May 18, 2025
Dear St. Rita Families,
Motivation to do the works of God, to believe, and to live out your faith can come from various places. It is an important aspect of the Christian life because it shows us what we love. It’s not difficult to talk about what our motivation ought to be. We all know that a selfless love of God and neighbor is a desirable trait, but when we compare ourselves to it as a standard, there is inevitably a gap. We likewise know well that naming the nature of the gap and narrowing or closing it are two very different things. And the latter is a much more interesting conversation.
Recognizing that there is a gap is, nevertheless, a very important first step. It is a humble acknowledgment of my (broken) humanity. The devil hates our humanity, because he considers it below him; to him, it is ugly, weak, and disgusting. Jesus, in contrast, “though He was in the form of God, did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather, He emptied Himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:6-7). In other words, God created our humanity as something good, and did not eschew it, but rather united it to Himself. Thus, the godlike approach to our broken humanity is a humble acceptance of the current state of things.
The difficulty with such an acceptance is that our humanity has the potential to be very wretched. And, to see into the depths of one’s own humanity can often be terrifying. Acknowledgment of past sin often brings up shame and remorse, even though it may be confessed already. It is no secret that that wretchedness and shame motivate us in various ways, and the hope is that they first motivate us to seek God. We have spent too much time already fleeing from the wretchedness, justifying it and the sin that goes with it, claiming that we feel judged or making excuses as to why it’s impossible to change. Some people even use religious practice as a means of covering their wretchedness, so that they can pretend they are good people. The devil loves this error, because it, too, is rooted in the idea that our humanity is ugly, weak, and disgusting, and that therefore our humanity is below us. We can supersede it by our own efforts. You know how Our Lord responds to this error in the Scriptures: “Whitewashed tombs!” (Mt 23:27).
Do not be afraid, however, even if you discover a little bit of the Pharisee within yourself. None of the wretchedness is beyond Christ’s power to heal, to forgive, and to save. What is important is that we humbly bring the wretchedness to Christ. Notice in literally every encounter with Christ in the Scripture, He addresses the wretchedness of the other. The blindness, the leprosy, the paralysis, the death, are all fully engaged by the presence and love of Christ. Even the Pharisaical pride is engaged by Our Lord. His strong language towards them is not to condemn them but to force them to look at their wretchedness, accept it, and come to Him for salvation.
That moment – whether from the Pharisee’s perspective or the sinner’s perspective – of staring wretchedness in the face is a terrifying moment. We see clearly that the wages of my sin is death, and we desire to escape it. That fear is called servile fear and in Confession is called “imperfect contrition”. We seek forgiveness and healing because we fear “the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell.” It is usually the first motivation for seeking God, which is easily seen to be more self-focused. I do not use the word “selfish” here, because even the one motivated by servile fear is submitting himself to the will of God.
And yet, the goal is not servile fear but filial fear – the fear rooted in our identity as sons and daughters of God, that desires to please God as a response to His goodness to us. God, who simply loves us, purifies us by that love, so that our seeking Him becomes real desire for Him. That desire for Him is itself purified as we grow in relationship with Him, because He reveals Himself more fully to us, and He shows us the things that are obstacles to Him. He asks us to relinquish many things that we enjoy or find rest in, precisely to show us that He Himself is more worthy of our love and brings us more joy. Thus, growing in love of God is often difficult and full of crosses that we would not have chosen, but the Christian perseveres, because he desires God above all things. To desire Heaven (union with God) above all things is the definition of the theological virtue of Hope, and as the Scripture says, “hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5). This means that, in all the difficulties we may experience, God shows His presence and love to those who seek Him.
Therefore, no matter what you find as the motivations of your heart for seeking God, continue to seek Him. But seek Him, not earthly goals. Seek Him, not just His gifts. Seek Him because He alone loves you truly, and as the Good Shepherd, He sought you first.
In Christ,
Fr. Christensen