As a preface to his declaration about the Incarnation in Philippians, St. Paul said, “The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had.”
Wisdom is making peace with the unchangeable. We have the freedom to face the unavoidable with dignity, to understand the transformational value that attitude works on suffering. Viktor Frankl wrote that in concentration camps, “what alone remains is ‘the last of human freedoms’—the ability to choose one’s attitude in a given set of circumstances.” What Frankl asked is not optimism in the face of pessimism but hope in the face of hopelessness.
Are we responsible for our unmerited suffering? The answer is no. And yes. We are not responsible for our predicament as its cause—whether it be cancer or job loss or the death of a child or spouse. But we are responsible for what we do with the effects, for what we build from the rubble that fate has made of our lives.
—Excerpted from God—The Oldest Question by William J. O’Malley, SJ
Not only the ring of truth but the substance. Thanks for this and all the little treasures on this Adventure.
So Short …So TRUE… Let us all pray for WISDOM. God Bless.. A.M.D.G.
This is a very profound statement. I will share it with my loved ones and remember it for the remainder of my life. Thanks! Joris
Me, too! So very well put.
exactly what I needed to read at this exact moment especially moving from a place of great freedom to a place with much negativity and constraints…..my attitude with the unchangeable…it is my choice. Thank you!