What it takes

One who desires a superior life goes through the process of purification until he becomes the “true” bride of Christ, that is to say, one body with Him.

Christ, the perfect Bridegroom, gifted [sacrificed] His “whole self” so that we too might become pure as He is—through Him. On our own, we are incapable of purifying ourselves, and no action of ours can contribute to this process. We are to freely embrace this gift of salvation [redemption and sanctification] and persevere.

Jesus invites us to believe in Him and “mature” in this faith. This process of transformation of one's inner self [maturing in faith] is much like the process of purification of silver in the furnace. This demands certain conscious choices to be made against our own nature.

When we persevere in the love of Christ beyond our comfort levels, vices give way to virtues. Yet we will be weakened by our own nature [manipulated meticulously by the devil] and be tempted like Christ in the desert, falsely convincing us of the futility of being Christ-like in the backdrop of earthly endowments. The moon no longer shines, and the stars shimmer no more.

“Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” [John 20:29]

At the end of utter hopelessness, great hope and divine assistance [grace] shine upon us. We are made stronger. We become more His. Our body and mind desire even more strongly to be completely captive to His will. Our consolation and joy come from Him alone. No one can give or steal this joy that wells up from the font of Christ's infinite love.

Every moment now becomes an opportunity to honor God, either by embracing or rejecting what comes our way. Since we are incapable of paying back God for His immense goodness, we are to generously dispense goodness to others. We serve Christ in others.

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” [Matthew 25:40]

Whenever we render a good deed to another, we are to stay focused on the Lord and not so much on what we are doing. This way, we serve Christ Himself while serving the other. Remain in Christ always, like the branch in the vine. This constant remaining alone nourishes us to yield good fruit.

“Every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.” [Matthew 7:17]

Pope Benedict calls this “patient steadfastness” in all of life's changing times. The romanticism of the initial awakening subsides, and only the deep, conscious “yes” of faith remains as we mature in our walk with the Lord. We produce good wine [fruit of our labour] only through “patient steadfastness.”