Pathway to Purpose: Asceticism
"I cry to God Most high, to God who fulfils his purpose for me." Ps 57:2
"The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me." Ps 138:8
I remember when I was a young adult, how concerned I was with knowing God's purpose for my life. Along with many of my friends, we suffered much angst together trying to determine God's perfect will for our lives. Should we marry? Where should we live? What was our life’s work to be?
In the 25 years since, hopefully I have matured emotionally and spiritually enough to broaden my horizon of what God's purpose is for my life. While the Word of God is full of general direction, I have yet to find the verse with my name telling what to have for breakfast each day. Yet I have learned there are steps I can take to help me discern God’s purpose for me. These steps turn into a journey, a path towards purpose. While most journeys have an end, a destination, I am learning that this journey is an end in itself.
I have found 5 stepping-stones along this journey to discovering purpose. My path must go through each; none can be ignored. Each could become a rest area, a place to stop and regroup. But I can’t stay for long in any one place, they each lead to another. As I discover my spiritual gifts or strengths along the way, I find where I am most successful. Yet I must always leave that place to continue to the next.
Asceticism, or the disciplines of fasting and self-denial, has always been difficult for me. Early on, I did not see a purpose or a goal with these. St. Seraphim used to say one could not pray on a full stomach. While I have tried to prove him wrong, I think he has a point. I have since learned that asceticism cannot be an end in itself. If we try to make it such, our journey hits an immediate dead end.
Great Lent is a time of self-denial, of fasting, prayer, and alms giving. Again these are not our goal; they are the means to our goal of theosis, or redemption. Christ denied himself, first by emptying himself (kenosis) to become man, and finally to face suffering and a brutal death. Somewhere in that journey of suffering, our redemption is found.
I think of Pope John Paul II and the suffering he is experiencing at the end of his life. His witness until his final day is that suffering can be redemptive. While there is a great gulf between self-denial and what real suffering is, I think there is somewhat of a correlation. By denying our passions, our gluttony, sloth, pride and other desires, we get a sense of a different reality.
And so I take the time and energy to practice self-denial. I fast, or at least make a serious attempt to do so. I pray. I give. I think of ways to humble myself to others. Maybe I even run long distances, training my body to accept more than just a slothful, lazy lifestyle. Whatever I do, I remind myself that there is a greater purpose to my life than to eat, drink and be merry. And I allow this self-denial to lead me to another step in discovering my true self, and my true purpose in life.
"The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me." Ps 138:8
I remember when I was a young adult, how concerned I was with knowing God's purpose for my life. Along with many of my friends, we suffered much angst together trying to determine God's perfect will for our lives. Should we marry? Where should we live? What was our life’s work to be?
In the 25 years since, hopefully I have matured emotionally and spiritually enough to broaden my horizon of what God's purpose is for my life. While the Word of God is full of general direction, I have yet to find the verse with my name telling what to have for breakfast each day. Yet I have learned there are steps I can take to help me discern God’s purpose for me. These steps turn into a journey, a path towards purpose. While most journeys have an end, a destination, I am learning that this journey is an end in itself.
I have found 5 stepping-stones along this journey to discovering purpose. My path must go through each; none can be ignored. Each could become a rest area, a place to stop and regroup. But I can’t stay for long in any one place, they each lead to another. As I discover my spiritual gifts or strengths along the way, I find where I am most successful. Yet I must always leave that place to continue to the next.
Asceticism, or the disciplines of fasting and self-denial, has always been difficult for me. Early on, I did not see a purpose or a goal with these. St. Seraphim used to say one could not pray on a full stomach. While I have tried to prove him wrong, I think he has a point. I have since learned that asceticism cannot be an end in itself. If we try to make it such, our journey hits an immediate dead end.
Great Lent is a time of self-denial, of fasting, prayer, and alms giving. Again these are not our goal; they are the means to our goal of theosis, or redemption. Christ denied himself, first by emptying himself (kenosis) to become man, and finally to face suffering and a brutal death. Somewhere in that journey of suffering, our redemption is found.
I think of Pope John Paul II and the suffering he is experiencing at the end of his life. His witness until his final day is that suffering can be redemptive. While there is a great gulf between self-denial and what real suffering is, I think there is somewhat of a correlation. By denying our passions, our gluttony, sloth, pride and other desires, we get a sense of a different reality.
And so I take the time and energy to practice self-denial. I fast, or at least make a serious attempt to do so. I pray. I give. I think of ways to humble myself to others. Maybe I even run long distances, training my body to accept more than just a slothful, lazy lifestyle. Whatever I do, I remind myself that there is a greater purpose to my life than to eat, drink and be merry. And I allow this self-denial to lead me to another step in discovering my true self, and my true purpose in life.
posted by Jeff at
2:56 PM
