In today's first reading, Romans 7: 18-25a, St. Paul speaks about the struggle to do good. Sometimes the good spirit within us wants to do good but is met by an opposing spirit! We all know that struggle. We are resolved to ask forgiveness, for instance, or to deal with a challenging issue but do not do so. We are determined to make that difficult phone call but do not do so. We intend to turn off that TV program or the computer and take time to play outside with the children but stay glued to the Internet, to Facebook or to a TV program. We are nudged by God to bring flowers home to our spouse for her birthday but find an excuse to go right home empty-handed.
"The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. For, [St. Paul says of himself,] I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. ...[W]hen I want to do right, evil is at hand. For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind." Paul asks the question: "Who will deliver me from this mortal body? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord." The same is true for you and me.
I have found that when I honestly place a personal difficulty before the Lord in prayer, describing the frustration I am experiencing and asking God for help, I feel uplifted and confident that the next time I will overcome the opposing spirit. It is very important for me to be honest in prayer about the struggles of the day. What I also find important is that I refrain from beating myself up for the times I fail to do the good I would like to have done and, with the psalmist in today's responsorial psalm, pray: Teach me wisdom and knowledge, for in your commands I trust. You are good and bountiful; teach me your statutes....Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight....I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts" (Psalm 119).
No comments:
Post a Comment