Meditations

On Becoming Mature Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Acts 9, 6 St. Paul was miraculously turned around and changed by the grace of the Savior he was persecuting. Alas, how much have we persecuted him through our unfaithfulness, our petulance, our untamed emotions that have disturbed the work he is doing. He has had to bring us low through trials. He has had to crush our pride. He has had to baffle our fleshly wisdom. He has had to dismay our vaunted self-worth. Therefore, let us say to him, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? I am ready to do anything you ask. We must make this offer complete, holding nothing back. We must not make vague promises we will not actually put into practice when it comes to details. St. Augustine tells us that for too long we have been dragging around with weak wills, longing after good, but not putting forth the effort to bring it about. It does not cost us anything to want to become mature if we do not put forth any effort to become mature. We need to want God's maturity and perfection in our lives more than anything else. So let us each probe our hearts and ask ourselves, am I determined to sacrifice to God my strongest friendships, my most deeply rooted habits, my foremost inclinations, my most gratifying pleasures?