Think About These Things...

Most of the time, we divorce our spiritual life from our secular one. We might set aside time for prayer each day and go to Church on Sundays, but it is often very difficult to see ourselves perpetually in the presence of God. St. Paul, in his letter to the Church in Philippi, offers us a way to meditate continually on the things of God.

“Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Even in our world wrought with pain and suffering, it is yet possible to see God’s hand in our lives and in His creation. As I do my day to day tasks do I fix my gaze solely on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, excellent, and worthy of praise? We are all called to holiness but not all in the same way. In addition, the world, since it was created by God, still reflects the beauty of God, if only imperfectly and indirectly. When we meditate on what is good and pure, we avoid sin which draws us away from God who is true Goodness and Purity. Many of us (myself included) have an overactive imagination. This imagination can lead us to sin, but it can also draw us closer to God and His Will. We must not imagine ourselves away from the reality of suffering in the world, but we must use our imagination to seek what is just and beautiful so that we can have the hope necessary in us to heal the suffering around us. We must not fall into despair but persevere to the end.