Doing the impossible

LET’S hope that we can develop this frame of mind. That we can do the impossible, that we can go beyond what we so far think we can, is not only possible for us, but also necessary.

That’s because our growth and development, especially in the spiritual and moral aspects of our life, cannot take place unless we have this attitude firmly embedded in our mind and heart.

This is no gratuitous claim. It has firm basis and foundation. And we should not worry about its feasibility, because we are both wired for it and given the power to do just that.

Yes, our spiritual nature enables us to get oriented toward the infinite, even if our materiality somehow limits us in time and space. Our spiritual power—our intelligence and will—can go far beyond what our bodily powers can reach. We just have to learn how to live with the unavoidable tension this combination produces in us. But we have the capacity to break free from our material limitations.

What is always needed is faith, that belief and trust not only in our capabilities but also in God’s grace. We should not be unduly affected by our unavoidable mistakes and failures, our falls and sins. As long as we rely more on our faith, there is always hope and basis to move on.

Let’s remember what St. Paul once said: “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can all these things in him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4,12-13)

What we may lack will always be compensated for by God’s omnipotent and merciful power. That is why, St. Paul also said: “May your faith stand not on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” (1 Cor 2,5)

And, “Gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” (2 Cor 12,9) And so, we just have to move on, in spite of our weakness, mistakes and falls, knowing how to make use of them to get us closer to God.

This faith should increasingly be understood by us through study and prayer, and later incarnated through good habits and virtues, so we can see ever more clearly that we all need to do the impossible.

We have to acknowledge that doing the impossible is actually the law proper of our life. We are all meant for heroism, which is an expression of a generosity of the heart, a magnanimity of love.

What we should try to avoid is to fall into complacency and self-satisfaction, if not plain laziness and idleness, narrow-mindedness and cowardice. We should try to avoid saying enough. We can always aspire for more good things. We can say that the sky is the limit for us to do the impossible.

Thus, it behooves us to cultivate the appropriate attitude, skills and virtues. After strengthen our faith in Christ, then we should develop an ever-strengthening hope and optimism. We should infuse our emotions and feelings with such faith, hope and charity, teaching them to avoid getting trapped by mere human reasons that can easily lead them to the road of discouragement, despair and inactivity.

It is not quite true that this go-go mentality can only be possessed by a few individuals who are gifted with the proper talents, luck, resources and other endowments. What is true is that this mentality may first be displayed by a few people. But these few individuals have the grave responsibility to make everybody else acquire such attitude.

This is part of our concern for one another, our love for one another that we often like to proclaim. If such concern and love is authentic, then it just cannot be limited to some material and humanitarian needs.

It just cannot be philanthropic. It has to go all the way, and that means we need to help one another reach our ultimate end which veers more toward the spiritual and supernatural without ever disparaging the material and natural in us. This is what true charity for one another is.

It’s important that to develop this mentality, we need to exert conscious effort to pray, so that in vitally engaging God in a conversation, we can see things more objectively and completely, and know also where to get the necessary energy to reach the goal.

We have to wage continuing war against the prevalent culture of mediocrity around us.