Be aggressive in pursuit of goal

THIS is the attitude to have in life. First we should have a clear vision of our goal in life, translating that goal into stages. And then let’s stir up all our faculties to achieve that goal.

We can take St. Paul’s words as some kind of inspiring slogan: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Cor 9,24)

Or, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim 4,7) Yes, our life is like a race. The Letter to the Hebrews said as much: “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…” (12,1)

The good thing about this attitude is that it engages our faculties properly and helps us to avoid getting distracted or, worse, lost, being held hostage by the allures of this world, wasting time, etc. We would always be on the move, and would know how to put order in our daily activities, knowing the right priorities, etc.

And what is the ultimate goal that we should pursue? None other than that we become another Christ, if not Christ himself, ‘alter Christus, ipse Christus.’ This is simply because we have been created by God to be his image and likeness.

That image and likeness of God is Christ who as the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity is the pattern of our humanity, and as the Son of God who became man, is the redeemer of our damaged humanity.

Our creation is God’s project. It is a work in progress that requires our cooperation precisely because as image and likeness of God, we have been endowed with intelligence and will that would enable us to correspond to God’s creative and redemptive action on us.

In other words, we are meant to be like Christ, that is, to be another Christ if not Christ himself. We are supposed to be the branches attached to the vine who is Christ. We have to be “genetically” generated from Christ.

So the questions to be asked when we do our examinations of conscience at the end of the day are whether we are getting nearer to becoming like Christ. Can we say that we are having more and more the mind and heart of Christ? Are we having the same desires as Christ?

Like Christ, are we obeying God’s will even at the cost of great sacrifice, and even of our life? Do we have the desire to help others to become like Christ also? Is Christ’s mission of gathering the People of God in communion with him and with everybody else also our mission?

It is quite clear that if we are just aggressive in the pursuit of our ultimate goal, there will never be a dull moment and we would not get lost in the twists and turns of life. We would know the meaning and purpose of each event in our life, whether they are good or bad.

Let’s do everything to be aggressive in the pursuit of our ultimate goal, stoking the fire of love for God and for others everyday. Let’s stay away from ego-tripping or from being at the mercy of circumstances. We have to dominate our life together with Christ and in God’s grace.