For so many of the great figures of salvation history—Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, David and the like—a period of testing or trial was mandated before they could commence their work.
The goal of this Biblical initiation ritual was to initiate a deep discernment to convey a simple truth: your life is not about you. It is about God and His purposes for you.
This was the purpose of Jesus’s forty-day sojourn in the desert; our model during Lent.
The desert represents a stripping away of our attachments, so as to make the fundamental things appear. In the desert, there are no distractions or diversions or secondary matters. Everything is basic, necessary, and simple. Either one survives or one doesn’t. One finds in the desert strengths and weaknesses he never knew he had.
Whether it be Lent or some other moment in your life, are you ready to visit your desert?
Are you prepared to engage in this level of self assessment and discernment? Deal with your particular temptations to pleasure, power, money, and honor? Discover your strengths, embrace your weaknesses and then let go to let God?
Even if in the past, you have not succeeded in the ways you wanted or thought you should, remember that our God is One of second chances. It’s never too late to start again and recommit ourselves and journey into the desert.
Once. Twice. Or a dozen.
You will never be alone throughout these journeys in your desert.
“The wise men came to Bethlehem and gave the child their precious gifts. When you come to Christ, break open the very best of yourself and make it a gift for him.
Finally, they returned to their home country by another route. As Fulton Sheen commented so magnificently: “Of course they did; for no one comes to Christ and goes back the same way he came!”
Bishop Barron – Daily Gospel Reflections, Sunday, January 7, 2024.
Some time ago, I got lost on my way towards Bethlehem. Not that I am or ever will be a wiseman. Just that I too saw the guiding warmth in that star. I wanted nothing more than to be there for and with Him. Unfortunately, I got lost. I chose selfish defiance instead of selfless reliance. Since then, I have been working to find my way back ever since.
Sad to say, when I can finally return in full, I will not be able to break open the very best of myself as my gift to Him.
I will only be able to share my utter brokenness.
He deserves better. But for now, that is all I have.
But I know now that He understands the nature of my gift and is ok with that. He simply wishes for a relationship. Friendship. A bond. Love.
He knows for a fact that anyone that comes to Him is most likely broken in some fashion. In need of reassurance. Repair. Redemption. And resurrection. He knows that anyone that comes to Him does not go back the same way. His loving touch changes everything.
His gift to me.
That is exactly what I am counting on.
That is what I desperately need.
That is what I know for a fact will ultimately come to save me.
My journey may have taken me towards Him from one direction.
In its most basic sense, a word from the ancient Greeks meaning “excellence of any kind”.
Taking a bit of semantic and philosophical license, Areté could be defined as “moral virtue”. And given the nature of that concept – virtue – it stands to reason that excellence is derivative of virtuous thoughts, words and deeds. Of doing the right thing.
For as Plato said, “We do not act rightly because we are excellent, in fact we achieve excellence by acting rightly.” Greek mythology made Areté divinity; the goddess of virtue, excellence, goodness and valour.
“There is a tale that Areté dwells on unclimbable rocks and close to the gods, tending a holy place. She may not be seen by the eyes of all mortals, but only by him on whom distressing sweat comes from within, the one who reaches the peak of manliness.”
An acknowledgement that excellence is a higher standing. A path that is intended to be a struggle. A challenge. A journey to elicit excellence.
Socrates, Plato and Aristotle – the renowned triumvirate of Greek philosophers, teachers and orators – spent their lives in the pursuit of understanding our human condition. Discerning how best to find our rightful place. Here, in the mortal world, and within the universe, among the divine.
Since its earliest appearance in Greek, there is the idea that Areté was ultimately bound up with the notion of the fulfillment of purpose or function: the act of living up to one’s full potential.
Throughout the Homeric poems, Areté is frequently associated with bravery, but more often, with effectiveness. The man or woman of Areté is a person of the highest effectiveness; they use all their faculties: strength, bravery and wit, to achieve real results. In the Homeric world, then, Areté involves all of the abilities and potentialities available to humans.
In the mortal sense, excellence is about making the most of all that we are and all that we have – to become all you were meant to be. In so doing, you endeavor to approach the divine, by acting rightly.
We strive because there is virtue in it. We strive, because it is the right thing to do. More than just a word, motto or mindset. Arete – excellence – is a mandate. A command.
Michaelangelo could also have heard this command. To make the absolute most of his abilities and potential. And by virtue of his actions, become a true renaissance man.
“If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful after all.” he is said to have remarked. Stating what could be a common refrain for those that choose to pursue excellence. For it is work. And only committed, ceaseless effort can render such compelling results.
Michelangelo was not only regarded as the greatest living artist of his lifetime, but is now considered to be one of the greatest artists of all time. A number of his works in painting, sculpture, and architecture rank among the most compelling and famous in existence. His output in every field during his long life was prodigious. When the sheer volume of his correspondence, sketches, and reminiscences that survive are taken into account, he is the best documented artist of the 16th century.”
It may not have dawned on him – as he was putting the finishing touches on that chapel ceiling or inscribing his name on Mary’s sash of marble – that his efforts would some day make him a man with global impact. But then again, he was pursuing excellence. A level of excellence that to this day inspires artisans, architects and others to aspire.
John Uebersax sought to sum it up in this fashion: “No English word or phrase captures the exact meaning of Areté . The nearest equivalents are ‘excellence’ and ‘virtue’. But there is something more to Areté which cannot be expressed in words. There is something of the divine in it.”*
From a mortal perspective; we are commanded to make the most of all that we are and all that we have. To become all we are meant to be. By accepting this edict, we can then endeavor to approach the divine. By virtue of our right thoughts, words and deeds, we can climb those unclimbable rocks.
To that place where Arete dwells. For…” in the moment of excellence, something transcends the mundane and touches the ideal.”
We spend a lifetime occupying our own plot of land. There may be droughts, there might be bumper crops. But in the end, when it comes time to harvest, the yield is entirely on us.
Now of course, every farmer goes about his business as they are made.
Certain ones may find ways to extend their growing season beyond that of their neighbor. Methods will vary from plot to plot. Some automate while others will choose “old school” and harness a horse. An engineered, hybrid approach will suit one while taking an organic, “back to the earth” approach will become a better fit for others. Ultimately, you have to be your own farmer. Be true to yourself. What may flourish for others may be just weeds for you.
Though seasons, methods, crops and yield may differ from field to field, being farmers we all soon share one common trait; expertise at spreading manure.
It may provide a temporary sudden burst of excitement, color and growth. It may assuage fear, anxiety or insincerity. But with the next rain or two, a heat wave or cold spell, it dissipates, burns-out or becomes a stagnant mass, losing both impact and intensity. Continual applications of manure might make you feel better, but can merely distract you from the truth.
And ruin a crop.
To make the things you truly want take root and flourish in your plot requires some discernment. Patience. Courage. And honesty. So get to know every inch of your acreage. Walk the fence lines over and over and over again. Learn the lay of your land. Pry up those rocks that work their way out of the ground. Dig up the stumps. Know the predators. Cut back the brush and pull out weeds that can begin to invade, choke and overtake your land.
And spread less manure.
Embrace the nature of your soil. Its texture, smell and even taste was made for you. Learn what grows well and understand what crops will enrich, invigorate and bring that piece of ground to an uncommon level of abundance. You cannot grow the same thing year after year and expect the same yield. In time, the yield will drop. The soil will become starved. And all of a sudden, what was once your staple – will no longer produce. Your land will become barren.
Spreading more manure won’t bring it back.
So as you begin to blossom, identify the crops that grow with little effort or attention, harvest them religiously, build up your stores and share the abundance with others. Attend to the crops that have been planted with the best of intentions but never seem to take root. Get them to grow. Move things around from season to season. Rotate. Mix. Match. Find ways to make all of them thrive together. Improve your soil, make things truly grow. One bumper crop after another. Season after season.
Then, as any good farmer does, go easy on the manure.
“The outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state…Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.”
So I do find a great deal of validity in the words of Mr. Allen.
Though he speaks primarily from the first person perspective, there is an element of the Third person in all he says. He does seem to speak through Him to us even when he or we do not realize it. But I digress…
We are only able to attract what we want, through what we are.
If we fail from a character sense, make poor choices, lay blame on others, the world around us and pretend to be something we were never intended to be, we will attract similar beings, situations and reality. All because we choose to settle. Assume a convenient path. What makes things comfy. And all that enables us to avoid the truth. By being that which we are.
But then again, what about the impact of making good choices despite the push back from your past, others and the expectations of the herd? Or the effect of accepting responsibility, holding oneself accountable and ignoring the opinion of the masses? Choosing to accept what you know to be true about yourself regardless of conventional wisdom? And pursuing a path not less chosen but never attempted by you? Again, being what you are.
If you choose the latter, you WILL attract the forces of affirmation and what it is you wanty. You will become what you are, because you have fully acknowledged yourself, discerned how you can grow into that being and see where all of those difficult choices will ultimately take you.
We can only attract what we see in ourselves. To that I can attest.
So hear what the wise old mooses have to share.
Lean into what you know to be your truth regardless of the cost.
...my temporary assignment. 