Spiritual Youth.

Repeatability: No one sews a patch of fake fabric onto an old dress. The so-called planned economy has often failed because it has not adequately considered the circumstances it faces. Simply producing a certain number of cars is not enough. There must also be spare parts to replace those that are damaged or lost. This is less relevant today for clothing. They are inexpensive, so they are thrown away when torn. But in the old days, people patched them up for as long as possible. Even then, some people were better at it than others. Great care must be taken when patching to ensure that the piece being sewn on is as similar as possible to the fabric being repaired, in terms of both colour and quality. If we transfer this experience to the spiritual realm, we can conclude. In life, we often realise that something has gone wrong. We recognize that we were wrong and that we are heading in the wrong direction. We try to correct it, but usually carelessly and inconsistently. Did I rashly promise something? I will fix it by breaking the promise. Do you know if I offended someone? To appease them, I will insincerely flatter them. However, such inorganic corrections will not improve life.

‘Don’t put young wine into old wineskins.’ Today, wine is no longer poured into wineskins, but barrels can still be in good or bad condition. It would be a shame to save on barrels and spill the wine. Merchants and entrepreneurs know that those who save excessively will never make much money. Thriftiness does not always stem from economic motives. It can also stem from a psychological inability to accept that life evolves, and what we are accustomed to is no longer valuable. When a new family is formed, a man and a woman must sever many of the ties that bound them to their previous lives. Among primitive peoples, there are special ceremonies at puberty and during adolescence. These ceremonies usually have a symbolic meaning: You must stop acting like a child and get used to acting and walking differently. Sometimes a new name is also given. Infantilism is considered a deviation. Life in Christ is a constant adolescence and therefore requires continuous change.

‘Young wine in new wineskins.’ It is difficult to say who is still young and who is not. This is more of a psychological issue than an age-related one. A child has their whole life ahead of them and can adapt to new ideas, environments, and languages. This is why those who establish new movements or works seek helpers among the young. What are God’s initiatives? They all have an element of novelty because God’s works are unique and unrepeatable. This is why he demands an eternally young heart from those he calls to his service. A child does not wake up with fixed ideas, but with expectations. Would today be able to bring me anything beautiful?’ This is precisely the attitude that God asks of us until the end of our lives. Those who believe in God’s providence and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit remain spiritually young. They consistently receive something new from God and are willing to learn something every day, a psychological problem rather than an age-related one. A child has a life ahead of him; he can adapt to new ideas and environments and learn a new language. That is why he who establishes a new movement or a new work seeks helpers among the young. What are the initiatives of God? They all have the character of novelty, because God’s works have the character of unrepeatability, of uniqueness. That is why he demands an eternally young heart from those he calls to his service. A child does not wake up with fixed ideas, but with the expectation: Will today bring me anything beautiful? This is precisely the disposition that God asks of us, even until death. Whoever believes in God’s providence, in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is spiritually still young. He consistently receives something new from God and is willing to learn something every day.