We were born saints. And by God’s grace are kept saints for a brief moment. It was to this brief moment in childhood that Christ pointed to us as the model when He said ‘to become like little children,’ and ‘to learn from children.’ He was not referring to children who have become spoiled brats, a sad occurence when original sin takes effect and the child slowly loses his initial holiness. If we could only stretch and maintain that brief moment, a thing which the parents of St. Therese of the Child Jesus were able to do, and which all parents must do….but are unable to.
Then comes the workings of worldly desires. The child begins to demand the satisfaction of his desires, and his parents cooperate by giving in. Everything in the world connives to teach him to demand the satisfaction of his concupiscence. And so the child grows up in his small world where his desires are his god . Pope Benedict calls this the dictatorship of relativism.
This is one side of a continuum: a soul wherein the self is god and whose every desire must be satisfied. On the opposite side of the continuum is God and His Will. It has become a battle between ‘my will be done’ versus ‘Thy will be done.’
To attain charity, all we have to do is to move from ‘my will be done’ and cross over to ‘Thy Will be done.’ When we have reached a point in our lives when we no longer do our own will and are only occupied in doing and being resigned to God’s will, then, THIS IS CHARITY. Theologians refer to this as ‘uniformity with God’s will.’
Of course, the road between the two continua is not smooth. There are a thousand obstacles between the two wills all managed by the devil. But Christ had provided a bulldozer to remove those obstacles. This is the spirit of repentance with its three elements of fasting, good works and prayer. Having eliminated those obstacles, the way is still a little rough. This is further smoothened out by poverty, chastity and obedience. From then on, everything will be smooth sailing towards the perfection of Charity. (Painting is “The Mystical Marriage of St. Catherine.”)