The Ascent to God

In the book the Ascent of Mt Carmel, St John of the Cross says “the ascent to God…lies in keeping the soul empty, naked and purified of every disordered desire. The only desire should be to fulfill the will of God and to carry the Cross of Christ.” The question for us is: are we doing the will of God; and are we carrying the cross? What criteria do we use to judge whether we are doing the will of God? Too often men measure their success or their impact based on their profession and their ability to provide financially for their family alone. This is not universal but often women judge their success or impact based on the health and well-being of their children and their relationships. How do you judge how you are doing in life? Secondly, how would you judge yourself in the sense of doing the will of God? How does God measure our success or impact? Let me suggest eight criteria that reflect whether we are doing the will of God: Am I changing from a life of bad habits, vice, to a life of good habits, virtue; Am I living a deep friendship with Jesus in prayer, especially daily meditation and a resolution; Do I love and honor my spouse (if you live with your parents do you honor your father and mother); Are you doing all you can to help your children reach not only their human but even more their divine potential; am I fulfilling my work responsibilities outside the home and inside the home; Am I helping others to a deeper friendship with Jesus by living authentic friendship; do I accept with joy the will of God in the things I cannot change; finally, do I accept the Cross in my life and offer it up to save souls?  As we do an honest evaluation of each area of our life, we will see that in many ways we have made progress, we have grown and there is much for which to give thanks. However, if we are honest, we must admit there is more in my life that I cannot change or fix and more that is out of my control than within my control. If we are honest, we see clearly our limitations: I cant seem to change myself any further from vice to virtue. I confess the same sins over and over. I cant heal my broken body or soul. I cant fix this or that relationship or person. I cant fix the problems in the world or in the Church – heck I cant even change the problems within myself. This may seem to be a recognition of defeat, but it is the moment of triumph. It is the moment of triumph because if I am to make any real progress, I must admit I am powerless to transform myself from a sinner to a saint – that my life has become unmanageable. But there is Someone greater than me Who can restore me to sanity. I make the decision to turn my life and my will over to the care of Jesus and the Holy Spirit through Mary. Then I make a thorough examination of my life and go to Confession. Now I am entirely ready to have God remove all the defects of my character, so I humbly ask God to remove my shortcomings. Then I make a list of all the persons I have harmed, and I am willing to make amends to them all whenever possible except when it would injure them or others. Finally, I commit to a daily examination of conscience, to daily meditation and a resolution and to go out through authentic friendship to help someone else to a deep friendship with Jesus.  As we go forward, striving to do will of God and carry the Cross Christ we must resist the temptation to give into frustration anger gluttony lust ect. When you experience the temptation to any of these, immediately turn it over to Mary, the principle instrument of the Holy Spirit, wait for her to act, hold fast, don’t give up because God always provides a way forward.