Called to "Godliness"

"Train yourself in godliness" — 1 Timothy 4:7 (NRSV)

Are you God-centered or are you ego-driven or self-centered?

There are people who are ego-driven or self-centered who choose to worship and chase after the acquisition of possessions, power, pleasure, prestige, and the like. However, these are false "gods" that are limited, finite, changeable, unsustainable, and they will eventually pass away. In essence, these people are seeking to center their lives on something that can never bring them ultimate and eternal happiness and, which experience teaches, may likely lead to temporal unhappiness for themselves and others.

Instead, like all humanity, you have inherent dignity through being created in the "image and likeness" of God (Genesis 1:26-27), meant to transcend the limits and finiteness of material creation, and to learn and experience that nothing can effectively satisfy your heart's desires other than our relational Trinitarian God—who is infinite, eternal, unchangeable, and awe-inspiring; who is Ultimate love, goodness, truth, beauty, and the Ground of all being; who created you and sustains you in love and for loving and meaningful relationships with God, others, yourself, and creation (cf. 1 John 4:8; Mark 12:30-31; Acts 17:28); who wills for you to be the best version of yourself now, and to eventually spend eternal life in communion with God and with all people of God. As Saint Augustine wrote and prayed in his Confessions, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you." Therefore, only God should be the center of your life who is entitled to receive your worship and adoration.

At its core, adoration is the spiritual attitude, at the depth of your heart, that yearns to have a genuine, loving, purposeful, awe-inspiring, and ever-growing personal relationship with God, that is centered on God and what God wills. Godliness is the outward expression of your adoration through how you think, speak, act, and live in your relationships with God, others, yourself and God's creation. When your actions are in accord with God's will—as taught, lived, and exemplified by Jesus Christ, the human face of God for us— you will be empowered by the gifts of the Holy Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord (Catechism of the Catholic Church ("CCC"), no. 1830-31; cf. Isaiah 11:2); you will see and experience the presence of Christ within all of creation, and especially in the Eucharist (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Cor. 11:24), and in the least of our brothers and sisters (Matthew 25:31-46); you will live a life of beatitude (blessings) as a child of God, and experience more abundant life as promised by Jesus (Matthew 5: 3-12; Luke 6:20-23; John 10:10); and you will experience and manifest the fruits of God's Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, chastity, and self-control (See CCC, nos. 1830, 1832 ; cf. Isaiah 11:2; Galatians 5:22-23).

As proclaimed in the Scripture passage quoted above, godliness develops and grows through training, by being God-centered, rather than ego-driven or self-centered, and engaging in discplined practices of faith, individually and in communion with other people of God through: worship and adoration, active engagement in the liturgy, prayer, gratitude and thanksgiving, reading and the studying of Scripture and other spiritual resources, candid and honest self-reflection, forgiveness of others, receiving the nourishment of the Eucharist, repentence of your faults and failures and seeking reconcilation, reception of the other Sacraments, nurturing life-enhancing relationships, and performing loving and selfless service for others, especially those in need.

Our actions affect our desires, attitudes. and worlviews. Conversely, our desires, attitudes, and worldviews affect our actions. They will either enhance or diminish your life and the lives of others, depending on whether they are God-centered and God-willed, or self-centered and self-willed. You have the inherent freedom to choose how you will respond to your thoughts, desires, and emotions, as well how you will respond to the people, events, and situations that you experience in your life. You bear the responsibility for the choices you willingly and intentionally make.

You are invited and encouraged to surrender to God and to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide and empower you to discern and make the right choices that are centered on God, and consistent with God's will for your life and the lives of others.