We often lack a sense of urgency with regard to the development of our spiritual progress. There’s only just so much time in the day and what should be first often becomes last in the constant reshuffling of our daily priorities.
Yet, God tells Moses to “Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I the Lord your God is holy.” (LV 19,2) The First Letter of St. Peter reiterates the same message “As obedient children don’t be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”“ (1 Peter1:14-15)
It certainly seems that God desires to see our continual progress on the road to a virtuous life. Such is the desire of a loving father!
Yet, I run across business leaders who say things like “I’ll go back to church when I retire.” or “When things slow down I’ll work on my faith.” or “I’m just too busy right now.” Think of “busy” as an acronym for Being Under Satan’s Yolk. B.U.S.Y.
There will always be another situation to take care of or one more email to answer before your next step to greater sanctity. Could Satan be giving you an extra dose of pride, of puffed-up self-importance? Remember the parable Christ told about the successful rich man who decided, in his abundance, to pull down his barns for larger ones? Then, of course, God said to him “Fool! This night your soul of required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” Christ is not anti-business, he and St. Joseph worked in the world of business and it served their needs. The parable pointed out that the rich man’s priorities were off base, that while he was rich as measured in the temporal world, he was not rich toward God. (Luke 12: 16-21)
Christ told Martha (Martha, Martha..) “you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her. “(LK 10:41). Just where was Mary? She wasn’t checking her emails, stepping outside to take a call or watching the latest breaking news. She was sitting at the Lord’s feet and listened intently to his teaching. Are you catching a theme here?
I’m a big proponent of the “small steps lead to big changes” method in all areas of life including spiritual development. Going big often leads to frustration and giving up on that long, winding and daunting journey to sanctity. Aided by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, fear of the Lord – the desire not be separated from Him) who helps us perfect the virtues, simply start by picking a single fault (come on – we all have a boatload of faults to pick from) and practice in small ways on a daily basis the opposite virtue of that fault in order to correct it.
You will find that what seemed so important (eg. over-scheduling the day), so addicting (eg porn, gambling), so calming (eg. liquor or other drugs) just doesn’t give us the same satisfaction as when a virtue is perfected (at least to a human level of perfection) which opens the soul to more of God’s actions in our lives. One by one those passions, as St. Peter called them, those sins that keep us from journeying on our way to sanctity start to fall away.
As those passions, those distractions, lose their grip on us and fall away we can concentrate and work on what matters in life; getting to know God, getting to know ourselves and our relationship with God, helping others do the same and perfecting our businesses as a gift of appreciation to God for everything He has given to us in our lives.
Our spiritual maturity, like everything else in life such as our professional or personal development, requires that we intentionally practice.
