.

So, give allowance to our Lord - that all belongs to Him, all He has done and all He has given - to reign in our lives.

For us, all that remains to do, is what Pope Pio said "Pray, hope and don't worry"!