Finding My Center
While the Evangelist, John, is primarily referring to the Gospel he wrote, his words describe the Bible in its entirety. In other words, all that is written in the Bible aims to present to us Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God, who by His teachings, His miracles, His Passion, death, and Resurrection, has opened to all of us the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus. Ultimately, the Bible tells one story.
As a Catholic my personal experience with the Bible has been focused on my encounter with the Word of God. While my brothers and sisters in other Christian denominations developed the practice of reciting passages by chapter and verse, my experience has been more about building the relationship and putting it into practice. As I build my foundation on the Word of God, I constantly discover something new each time I come to the Bible, especially on my own path to holiness.
Bishop Barron, founder of Word on Fire, and one of my heroes presents three paths to holiness all of which are reflected in my experience with the Bible.
First, find your center and find it in Christ. Many aspects of our life are in need of nourishment to include our spirituality, health, physical activity, career, creativity, financial, relationship etc. All of these have their respective ways of being fulfilled whether it be through prayer, eating, exercise, skills, finding a job, going on a date just to name a few examples. While all of these have their purpose in living a holistic healthy life, they are missing one aspect… what gives them foundation. Where are they grounded? What is the purpose of their focus? While food is beneficial to the body, it doesn’t satisfy the needs of the soul or career. Whenever we place our foundation on something temporary, it provides a temporary result of satisfaction. This is why the Christian life finds its center in Christ. We find our bearings in the Scripture as our guide, and sacrament to provide us with the spiritual nourishment to endure all aspects of our life. Christ does not just want to be the focus for our spirituality, He also wants to be a part of your health journey, fitness journey, career, relationships, and even helping you to become financially stable. It all comes from Him anyways, so why not offer it to Him so He can use our gifts for His glory and to care for the common good.
Second, realize that you are a sinner. We all are. This realization helps me to recognize the holes in my life. For example, when there are gaps in my overall wellness I fall into two traps. One is overeating. The other is spending. These two tendencies provide me with temporary comfort, until I find myself digging too deep of a hole for me to climb out of… at least unable to do so by myself. Allowing Christ to heal these wounds puts Him where He belongs… the forefront and center. Sometimes falling into temptations like this happen because we become discouraged by our setbacks and try to find comfort in the material. Again, this does not provide the complete satisfaction and healing only Christ can provide in the areas that are hurting in our lives.
Third, your life is not about you. Christians are divided over the primary focus for self-care. Some consider it selfish, while others see it as the answer to all our problems. I personally find myself in the middle of these two concepts. If we are doing self-care right, we know that caring for our health in body, mind, and spirit is not just about us. In fact, I take care of my health so I can take care of my daughter and be there to witness her grow up, go to school, play sports, get married, etc. I also take care of my health to continue playing the role of my husband’s helper in life. While he takes on the role of the head of the house, I find myself playing the heart and running the household in making sure the house is clean, everyone has food on their plate, and clean clothes in their closet. These may be simple acts of love, and in order to have the energy to act on this love unconditionally, I take time to pray, eat, exercise, etc because my life is not about me.
So whenever I read my Bible and receive the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, I keep these three paths to holiness in the back of my mind and at the center of my heart. The great adventure is not just one to be read, but one to be a part of. This story is God’s story being told through our lives now, not just something that happened two thousand years ago. He is still telling it. Now, He is writing His story through us. He created us for His glory. It is up to us to nourish it, embrace it, and let it shine for others to see.