Beauty and good

    For some time now we have been thinking about how to live our faith in everyday life. In the past catechisms we had the opportunity to marvel at how our first and most basic mission was to beget and multiply linked to the growth and reproduction of God’s Word. So spiritual life is not detached from everyday reality, but on the contrary, very deeply associated with it. Let us move forward in these reflections today.

          We thought that intention gave value. When I wake up to what I want to live for, for whom I want to have the deed given, for the love of Jesus I want to bear the difficulty, I also make sense to the most meaningless and monotonous task. Simultaneously, the deed becomes merit. That is why it is recommended to spend at least a short time in prayer every morning, where I think about the day, everything that awaits me and I give it to the Lord in advance. I will say yes to everything the day brings and I wake up to what I want to sacrifice. For example: “Sir today I have a hard day, I have to meet this person. You know, I always get nervous and swear. Please give me strength, help keep inner peace, I want to sacrifice it all for my children ”. In the evening I ask my conscience. I will ask myself how I survived the situation. If I could do it, thank you: “Oh. Sir, thank you for being with me, thank you for helping and not allowing me to lose my peace ”. If I haven’t done it I will say: But unfortunately, it wasn’t the best, but it doesn’t matter, I’ll try it again. Now I beg your forgiveness ”.

          This requires no extra time. Prayer is often not about time, but about attention. It’s about effort. That I want to quiet down for a moment and realize things. We often blame that we don’t have time. But how much time does such a simple handover or arousal take? It can even be made even easier. Just say, “All for you, the most sacred heart of Jesus”. Of course, it is important to make sure that it is not a phrase that repeats itself automatically, but that it is spoken with consciousness and with internal consent – that is what I want to do.

          It is simple and does not require much time. Why is it so difficult then, why don’t we want to do it? Well, here we are at the root of the problem. We often try to understand things and find a solution. But we know what to do. What we often lack is not knowledge, but motivation. We have two powers that influence our deeds, and we can work on – reason and will. Reason is not such a problem to get on the right track, but the knowledge of truth does not yet motivate our will. Saint Paul also says in a letter to Romans: “To want good, that is close to me, but not to do good. I do not do the good that I want, but I do the evil that I do not want ”(Rom. 7: 18-19). So what motivates the will? What gives us the power to do what we do? They are beauty and goodness. These are two powers that give life a taste. The truth could be compared to the content of the diet – healthy nutrition, containing a lot of protein, low sugars, many fibers, vitamins and the like. But unnecessarily something is healthy, if it is not appealing and tasty to the eyes, then I will not long. I’d rather have that unhealthy hamburger.

          Many converts testify that they have long known Catholic teaching, yet their lives have not changed. The change occurred only when their hearts were captivated by beauty, or they tried true good. Therefore, if we want to grow spiritually, we need to work on these two powers. Let us notice as in spite of a busy world where we often need things to work, and we are not at all interested in whether they are morally good or beautiful, yet we long for good and beauty. Fashion, visage, design, window view, how these things are important to us and decide whether to buy something. This is exactly how advertising works. We see a beautiful strawberry on the packaging, and right away you know that we are buying something healthy and putting it naturally in the basket. Although we read on the packaging that the proportion of fruit juice is 3 percent, this information does not outweigh the perception of beauty and goodness evoked by the packaging.

          In the past catechisms, I tried to convey to you the amazing knowledge that I had gained in one course: In Acts 12:24 – God’s Word grew and multiplied, the same words were used as in Genesis 1.28 Be fruitful and multiply. When I heard this truth, I was immensely addressed and amazed. Then I thought it would be a good topic for catechisms. So, I tried to pass it on. But after reading the text, I was disappointed because it did not speak to me, and I immediately remembered that some may react – well, what does the author mean? Right here at this point is different. There I perceived the truth with my heart, the thought brought me to astonishment, I stopped and let the truth influence itself. When I re-read the catechisms, I quickly went through the words in a row to see if I made myself clear and in time