Filled with Christ

For the best of all New Years’ resolutions, look to Our Lord and Savior. Be filled with Christ and allow Him to transform every corner of life.

We carry many burdens and wounds with us that affect our physical, emotional, and mental health.  But to all of us, regardless of the size of the burden, Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28, RSVCE). 

What would it look like to be filled with Christ?

The fruits of the Holy Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control,” would govern every interaction (Galatians 5:22-23). We would love one another as Christ loved us — as Christ commanded us (John 13:34).

Imagine a world like that. What if every relationship and every day of your life was filled with Christ? Many of us see that and scoff. If that happened, when would Gandalf and Spock go play quidditch with Darth Vader?

Yet St. Paul assures us that this is possible, urging us to put on Christ and the new nature that comes with it (Ephesians 4:23-24, Romans 13:14, Galatians 3:27). With God, all things are possible.

Here are some signposts that I think are helpful in pursuing a life filled with Christ.

First Things First

When Peter finished his great, fire-filled discourse on Pentecost, St. Luke records the varied reactions of the crowd. Some laughed off the intensity of the apostles’ preaching. Others felt convicted and asked Peter what to do. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

Progress is impossible in the spiritual life without repentance. St. John, known for the great depth of his heart and communicating Christ’s love, puts it very bluntly:

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

The sinner has a promise from Our Lord, however:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us  [1 John 1:5-10].

Repentance is a long process. The turn from mortal sin will (hopefully) happen infrequently, but the turn away from smaller, venial sins is a lifetime process.

Made For This

God tells us simply: there is truth, there is sin, heaven and hell exist, and the things of the world cannot save our souls. Salvation won’t be found in physical health, in shots, sports, or any of the idols that the world holds up for us. While few would claim to look to these things for salvation, how do we spend our time? This does not limit us or repress us. 

Repentance leads to this point: by emptying our souls of darkness, we clear space so that God may dwell within us. It is the inner-most desire of every heart and brings with it tremendous graces in return. Specifically, the grace of freedom to love as God intended:

Man is made for covenant relationship with God. In this intimate exchange of love, true freedom is experienced when life-giving communion, which is freely given by God, is freely accepted and reciprocated by man.  — Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, Behold the Man, pg. 72

Once we conform ourselves to Christ, and to the Father’s will, it will transform us. That, however, requires intimacy, and intimacy requires quality time spent with the God who loves us. A deeper spiritual life carries us closer and closer to our heavenly Father. St. Paul puts it this way, wishing for all of us:

According to the riches of his glory, he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love… to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God [Ephesians 3:16-19].

Fight the Good Fight

Starting with full initiation in the Church and regular participation of the sacraments, the next step is fighting the good fight of faith. That includes living a life of virtue. Just to be clear, these efforts require serious effort, though not in the Pelagian sense. Good habits are hard to make; bad habits are far easier to create and sustain.

St. Paul reminded the Philippians that God does the work in us, but at the same time, we are to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). A large part of building holiness and virtue means dealing with the cross. 

Embrace the Cross

I wish this part were not in here and I know I’m not alone. Ordinary frustrations are bad enough. It is the grisly, terrible kind of suffering that tests faith in God. There are many sins and tragedies that fit the bill. As bad as those things are, God can still pull good out of it. He is still more powerful than it, regardless of the intensity of the darkness. It’s tempting not to see that at all, and not to look past the suffering.

Embracing the cross is never easy. By turning our hearts to God in repentance and growing in an intimate relationship with Him, suffering at least has a foundation. Outside of a Christian framework, does suffering make much sense? Ven. Fulton Sheen highlighted one of Jesus’ many teachings about suffering:

“To His followers, He promised in this world no immunity from evil, but He promised victory over it: ‘I have said this to you, so that in Me you may find peace. In the world, you will only find tribulation; but take courage, I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) The enjoyment of peace was not inconsistent with the endurance of tribulation. Peace is in the soul, and comes from union with Him, though the body may feel pain.  Trials, tribulations, anguish, anxiety are all permitted by the very One Who gives peace.” — Ven. Fulton Sheen, Life of Christ, pg. 317

The topic of suffering is crucial for two reasons. First, this area brings great difficulty to every life, every person, no matter what. It’s an inescapable part of being human. Second, for Christians of any stripe, the world continues to get more anti-Christian. It’s understandable to want better times, but western civilization will not be “going back to normal.” A greater share of the cross awaits.

Contemplate Heaven

Every spiritual effort in our lives–from repentance to living in intimacy with God to enduring suffering–will find its fulfillment in heaven. And then some! God will lift the veil on the great mystery of the Trinity. St. Paul said that “for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). If that sounds crazy, I recommend spending time thinking and praying on heaven. For some, heaven may seem boring. We have no way to wrap our minds around eternity; that can easily lead to some disillusionment. 

Casting your nets out into the deep and contemplating heaven — really, the love of God in full — helps alleviate those obstacles. 

But we need to carry everything on this list with us when thinking of heaven. Heaven is not a participation trophy sort of thing and not everyone will go there. It is entirely within our power to choose sin, refuse the grace of God, and wind up on the wrong side of eternity. The stakes are high! All the more reason to commit to a life of repentance, intimacy with God, and embracing the cross.