We are called to demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit, to be good stewards in the world, to be compassionate, pursue justice and show mercy.
First Reading: Acts 4:32-35
Psalm: Psalm 117(118):2-4, 15-18, 22-24
Second Reading: 1 John 5:1-6
Gospel: John 20:19-31
We live in a world today which is increasingly focused on the practical, almost to the exclusion of anything else. If you go on YouTube or look at the top rated podcasts on your favourite podcasting app, you’ll see mountains of content devoted to increasing productivity, developing good habits, even meticulous documentation and analysis of the ‘perfect morning routine.’
I was particularly struck by that trend for looking at people’s morning routines. One such routine has been put together by scientists and backed by data. It calls for waking up early, being active, taking a cold shower, avoiding caffeine, etc. The end result? A productive day of work, which avoids any kind of drop-off in energy during the day.
In a similar vein, philosophy is making a surprising comeback in the modern world. No longer the domain of academics in ivory towers, ethical philosophy has entered the mainstream. Perhaps you’ve seen the growing number of books and podcasts devoted to Stoicism?
This entire trend is dominated by the need to be relevant to life; to be useful to a person. Usually that usefulness is understood to be measured in terms of increasing income, being less absorbed by emotions, and ways to manage overwhelming stress. It’s tempting to jump on the bandwagon and say that our faith has a place in this conversation; we can teach people the do’s and don’ts of life.
I recently read one book in this self-improvement field which stood out to me. It’s concerned with developing habits. The author makes the point that outcomes are less important than identity. In other words, a person with an alcohol addiction, for example, who tells themselves: ‘I won’t drink that alcohol, I’m trying to give up’ is less likely to actually give up than if they said: ‘I’m teetotal.’ Notice the difference? The latter is about identity or belief; the person no longer accepts the label of someone who drinks alcohol. The author goes on to argue that behavioural changes then build up to align with that new identity, in that order.
This can be a very useful framework for looking at today’s Scripture passages.
A follower of Jesus Christ has ways of living life that are distinct and different, or at least they should. We are called to demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit, to be good stewards of the world we live in, to be compassionate, to pursue justice, to show mercy. But none of these define a follower of Jesus. They are behaviours and habits, they aren’t identity. They’re important, vital even, but they develop to align us with a deeper core of who we are: that is we are ‘begotten of God’.
In John’s language, in his first letter, the way to live a life that demonstrates all of those features (to ‘overcome the world’) is to have faith; to believe that Jesus is who he said he is, and did what he said he would do. To believe, in a word, the apostolic testimony that he is risen!
That isn’t a one time deal, though. Faith is exercised like a habit, maybe that’s why it’s listed as one of the theological virtues. Exercising that faith, that belief in Jesus day by day is like constant course corrections to make sure we don’t veer off and end up somewhere else. How is it done? There’s a little book by Brother Lawrence called ‘the Practice of the Presence of God’ – it’s simply this, go about your daily life conscious of God’s presence with you, and offer frequent little prayers like “O God, come to my aid”.
Pope Benedict captured all of this so beautifully and succinctly in a quote I constantly return to: “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” (Deus Caritas Est). Encounter first. Direction and action second.
