MOST SWEET ODOUR | KAIROS GLOBAL | NOVEMBER 2022

Author: Anil Israel.

Intro: One must choose daily to be dead to sin and alive to God, writes Anil Israel. 

The last line of the book of Judges in the Old Testament is like a summary statement: In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). This sounds to be incredibly true in our present generation too. Everyone seems to be doing what they perceive to be right. To a larger extent, people tend to do what’s pleasing to them, being least concerned, if it’s pleasing to God or not. This is a sad sign of souls gone astray, for they are not under God’s reign. God is unfortunately not the King of their hearts and Lord of their lives.

Fallen human nature, pulled downward by the irresistible force of concupiscence (inclination to sin), struggles to walk upright. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41). Like St Paul, we too often end up admitting: I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do (Romans 7:19). How can aching mankind ever come out of this seemingly-never-ending misery and shame? 

They say the first step to solve a problem is to admit that you have a problem. The physician can only help the one who acknowledges that he is unwell. We need grace to see that we are in need of help. We need to accept the truth that we are in the midst of a spiritual warfare – the ongoing battle between good and evil. Whose side am I leaning on? Not to act on the side of the truth is indirectly strengthening the enemy of our soul. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters (Matthew 12:30).

If I am just a passive bystander, I am not involved. I need to start living and stop merely existing. Jesus came that we may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). Why am I unwilling to inhale the ‘abundant life’ waiting for me to embrace? Why am I reluctant to crucify the old self and resurrect to the newness of life (Romans 6:4) in Christ? I must consciously choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19), lest my eternity be jeopardized. I must choose daily to be dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6:11). I must be willing to practise the itinerary of holiness every day.

The spiritual life is nothing but life in the Holy Spirit. If the Helper, the Holy Spirit (John 14:26) dwelling within me is sitting jobless, then I am spiritually dead. To be spiritually alive, I must make active efforts from my side. I must not ignore my daily conference call with God – my own time of personal prayer – to recharge my spiritual batteries. Daily reception of Holy Communion further purifies and strengthens my soul. A daily dose of Scripture reading is additional spiritual nourishment. A circle of friends whom I can count on for prayer support, helps me stay on track. I need to humble myself and seek guidance from those more mature in the spiritual walk. An elder mentor – a consecrated nun or an ordained priest – can be of vital support.

There must be more than this. What else can I do? Let’s take a look at what some of the saints did. To be conscious of the prize paid for my salvation, we can learn to meditate on the passion and death of our beloved Saviour. This helps us do a proper examination of our conscience – to discover the weeds still waiting to be uprooted – weeds of pleasure, weeds of egoism, weeds of material possessions, and weeds of carnal living. 

Besides the Bible, I need to devote adequate time to spiritual reading, or spiritual listening for that matter. Am I exposing myself to a daily dose of Catholic content to feed my starving soul? Am I exposing myself to Christian music to lift my dampened spirit? Do I have any holy art adorning the walls of my home? Do I take delight in a pilgrimage of faith with my family or friends? Do I unceasingly propel myself to be on the continuous learning curve? Am I willing to step out of my comfort zone and expand my missionary zeal? Am I willing to be an instrument for the greater glory of His Kingdom? My willingness to be faithful in small matters come-what-may is all that matters. ‘Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love’ (Mother Teresa).

May the sense of urgency in attaining heaven, compel us to abandon our lives to be radically transformed by God’s indispensable grace. May we be unfailing in patience (2 Timothy 4:2) and eager to do good works (Titus 2:14). May we avoid godless chatter (1 Timothy 6:20) and do what pleases him (1 John 3:22). May our pursuit of personal holiness be the fragrant offering (Ephesians 5:2) rising from our hearts. May we rise from spiritual ruin to emit the most sweet odour (Leviticus 1:13) – the pleasing aroma (2 Corinthians 2:15) of ardent piety. For lack of wood the fire goes out (Proverbs 26:20). With what wood am I keeping my spiritual life burning?

Anil Israel lives in Mannheim, Germany with his wife Sunitha and their 5 children.