Day 72. No Fear

Be not afraid!”…The Gospel is certainly demanding. We know that Christ never permitted His disciples and those who listened to Him to entertain any illusions about this…. At the same time, however, He reveals that His demands never exceed man’s abilities.
St. John Paul II, *Crossing the Threshold of Hope*

I have always hated doing things halfway. If I’m going to put effort into something, I'm going to give it everything. I see this a lot in young people. They love taking things to the extreme – rock climbing, mountain biking, skiing, skydiving. I've marveled at the video clips of skiers jumping out of helicopters onto snow-covered mountains so steep that they half fall, half ski down the treacherous face. What possesses people to do these things? Thrill seeking, no doubt, explains a lot of it. But not all. Something else is going on here.

There is a restless desire in young people to go to the limit, to live on the edge, to take hold of your life and make the most of it. I believe that there is something of God’s gift in this drive (at least in its not-so-reckless forms). Maybe it's part of the joy of youth in which, St. John Paul II once wrote, we see a glimpse of the joy with which God created humanity. My wonder, then, is that when it comes to our relationship with Jesus, something changes. The extreme thrill-seekers grow timid. We turn into a bunch of little old ladies (no offense to little old ladies who may be reading this). The same daredevils whose mantra is “No Fear,” become cowards when the extremes to which they are called are those of faith and total self-gift.

The patron of our novena, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, is a striking exception to this. He did it all – rock climbing, skiing, mountaineering – with the joy and courage of youth, but also with generous faith. He understood the connection between the call of the high mountains and the high call of loving Christ totally. A picture he once gave to a friend shows him rock climbing a sheer face with the hand written message, “Verso l’alto” which means “To the heights.” Many of his friends remembered him as a fun and thoughtful companion who kept the mountains always in his heart. To one he wrote, “If my studies allowed of it, I would spend whole days on the mountain, admiring there, in that pure atmosphere, the magnificence of God.”

What about you? Why not do for God what you yearn to do in so many other areas of your life? If God has been so generous to you, why not make a reciprocal response? He didn’t hold anything back, why should you? Why not go all-out? I've heard it jokingly said that most people live just enough of the Christian faith to make themselves completely miserable. There is some truth to this. The irony of following Christ is that the more of yourself you invest the easier it gets. The more you hold back, the harder you’ll find it.

Consider what you’ve received. Isn’t there enough reason to make a generous, joyful, full throttle, whole-hearted, smash-mouth response to the gift of salvation? You've only got one life – and only one eternity. Do you want to spend heaven regretting that you did so little with what you had on earth?

Not me. I'm going for it.

Radical. That’s the kind of gratitude God’s generosity calls forth from us. Radical doesn’t mean becoming some religious fanatic. It doesn't mean being a freak that everyone avoids. “Root” is the root of radical: radix, in Latin, means root. So when we speak of radical gratitude we mean grasping the gift at the core, the root of it.

If that explanation isn’t doing anything for you, here is my very lame analogy of the meaning of ‘radical.’ Say you want to adjust your Christmas tree - to move it, to tilt forward or back, to find the right spot in the corner next to the window. You can try to wrap your arms around it in a bear hug - grab it from the outside - but that doesn't really work. You get a face-full of pine needles and the bottom-heavy tree slips down as you lift. If you want to move a Christmas tree, you reach in and grab it midway up the trunk, at its core. Then it goes where you want it to go (I warned you it was lame).

So when you take hold of your faith to make a response to the gift of salvation, be radical. Grab it at the core. Grasp it at the center. Go for it. This is not about whether or not to become a priest or a nun or a brother. This is the fundamental call for all Christians. Married people and single people, too, are called to be radical, total, whole-hearted. Yet there is a grace that comes with radical gratitude that moves some to take it further. To push the limit of what one can sacrifice in this life. These people are not more holy, only called. God calls some to make a response to his gifts that goes beyond what is required – to make the ultimate gift.

“How many of the good things of this life can I give up so that I can have more and more of God? So that I can love him and serve him and honor him because of what he has done for me?” That’s what radical gratitude asks. Let’s face it, as good as this life is, you can’t take it with you. That’s why the New Testament is filled with urgent appeals to “set your mind on things that are above not on things that are on earth.” (Col. 3:2)

God is looking for young men and women who are magnanimous (literally, great-of-soul); for people who loathe half-hearted efforts. Those who want to be as generous as they can be. Those who question mediocrity.

Let me be clear: Christian marriage is not mediocre. But choosing marriage without honestly opening up your life to God’s leading is. See, for many the marriage question isn’t even a question. It is settled – only a matter of “when” and “to whom.” That’s not discernment. That’s me asking God to rubber stamp his approval on my plans. Thankfully, that’s not you.

Make it My Own

Daily Discernment Workbook

BRAIN STORM

1. What Price Glory?

The following categories represent things that can demand a heavy price and promise big rewards. What have I sacrificed for each of these? What was the reward?

Sports (working out, competing):

Cost me:

Rewards:

Music (performing, practicing):

Cost me:

Rewards:

Grades (studying, extra-curriculars):

Cost me:

Rewards:

Career hours, training, overtime, things I neglected in the process):

Cost me:

Rewards:

Useless skills and trying for 15 minutes of YouTube fame:

Cost me:

Rewards:

A sober comparison: Looking at all the categories above, is there any comparable sacrifice I have made for Jesus? If so, what?

SAINTS SAID IT

2. Magnanimity and Small-Mindedness

Theologian Yves Congar wrote about the work of the Holy Spirit who makes us more generous by his indwelling and gifts. One of God’s greatest gifts to the soul is, well, greatness-of-soul which is traditionally known as magnanimity. Explaining St. Thomas Aquinas’ thinking on this matter, Congar invites us to consider the contrast.

‘Small-mindedness’ has a precise meaning in Thomas’ teaching. It can be defined as the fault, possibly even the sin, of acting at a level below one’s full potential and not letting one’s gifts bear fruit. It is contrasted with ‘great-mindedness’ (magnanimitas), which is the virtue by which man realizes himself by committing himself.
I Believe in the Holy Spirit, Congar, Yves, tr. by David Smith, Crossroad, New York, Book III, Part 2, p. 221, 222; Cf. Summa: ST IIa IIae, q. 133; q. 129ff

Who are some “great-minded” people I admire, whether in my own life, in public life, in the history of the church or in human history? I list below at least three and why I consider them so remarkable.

1.

2.

3.

What does it mean to live to my full potential? Does it mean I have to become an extremist in everything or does it mean that I should dedicate myself whole-heartedly to the most important things? Using my own words, I express what magnanimity means to me.

What’s a situation (a project, a class, a job) I can recall where doing something half-heartedly made it twice as difficult, but when I put my whole heart into the same thing, it became easier and much more interesting?

What did I learn from this experience?

A QUOTE TO NOTE

3. More About Magnanimity

German Philosopher Josef Pieper sheds more light on this noble virtue. Get inspired

Magnanimity is the expansion of spirit toward great things; one who expects great things of himself and makes himself worthy of it is magnanimous. The magnanimous person is to a certain extent “particular”: he does not allow himself to become concerned with everything that comes along, but rather only with the great things that are suitable for him. Magnanimity seeks above all great glory: The magnanimous person strives toward that which is worth the highest glory… The magnanimous one is not broken by disgrace; he looks down on it as unworthy of himself. In general the magnanimous man regards with disdain anyone who is narrow-minded. He would never be able to esteem another so highly that he would do anything improper for that person’s sake…Undaunted uprightness is the distinctive mark of magnanimity, while nothing is more alien to it than this: to be silent out of fear about what is true. One who is magnanimous completely shuns flattery and hypocrisy, both of which are the issue of a mean heart. The magnanimous person does not complain, for his heart does not permit him to be overcome by any external evil. Magnanimity encompasses an unshakable firmness of hope, a plainly defiant certainty, and the thorough calm of a fearless heart. The magnanimous person submits himself not to the confusion of feelings or to any human being or fate – but only to God.
Joseph Pieper, Faith, Hope and Love, essay on Hope, 1977, tr. by Sr. Mary Frances McCarthy, S.N.D., Ignatius Press, 1986

What three qualities of magnanimity are most appealing to me? How can I cultivate them?

1.

2.

3.

End with this prayer:

Jesus, I admit that I am afraid. I admit that the call to do great things for you makes me question. I ask you to ease my fears and accept my desire, small and weak though it may be, to make of my life a radical, total gift to you. Take my life, Lord. All of me. And grant me the grace I seek to pursue the Father’s will with courage, dedication and complete trust.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

[1] “We need the enthusiasm of the young. We need their joie de vivre. In it is reflected something of the original joy God had in creating man.” Crossing the Threshold of Hope, John Paul II

[2] The Soul of Pier Giorgio Frassati, Robert Claude, S.J., Spiritual Book Associates, Inc.

Novena Prayer

Make it My Own

Day 71. A Review and Response

Day 73. Sinners See with Eyes of Gratitude