Today’s quest for order

IT cannot be denied that today’s quest for order is getting more difficult and challenging. There are just too many things around, producing so much clutter. The world is spinning increasingly faster. And things in general are getting more complicated and complex.

We just cannot sit around, contented with our current level of our sense of order. We have to learn to grapple with reality, take the bull by the horns, and adapt ourselves with the rapidly changing world without getting lost.

Yes, we have to continue monitoring, reflecting, verifying and learning. We have to be wary of our tendency to be complacent with what so far has been working well with us. Times are changing and we need to update ourselves with the new tools available. More than that, we have to somehow update our attitudes and skills.

The other day, a priest-friend confided to me that he is finding it harder nowadays to give a meaningful homily, not because he does not have ideas. The problem, in fact, is that he has too many ideas and data that he does not know anymore what to choose from them to make a very organic and meaningful presentation of God’s word in the homily.

Obviously, the problem goes beyond the technical. It is actually asking for another turn tighter with respect to our relationship with God and with our virtues, especially charity. It is actually asking for more sacrifice, more humility, etc.

We need to be more observant of the many simultaneous developments around. Precisely because of this, we need to submit ourselves to a certain discipline so we can cope better with the rapid developments.

Priority should always be given to God, to prayer, to the sacraments, to the cultivation of virtues. These give us the firepower to see things clearly, enabling us to put things in their proper hierarchy. Otherwise, we will end up repeating the story of the Tower of Babel.

We need to see to it that we try our best to be in good shape all the time, both spiritually and physically, mentally and emotionally. We need to organize our day well, coming out always with some concrete plan for the day, so we avoid finding ourselves idle or at a loss as to what next to do.

Even our rest, which is also very important to us, should be properly planned. We should not take it for granted, because neglecting it will surely take a toll on our over-all health and capacity to work. We have to find a way of recharging ourselves periodically during the day.

I happen to know some people who have gotten so addicted to their work that they lost the capacity to rest. The result, of course, is a big disaster. We have to take care of our rest in all aspects of our life—spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, etc.

Of course, it is also important to realize our own limitations and not worry too much about them. We have to learn how to live with them, neither getting complacent nor nervous or too worried with them. We have to learn to be both busy and serene.