Nov/080
Keeping your word
Recently, CNA reported the following from the Archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani:
"The greater your word is, the freer you are, the more faithful you are at home, with your children; you are freer because people say: this guy doesn't sell out. I think we are attacking this free and joyful world God has given us with our pride and selfishness. [...] We must struggle to be more faithful to the word given to us in that beautiful prayer, or in that friendship. [...] We need to be a little bit more generous. Brothers and sisters, look and see if there is light in your life, and I'm talking about your heart, your conscience, that need to go to our Father God. It's not enough to just be a good person, we need to be saints. We need to continue putting our love and trust in the Lord."
It's completely unrelated, but I've heard Glenn Beck talk a lot about this topic in the last six to twelve months. He continues to bring up the ideas of honesty, keeping your commitments, being more generous, and finding your own voice. Many of the same themes...
The reason I like this quote, and the reason Beck's words resonate with me, is because I often feel like pride and selfishness are my greatest obstacle in being who I want to be. Many of the behaviors I exhibit that I don't like can be traced back to my pride. Many of my shortcomings as a community member, husband, and friend are due to my selfish nature. I want to actively work on those aspects, but I'm not sure how. These reminders (quotes like the one above and the occasional inspiring words from Glenn) help remind me of what I need to focus on.
