Today begins the Christian season of Lent. Yesterday, as I was pondering how best to go about making use of this Lent, I stumbled upon this quotation from Pope Benedict, which expresses a truth that is extremely important for those of us who are involved in the pro-life or pro-family movements.
The pope said:
Do not become utterly absorbed in activism! There would be so much to do that one could be working on it constantly. And that is precisely the wrong thing. Not becoming totally absorbed in activism means maintaining consideration — discretion, deeper examination, contemplation, time for interior pondering, vision, and dealing with things, remaining with God and meditating about God.
“One should not feel obliged to work ceaselessly,” he continued, “this in itself is important for everyone, too, for instance, every manager, too, and even more so for a Pope. He has to leave many things to others so as to maintain his inner view of the whole, his interior recollection, from which the view of what is essential can proceed.”
There is much wisdom in these words. It is nothing less than the practical application of Jesus’ saying in the Gospel of Luke: “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good.”
There is, in fact, a great danger for activists to truly begin to believe that everything depends upon their work, but then, because of this very belief, to go on to neglect those things that will most ensure the fruitfulness of their work. Sometimes we can feel the urge to eschew all rest, all leisure, and even all prayer, in order to keep moving, and doing.
However, as the pope points out, it is crucial that everything we do spring from a nourished and peaceful soul and mind, and a sense of perspective, of “what is essential.” If, however, we become so completely absorbed in the “work” part of pro-life activism, and do not take time for regular prayer, reflection, and true leisure (sports, literature, music, etc.), our activism will no longer be the result of careful reflection or a clear spiritual vision and will begin imperceptibly to become corrupted.
We may, for example, begin to waste energy on activities that are not ultimately productive, or our own lack of peace may begin to rub off on others we work with, or we may allow our work negatively to affect our family life, or we may become uncharitable due to our single-minded focus on the “goal” or our frustration that others can’t or won’t see the truth we see, or we may run the risk of “burning out.”
I always think of Mother Teresa and her Sisters of Charity when I ponder this subject. The Missionaries of Charity quite famously devoted their lives to serving the “poorest of the poor,” beginning in the worst slums of India, and then throughout the world. And yet, despite the enormous amount of charitable work they perform and the many amazing things they have accomplished, the sisters always spend several hours in prayer every single day.
Lent is a good time to take some time to ponder whether our activism has the proper sense of proportion, and, if not, to restore a sense of perspective, most especially through prayer – that is, by making “time for interior pondering, vision, and dealing with things, remaining with God and meditating about God.”