Mar 29 Sat
How can I keep walking along the straight road?
If you say "enough", you are lost. Go further, keep going. Don't stay in the same place, don't go back, don't go off the road.
Our struggle must not be vague. Thus, we must know ourselves thoroughly. We need a clear awareness of our weaknesses and sins to tackle them effectively and improve. We must examine our conscience daily. St Basil recommends: “Examine yourself to find what you are. Do everything possible to know yourself."
Perhaps we try to keep close to Jesus Christ, and want to seek Him in all our actions, but we often fail.
With our examination of conscience, we discover faults and omissions in fulfilling our commitment of love as Christians, and our duties as citizens. We see that we are still not humble enough, that our heart is attached to material things, and that our concern for others is scant. Why is this so? What is the reason for so much carelessness?
We must remain vigilant. Probably you remember friends, good Christians, but they got lost. Do not imagine that they fell victim to a sudden failure. No, each went astray by neglecting his soul for a long spell, so that the firmness of his virtues was gradually undermined and his vices grew little by little, and so he came to a wretched downfall.
Through the examination of conscience, we get to know ourselves as we are, as sinners. Then we decide on the human and supernatural means we need to improve on the next day.
We must not delay this self-knowledge for some unspecified time in the future. It is urgent, today and now. On it depends our making the best use of the time our Lord gives us. We cannot forget that we know neither the day nor the hour when we will have to render an account to God. If we wish to stand at Jesus Christ's right hand on that day, we must fight now.
Our examination of conscience should yield specific resolutions for the following day: to improve in one Norm of piety, to conquer ourselves in a particularly difficult point of struggle, or to live better our consideration for others.
When we get up the next day, we should review our resolutions. Along with offering the day, we tell our Lord, I will serve!
“We must decide. It's wrong to have two candles lit - one to St Michael and another to the devil. We must snuff out the devil's candle: we must spend our life completely in the service of the Lord. If our desire for holiness is sincere, if we are docile enough to place ourselves in God's hands, everything will go well. For He is always ready to give us his grace, especially at a time like this - grace for a new conversion, a step forward in our lives as Christians."
“We cannot regard this Lent as just another liturgical season which has happened to come around again. It is a unique time: a divine help that we should accept. Jesus is passing by and He expects us to take a great step forward - today, now."
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