Keep Your Head in the Game
one
Who are we going to become?
To be free, that is to use our freedom as it was designed – means to be able to form our own character – in other words, to make ourselves into the kind of people that we will be forever.
When we come into this world our character has not yet been determined. By sharing in God’s life through the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist we become adopted children of God. Then by a life-long series of choices we forge our character.
By continuously choosing what is right and good we become more and more like God our Father.
On the other hand, the more we choose and do what is wrong, what is sinful, we become increasing less human and less God-like like. If we continue this path downward, we forge our character, our nature to be demonic.
With every choice we are determining what we will become forever: and adopted son of God, like our Father; or a demon, and in that case like our father – Satan.
Jesus said as much in John chapter 8 – basically asking whom do you want for your father? 'If God were your father, you would love me…The devil is your father, and you prefer to do what your father wants. …A child of God listens to the words of God; if you refuse to listen, it is because you are not God's children.'
two
The Only Great Drama Remaining
We humans, you and I, are the only beings whose character, that is, what we will be forever, has not yet been decided. Rocks, trees, animals, demons, angels – even God Himself – all these beings will not change their basic structure, their basic mode of being. It is done. They are what they are. But what we will be has not been decided. It is up to us and it is the only significant drama that still exists. The only relevant story that hasn’t been settled is whether our lives will be a triumph or a tragedy – whether our story will end happily or horribly.
Jesus, Mary, Joseph and our Guardian Angel are interested in us because we are the ultimate suspense – the only battle in which victory or defeat is not yet determined.
The Angels are watching us and biting their nails because their whole focus is on our salvation, and most of the time we’re completely oblivious that we’re strolling along on the brink of salvation or damnation.
God, Heaven and Hell are all watching the outcome of your soul.
Everything else in the universe is trivial by comparison, because only you are immortal; and the destiny of everything other immortal spirit has been settled.
three
It’s Game On
There is a song that echoes in my mind:
“With eight seconds left in over time she’s on your mind, she’s on your mind.”
8 seconds left and some girl is on his mind. No. That’s not the way it should be. Keep your head in the game man. Don’t be distracted or you will lose.
Many are watching March Madness right now. Imagine a game in which you are totally emotionally invested, and there’s only 8 seconds left in over time and someone in the room is trying to shut the game off or get your attention for something trivial – something stupid that can wait. You want to know whether the team you love will win or lose everything, and your uninterested friend wants to talk about the weather. You’d be like, “Shush…shut up, not now – there’s only 8 seconds left.”
Now imagine the player you are counting on can’t keep his head in the game – his mind is on his laundry, or his sponsorships, or some petty squabble he had with a teammate or an opponent – and you’re screaming at him from your living room – “Hey man, keep your head in the game. This is it. This means everything.”
That is what all of Heaven and the Angels and Saints are saying to you and me right now – “Keep your head in the game!”
In comparison to eternity there is only one second left, and the game’s not won. Don’t be distracted.”
“8 seconds left in overtime and you’re on my mind.”
four
How do we keep our head in the game?
All temptation and sin begins by imagining some really pleasurable thing or avoiding some painful thing. Then it grows in our imagination until we do it. Pay attention to what is on your mind. Be attentive to where your imagination is taking you.
Our undisciplined imagination makes us sin.
For example: I imagine some difficult situation where I want to avoid conflict. I don’t think the situation through to the end or with any detail – I just lazily imagine the unpleasantness of the conflict and the truth. And so instead I lie to avoid the problem.
Then the reality hits. Eventually the truth comes out and all the awkwardness I’ve tried to avoid is present, plus now I’ve been found out as a liar.
Better if I discipline my imagination to help me remember why vice is such a drag.
It works positively too: we can train the imagination to focus on the desirability of attaining our ultimate goals. In other words, we can make mental images or visualize what we want the outcome of our life to be.
Develop long-term detailed and realistic images of the good and bad outcomes of our choices.
Keep your head in the game. Make a mental image of what and make your choice based on that.
five
Every success program says you’re supposed to begin the day by visualizing your goals. So why don’t we do that with the only success that really matters? The success of the great contest we’re engaged in, the contest against Satan and Sin, for virtue and salvation?
This what daily meditation is all about. In meditation we spend time thinking about the goal of our life, union with God, Heaven and happiness; we think about where we have fallen in the past, then we make a game-plan of what we want the outcome to be in the future. We visualize what we want the outcome of our choices to be.
That is precisely what meditation and a resolution is. Getting a long-term, detailed and realistic picture of our choices and deciding ahead of time what we want to do.
If we do this, we can win the ultimate championship. But we have to keep our head in the game. Because the clock’s running down fast.
Postscript
We’re hosting a series of listening sessions to gather suggestions on how we grow The Movement. If you do not receive our email or text but pray this Podcast often we would love to hear from you.
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Please head over to our Facebook page, Holy Family School of Faith, you’ll see the Rosary Podcast Listeners Post, and sign-up for a date and time that works for you.