In Pursuit of Piety and Perfection May 2

Prayer

Jesus, we seem to want so many things…a nice house, a good job, success for our children, that new movie coming out on DVD Tuesday. NASCAR tickets. A low rate mortgage. That fancy digital camera. Napster.

We have tasted your bread of life but we still pursue materialism instead of you.Lord, help us to command our spirit fully over to you so we can live out the Christian Ideal.

Carry us when we are running on empty or experiencing the long loneliness.

Run to our side when we make the critical turn toward You, Lord.

Walk with us as friends when we fully rely upon you and your love. Amen.

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/050206.shtml

“I am the bread of life;whoever comes to me will never hunger,and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” (John 6:35)

Thinking back to my Cursillo Weekend experience, I learned that piety is “directing the whole of one’s life toward God, living the Christian ideal fully and unreservedly.” The only way toward such an Ideal, toward such a Life is to leave the material concerns behind.

Today, in the first reading, we also see that living out this ideal means that Stephen dies as a result of his faith. Like Christ, he placed his Spirit into God’s hands.

Through the martyrdom of St. Stephen, we witness the separation of the logical physical needs of the body from the higher spiritual demands. With Christ and Stephen the martyr modeling the Ideal of piety, where are you today on the Piety scale?

· Are you asking Christ for signs that you might believe?
· Are you ready to study him more to get to know your friend, Jesus?
· Are you bringing Christ to others through your action?

The piety we witness in Stephen is the first step toward our eternal spiritual nourishment. But not the last. The good news is that material world in which we live is the portal from which we can enter the spiritual. Without it, we would not have a starting place. However, the destination is not just turning toward Christ or crossing the threshold, but continuing the journey until we leave the last bits of the material world behind. Maybe we are not destined to be martyrs…but we are all called to piety and teh pursuit of perfection.

Action

While our physical death may or may not be imminent, what is it that must die in us so that we might live in Christ? Maybe our desire to watch the NBA Playoffs…maybe the need for that new carpet and drapes, maybe that new boat or vacation can wait. What hungers must we leave behind so that we can enjoy the bread of life? What thirsts must we forget to enjoy the cup of eternal salvation?

Maybe we don’t want to give anything up. After all it’s no longer Lent. However, does our journey toward the Christian Ideal of Piety give us any other choice? How else can we make room in our life for Jesus if we don’t let something go. Like Peter let go of his fishing boats. Like Matthew let go of his tax collecting. Like Stephen let go of his life. Like Christ let go of our sins.

“The pain is great, but very endurable because He who lays the burden on also carries it.” Mary Ward, English nun (1585-1645)