We often measure improvement the same way we measure success: by objective and secular standards; the benchmarks usually consist of increasing income, job promotion, and acquisition of material things along with having the right speech, friends, contacts, education, etc. This type of “improvement” is not a bad thing, it is actually necessary to some degree. If we want to protect and provide for ourselves and our family, it is reasonable to pursue education, improve our skills, and do well on the job.
There is nothing wrong with achieving material success, but how often do you encounter someone striving for spiritual success or spiritual improvement ? How often is it a topic of conversation? How many people do you know that put even one-fourth of the time and effort into achieving spiritual goals as they do achieving material things? “The eyes of the Lord are upon those who love Him” (Sirach 34:16). Why not learn how to love God more, to improve that relationship, to achieve benchmarks of success in spiritual growth and closeness to our Creator?
The Saints
The Saints have chosen this route. They have learned that the return for their investment is the Peace of Heaven on Earth, and embrace of eternity which begins now; they are happy in what they do, living in the grace and love of our Lord and our God.
By studying the lives of the Saints we can learn how to invest in our spiritual growth. As you study the life of a saint, ask yourself what did that person achieve for himself or herself and for others?
During Lent every year, we as Catholics are asked to participate to some extent in this walk with the saints by practicing prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. But do we take our spiritual growth seriously enough? Do we increase prayer? Do we believe enough in prayer to see it as an instrument of change, a path bringing us closer to God, or as a means to nourish and strengthen our own spirit?
A friend of mine recently told me that tears come to his eyes, without fail, whenever he prays the Rosary. Curious, I asked him, “Why do you think that happens.”? He responded, ” I believe that it is God’s way of telling me that my prayers are of value, especially since they are accompanied by profound peace.”
Fasting sometimes invites more questions than sacrifice; for example, the attitude which says: “What difference does it make if I eat this instead of that ?” or “How can a little hunger on my part change the world or anything in it”? First and foremost, fasting is Biblical; it is what Jesus practiced and through His Church,
He asks us to do the same. He fasted for forty days in the desert to strengthen His humanity (Luke 4:1-13) in order to prepare for the events awaiting Him at the end of His brief ministry, and today our Church asks us to practice modest fasting and not just during Lent.
Almsgiving is an act of charity which usually means giving material assistance to those less fortunate than ourselves; in short, giving money to the poor. It doesn’t mean we have to give ten percent of our gross or net income, nor does it mean that we have to give until it hurts, but it does mean that we have to give. Through giving we can become more aware of the needs of others; it is a way to take one step away from ourselves and our self-centeredness and one step closer to another human being who may mean very little to us in a social context but should mean a great deal to us in a spiritual context. Jesus, Himself, in “The Judgment of Nations,” tells us very clearly that, “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40) Do you see Jesus in others ? Is He there waiting for you to recognize Him in the pauper, the beggar, the homeless person seeking warmth or shelter?
Saint Francis
Although Saint Francis of Assisi was a medieval man, his life and vision inspire modern people, believers unbelievers alike because Francis has something to say to them today about how to fast, give alms, and pray.
In the opinion of this writer, St. Francis of Assisi lived Lent every day of his life after his conversion. Well-educated, young, and wealthy, after his conversion he sold everything he owned, gave it to the poor , begged for his food and clothing, and sought shelter in the wilderness of the mountains near his home town of Assisi. Though he had little in terms of material things, he gave to others not from his surplus, nor from his abundance, but from his need. If he had sandals and the beggar had none, without hesitation St. Francis was barefoot and the beggar was not.
One would think that people would shun a homeless beggar like St. Francis. I’m sure that many townspeople wondered why he stayed near Assisi; why not move away and stop bringing embarrassment to himself, his family, and friends? He was always well-liked and though he was the son of a merchant, he socialized and was accepted by the nobility of Assisi; he was a fun-loving, care-free, and a free-spirited individual.
How do you think his friends reacted to seeing him homeless and poor, begging and preaching in the streets of Assisi ? According to the historical account, St. Francis of Assisi A Biography by Omer Englebert, St. Francis was at first rejected; his father for example refused to see or talk to him. But rejection was not God’s plan for this young and courageous man. When he spoke, people listened, as time passed, he gained the respect and attention of the townspeople; when he came into town they stopped what they were doing and went out of their way to become his audience. He was not unlike Christ who attracted people to himself wherever he went. His visits into Assisi, and later to surrounding towns, soon became celebrated events to the extent that some of his previous aristocratic friends followed his example; selling whatever they had, giving to the poor and devoting their lives to prayer, penance and preaching the gospel of our Lord.
Lessons For Modern Man
Augustine Thompson, O.P., in Francis of Assisi: A New Biography, summarizes the lessons he learned from Saint Francis in his introduction:
First, he taught me the love of God is something that remakes the soul, and doing good for others follows from this; it is not merely doing good to others. Francis was more about being than doing. And the others whom the Christian serves are to be loved for themselves, no matter how unlovable, not because we can fix them by our good works. Second, rather than a call to accomplish any mission, program, or vision, a religious vocation is about a change in one’s perception of God and creation. Above all, it has nothing to do with success, personal or corporate, which is something that always eluded Francis. Third, true freedom of spirit, indeed true Christian freedom, comes from obedience, not autonomy. And as Francis showed many times in his actions, obedience is not an abstraction but involves concrete submission to another’s will. Freedom means becoming a“slave of all.” Last—and I hope this subverts everything I have just written—there are no ready and clear roads to true Christian holiness.
Today the Franciscan Order of priests, brothers, and 3rd order associates exists in almost every country in the world. Created by God through the sacrifices and devotional life of one man–who took God seriously.
