I spoke to a priest during my discernment about how spiritual reading and meditation on the word of God had ignited my holy desires and sustained me throughout my vocation journey. He scoffed and told me that he had performed such practices faithfully as a seminarian, but he had given all that up since his ordination to focus on priestly ministry.
I wondered then—and continue to wonder now—how we can avoid becoming self-satisfied if we “do not have time” to meditate on the word of God. How can we face our own deficiencies and continually grow in relationship with God when we do not read spiritual books, learning from the saints and others before us? How can we know the areas where God is inviting us grow in our love and discipleship when we do not allow Him space and time to speak to our hearts?
Further, how can a priest administer the sacraments with fervent joy when he has lost touch with the mysteries of the faith because of a lack of serious meditation? How can we grow and mature in our spiritual lives without the hard work of letting the word of God challenge our laxities and self-deception? Is it possible to follow Jesus faithfully without striving to grow in our prayer lives? How can we be strengthened by divine grace when we have no time for deep prayer? Without serious meditation on God’s word, is it possible to be engaged in today’s struggle and still keep our eyes on eternity?
I took my conversation with this priest as God’s warning to me that even the gift of the priesthood can make me complacent. This is why St. Paul reminds Timothy that he must not become self-satisfied in his status as a “man of God” but must strive to practice and attain Christlike virtues continually: “But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.” Timothy is called to prepare for the coming of the Lord Jesus by his constant striving to become like Jesus. He must also refuse any complacency by keeping the commandments, “Keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of Our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Tim. 6:11-16), a reminder that he must not fall into complacency because of his ordination as a bishop.
The rich man in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man did not end up in hell after his life of affluence simply because he was rich, ate well, and dressed in luxury. He was damned because the good things that he received from God made him complacent. He failed to respond to the many invitations to grow in charity towards Lazarus at his gate because he was busy enjoying his wealth and pleasures. There was no attempt on his side to work harder to meet the needs of the wretched at his door. In his complacency, he was unconcerned about Lazarus’ woes, though he had the means to alleviate them.
Lazarus, on his part, gained heavenly life because he faced his poverty with patient trust in God. Though he could not find satisfaction in his present condition, he looked forward to his heavenly reward even as he lived in dire need on earth. He did not slack in his endurance till the very end. Abraham would use him as an example of steadfast trust in God to the rich man, saying, “My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus received what was bad; but now he is comforted here whereas you are tormented” (Lk. 16:19-31).
The prophet Amos also had strong words for the complacent leaders and elite of his time, exclaiming, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: Woe to the complacent in Zion! Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches, they eat lambs taken from the flock, and calves from the stall…! Yet, they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph” (Am. 6:1,4-7). They are so busy enjoying the blessings of the land that they are not bothered at all about their country being overrun by invaders.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, there are so many things that can make us complacent in our spiritual lives, preventing us from making any serious and sustained effort to grow and mature. These may even be good things that God has blessed us with, like a job promotion, a call to ministry, a new and exciting relationship, a success in our endeavors, etc. Other times, it’s the painful experiences and the hurts of life that can make us satisfied with our status quo. The experience of sickness, loss of loved ones, or financial difficulties can kill our resolve to grow in our commitments to God and our willingness to give all for love of Him.
We can even become complacent through our sinful choices and tendencies. Instead of facing our sexual sins and failures with the grace of God and laboring for our conversion, we give in to self-complacency. We begin to demand that the Church change her teachings on and attitudes towards sexuality, rather than conforming ourselves to God’s laws. We do not make any serious attempt to change and mature in our discipleship; instead, we demand that the Holy Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the teachings of the Magisterium change to accommodate our lifestyle. This is the crass type of self-complacency that brings nothing but woe to the individuals—and to the Church as a whole.
The only true antidote to the scourge of self-complacency is a deep encounter with God’s love for each of us as we are. There is no iota of self-complacency in Christ. His love will always challenge us and move us to grow and be better disciples, “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all” (2 Cor. 5:14).
We must encounter this love of God in Jesus Christ as often as possible. We begin to encounter this liberating love when we listen to His words in the scriptures and allow His grace to move us deeply. We have a deeper experience of this love as we open our hearts to Christ in the sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation.
It is the light of God’s love that shows us the hidden areas of self-satisfaction in our lives and moves us to reject them. This is the love that challenges us in our mediocrity, moves us to struggle with our sins, and to make effort to grow in Christlikeness. This is the love that will not allow us to compromise on our deficiencies but to face them with hope and courage. This is the love that moves us to strive to become more and more like Jesus Christ until He returns in glory.
This is the love that Jesus offers us in each Eucharist.
We have no reason to ever succumb to complacency.
Glory to Jesus!!! Honor to Mary!!!
Photo by Krista Mangulsone on Unsplash
