THE WAY #20

"It is inevitable that you should feel the rub of other people's characters against your own. After all, you are not a gold coin that everyone likes.

Besides, without that friction produced by contact with others, how would you ever lose those corners, those edges and projections — the imperfections and defects — of your character, and acquire the smooth and regular finish, the firm flexibility of charity, of perfection?

If your character and the characters of those who live with you were soft and sweet like sponge cake you would never become a saint."

It's tough when the ones we love are difficult to live with. When mothers describe their daughters to me and tell me how exasperating they are my first response is, "I bet you were just like her when you were her age." Usually their eyes get big and they nod. This world is where we need to grow in virtue. There is nothing like family to force us to improve. Thank God for giving us lots of opportunities to improve.

THE WAY #19

"Will-power. A very important quality. Don't despise little things, for by the continual practice of denying yourself again and again in such things — which are never futile or trivial — with God's grace you will add strength and resilience to your character. In that way you will first become master of yourself, and then a guide, a chief, a leader: to compel and to urge and to inspire others, with your word, with your example, with your knowledge and with your power."

Maybe you have never wanted to be a leader, guide or chief. It doesn't matter. You still need to exercise your will-power, your self-control. Maybe you spend too much time in front of the TV...or the computer! Where is your spouse? What are the kids doing? Is there a friend who needs a visit? Deny yourself that little attachment and see what God wants you to do.

THE WAY #18

"You persist in being worldly, superficial, scatter-brained, because you are a coward. What is it but cowardice not to want to face yourself?"

Teach your children to live in the real world and make it better. In order to make the world better they must live in reality. We need to know ourselves and fight to improve ourselves so that we can help the others. It begins when we face ourselves. God wants to help us. Give him a chance.

THE WAY #17

"Don't succumb to that disease of character whose symptoms are inconstancy in everything, thoughtlessness in action and speech scatter-brained ideas: superficiality, in short.

Mark this well: unless you react in time — not tomorrow: now! — that superficiality which each day leads you to form those empty plans (plans 'so full of emptiness') will make of your life a dead and useless puppet."

It seems as if St. Josemaria has dealt with people like me. He understood a hormonal time-bomb. The ups and downs of life, the cycles in the church calendar, confession and Mass can all work together to help us begin again. Lent begins soon. It's time to dig down and struggle to improve, to love God better.

THE WAY #16

"You a drifter? You... one of the crowd? You, who were born to be a leader! There is no room among us for the lukewarm. Humble yourself and Christ will set you aflame again with the fire of Love."

Humility is underrated. Pride is everywhere. It's strange to be reminded that you should be a leader and at the same time you should be humble. The two don't seem to go together. At the same time, humility and lukewarmness somehow do seem to go together, but they don't. Do you get the feeling that God arranges things in ways that we can't easily put into our little heads? I guess that's one reason why we need humility!