Carelessness
1. Some people think that they are good
Christians because they avoid committing grave sin and more or less
fulfil their duties. They do not entirely omit their prayers, but they
are content to recite them listlessly.
They go to Mass on days of
obligation, but they are afraid of arriving too early and so they are
usually a little late. Once Mass is over, they leave the church as if it
had gone on fire. During Mass, they are cold and distracted. They are
like candlesticks without candles; their minds are absent, their hearts
are mute.
In regard to their work or other obligations, any
excuse suffices to escape or to leave a job half-done. It is useless to
expect from them anything like fervour in prayer, attention to duty, or a
spirit of sacrifice in the performance of good works.
Such
people are only half-Christians. They do not wish to serve Satan, but
they lack the generosity and the strength of will to become true sons of
God.
Do you belong to this category? If your carelessness
derives from a lack of appreciation of divine things and of your duty in
life, you can hardly avoid grave fault. If it comes from laziness,
tepidity, or lack of mortification, there is no doubt but that you are
close to mortal sin. Anyone who is negligent not only disgusts men, but
he is an object of loathing to God also and is running the risk of being
abandoned by Him. We should examine ourselves seriously and if we
discover this indifference in ourselves, we should shake off our
lethargy and make good resolutions to love God more and to serve Him
with greater fidelity and diligence. We should be ready, no matter how
great the sacrifice, to avoid every imperfection and sin. Any offence
against God can lead us nearer to eternal damnation.
2. Reflect
on the infinite generosity of God, Who created us, redeemed us from sin
by shedding the blood of His divine Son, and enriched our souls with
graces and supernatural gifts. How can we remain indifferent and fail to
correspond willingly with such goodness? Virtue cannot be achieved
without diligence, and we cannot be true Christians without virtue. Let
us consider the example given us by the Saints. They lived in a
continual and prayerful union with God; they never refused any task or
any sacrifice in order to show their love for Jesus and their total
dedication to His will; they made every effort to attract others towards
holiness and to bring about the triumph of the kingdom of Christ in the
world. What are we doing? What are we prepared to do in future?
3. A zealous Christian, ordered in all things, always ready to do his
duty and to promote his own spiritual welfare and that of his neighbour,
is the source of great edification. Of him can be said what was written
of Jesus Himself: “He has done all things well.” (Mk. 7:37) The same
must be true of us if we are to be genuine disciples of Jesus Christ.
There are many ways of helping ourselves to do our duty well and of
increasing the fervour of our interior lives. (1) Live always in the
presence of God. (2) Remember that nothing is insignificant in His eyes
as long as it is done for Him. (3) Ask Him insistently for His love,
repeating with St. Francis of Assisi: “My Lord, my God, my all!”
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