The Power to Choose

Thursday, March 02, 2017

Moses: I set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, . . . (Deut 30:19)

Jesus: . . . whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.  (Luke 9:24)

There is no way out of the human predicament: we must make a choice. This is the natural consequence of the fact that God has given us free will. Unfortunately, from the very beginning, evil had entered the world and therefore our ability to choose has been compromised. This is the meaning of the word concupiscence: we have an inclination to choose what will take us farther and farther from God, and deeper and deeper into the realm of death and destruction.

One of the prayers I have decided to make this year is for the Lord to strengthen my ability to make the right choices, knowing full well that there have been many times in my life when I let my guard down and freely chose to act, speak or think in a way that has threatened the good of my soul and that ultimately has weakened the quality of my life, even though at time it seemed to me that my life was richer, freer, more comfortable and enjoyable when I yielded to temptation.

One thing we can do to strengthen ourselves (with God’s help, of course), is to do those things that strengthen that part of our brains that makes connections between the truly good choices in our lives. Some call these choices “top-line activities.” What are those things that draw you closer to God, that bring you peace and contentment of soul, that increase your ability to savor what is good and true and beautiful, that help seat you within the circle of divine love that is the Trinity? A wholesome hobby, perhaps, a certain type of praying and meditating, time spent with people who bring out the good in us, discovering the joy of giving, sacred reading, times of solitude and silence?

Deep down inside we know which things lead us to life and which things we are being encouraged to set aside or let go of. Pray God that He give you the ability to make the choices you know you need to make.

God bless you!