A fact of life with which we all have to live is that of our limitedness. Three limitations to which we all are subject are those of time, our desires and our abilities.
In and with the Birth of Jesus, God comes to take upon Himself and to share in that which restricts us. Christ frees us to relate to that which limits us in ways that are wholesome for ourselves and for others.
Apart from the influence of the Lord in our daily lives, we can relate to limitations within ourselves and in others in ways that are hurtful. For example, 1) We can give in to the notion that we are inferior because we can’t be like others and do what they can do. 2) Also, it can be tempting to relate to our limitedness as an excuse for giving up or for not trying to do our best in the settings in which we find ourselves. 3) Sad to say, many develop the mindset that we have to deal with that which restricts us all by ourselves. Addiction is a painful expression of limitedness that can engulf any of us. If and when we become addicted to someone or to something, we are glued to the notion that we simply can’t get along without that to which we are addicted. We can become enslaved to that which is socially unacceptable, such as to drugs, alcohol and pornography. We can also become addicted to that which is praiseworthy in our society, such as to money, to specific persons, and to the need to achieve more and more.
When we are addicted, we are in water that is over our heads. We can really harm ourselves and others if we give in to the notion that we can overcome that to which we are addicted all by ourselves.
Because in Jesus, God came to share in all that limits us, He offers us the assurance that it is not a sign of weakness or inferiority to acknowledge that we need help as we sense that we are in water that is over our heads.
The Lord would work in different ways through others to prevent us from becoming addicted and/or to help us as we realize that we are relating to God’s blessings in ways that are harmful to ourselves and to others. 1) The Lord has designed the family to be the most basic support group that we all need. As the Lord intends, it’s in our families that we are meant to experience both unconditional love and accountability to one another. Unconditional love provides the setting in which we are called to inspire and to challenge one another to become the person that the Lord wants each of us to be.
Regardless of our family situation, the Lord works in distinctive ways through the Church Community to free us from that which would or has perhaps already enslaved us. These ways include frequent reception of the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist, support groups and counseling.
The goal for which Christ has redeemed all of us is to become addicted to the Lord in our attitudes, words and actions. As we are open to grow in this direction, we will be grateful both for what we can do as well as for that which limits or restricts us. As we grow in the ability to accept ourselves with all that limits us, we will be able to accept others with all that limits them. In Christ, we are set free to relate to that which limits us in ways that enable us to work with one another to build up that communion in Him for which we have been redeemed and for which we yearn.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Nelson Beaver – Pastor