All The Things

​The phrase, “I did all the things,” keeps surfacing everywhere. Ironically, the Lord said that only, “one thing is necessary” (The Holy Bible, ESVCE, 2017; Lk. 10:42). In this Scripture, Martha was “burdened with much serving” and “anxious and worried about many things” (Lk. 10: 40-41). She is our mirror in times of desolation and false consolation (Ignatius, SpEx #317, 332). Are we not burdened by the many responsibilities on our never ending “to-do” list that weigh upon tried shoulders in a world spinning faster and faster? Are we not anxious and worried by the trials of life that inevitably visit us while alarming events haunt us? What is this one thing? This one thing is choosing to be with Him, to know His Heart, to enact His Will (as passive or as active as that might be) (Mt. 6: 10).
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​We drown in options, barely keeping our heads above water. How many extracurricular options do we have, or news feeds and podcasts are we subscribed to, or events that we feel obligated to attend, or acquaintances far and near to stay in touch with, or locations to visit, or even noble causes to support? Decades ago, it was a rare privilege to own more than a simple prayer book, rosary, and dusty Bible. While the explosion of amazing Catholic Christian authors, speakers, publishers, and ministries is, indeed, a blessing meant for our times, this, too, may pose a setback for devoted persons. The spiritual counterpart to secular business is activism as identified by lack of authentic prayer and sound discernment leading to a dissipation of spirit and exhaustion of body because our life, in every respect, is overextended. 
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​St. Paul expressed concern that, “your thoughts may be corrupted from a sincere (and pure) commitment to Christ…for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11: 3, 14). In other words, the enemy uses holy interests against us, if we are not careful. Fear of missing out is the temptation of this era. For Catholics, this could look like cramming too many rote prayers or extensive spiritual reading into prayer time rather than deepening into the glorious growth of meditative/contemplative prayer. We are stuck talking at God though we desire to be with/ talk with Him. We must sort through the excesses to choose the essential. Sometimes, less is more, especially in the spiritual life. When Mary said, “May it be done to me,” she made a singular, salvific assent to “it,” to His particular will in that particular moment (Lk 1: 38).
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​Deeper yet, most of us are estranged from the Lord because we do not know who He is or who we are. If only we could win His favor, pray enough to get an answer, be good enough to warrant love. Encounter School calls this “performance;” Protestants coin it “striving;” theologians link this to neo-Pelagianism (Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 2013, #94). Without disparaging the need for human formation, the great illusion is that God will love and serve us more if we are perfect, which we absorbed through difficult relationships, traumatic experiences, and bad theology. No one can be measured by or related to through usefulness or objectification (JPII, TOB General Audience, Feb. 6, 1980). 
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​“In this is love, not that we have loved God, but he loved us…So we have come to know and to believe the love God has for us” (1 John 4: 10,16). Deep within, most of us struggle to know, believe, and hold on to this unconditional love of God. He made us in love, holds us in love, calls us to love. He creates, we live. He initiates, we respond. He loves first, we love back. Love is already there, but where is there when we are elsewhere? “Abide in my love” (Jn. 5: 9). To abide is to remain, dwell, accept, be present. It is as if our hearts wandered away from home, and He invites us back through the simplicity of His will manifested in loving acceptance, divine providence, and sound discernment (a topic for another time). 
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“The will of God is the universal means. This means does not belong to this or that method but has the virtue of sanctifying all methods and special calls” (Self-Abandonment to Divine Providence, De Cassade, 1987, pg. 63-64). In holding to the one thing, the will of the Lord, it is for the purpose of the one end, loving Him wholeheartedly, and in Him, self, and others (the two great commandments of Mt. 22: 26-40). The more I ponder my own life and serve others in spiritual direction, I concur that the common thread of His Will holds true for all and cuts through the noise to clarify and simplify during times of confusion and uncertainty.
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​Jesus encourages us, “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Mt. 12: 50). Surrender is thicker than blood. His own are not identified nor sanctified by what the world purports as necessary, what those around us impress upon us, what we wildly fling ourselves into or compulsively choose, or even carefully doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that, “by prayer we can discern ‘what is the will of God’ and obtain the endurance to do it” (#2826). May this one thing bring us to deep peace, divine intimacy, and supernatural joy. May our hearts be filled and stilled by the simplicity of this one thing leading to the one God.

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1. Be Kind: Exemplify Christian charity and prudence at all times.
2. Be Inspired: Let your communication be led by the Holy Spirit.
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