You aren’t alone on the path. Are you brave enough to see that? (via Love your Way)
Anyone who’s been reading this blog since its inception knows that discipline is one of those virtues I am less than stellar at. (Remember when I was blogging for six days a week? That didn’t last long. . .)
And yet, discipline is an essential part of our Lenten journey. In fact, to try and get through this time of penitence without true discipline is like jogging at night. In a swamp. In heavy fog. If it’s not impossible, it certainly complicates things.
Why is it so important? Well, let’s break down the word, shall we? In its first usage, “discipline” meant the type of instruction used to train an apprentice, follower, or soldier — literally, a disciple — in a craft or way of life. So who needs discipline more than the disciples of God? We have the greatest craft, the most noble calling. We are God’s army on earth.
And we really need to start working together, rather than against each other.
Clearly, the Twelve Apostles needed plenty of discipline. Whenever Jesus isn’t paying attention to them, they’re always bickering among themselves and being, well. . . human. One of my favorite instances is when they are arguing about who of them is the greatest. It always makes me laugh because we’re still like that today.
Don’t we spend so much of our time focused on us, and what makes us so special? It’s good to be aware and proud of our heritage as Catholics, to be sure. But how often do we find ourselves at the other extreme, bashing our Protestant brothers and sisters because they don’t have what we have? We sometimes act like they are lesser Christians, because we’ve got our Magisterium and all they have is an abridged version of the Bible.
But here’s the thing. We’re all followers of Christ. And we have bigger battles to fight than which of us has the fullness of truth. We should be grateful they have the truth at all, and go kick some evil butt together. In the end, none of us are that important. God is the one who is important. He is our master, and we are His children, His servants, His disciples.
If we focus on God and that which pleases Him, rather than that which pleases us, we are definitely beginning to understand discipline. True discipline acts out of love rather than competition. It acts out of selflessness rather than selfishness. It creates rather than destroys. And it is the disciplined who change hearts. It is the disciplined who find their own hearts changed in the process. And that, my brothers and sisters, is what Lent is all about.
This Lent, try to focus on your own discipline. Learn the craft God has for you. And learn more about the beliefs of other Christian churches. You cannot expect to have dialogue with them if all you see are their heresies. Look at those truths they retain. You may be surprised at the things they have that we have lost. (Like good liturgy. . .) Look at why they believe what they believe. Only then can you explain your beliefs to them.
We are a family. And if we don’t stand by each other, who will stand by us?
-E.G. Norton
The Trenchcoat Introspective 