Striving vs. Abiding
The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Ascension
4.9 • 7.1K Ratings
🗓️ 2 July 2020
⏱️ 9 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In the spiritual life, it’s difficult to know whether striving to do God’s will or just abiding in him is better. But why can’t we do both?
Fr. Mike tells the story of a perpetually active student athlete. His inability to disengage in doing things and just abide in God was a problem, and he knew it.
Fr. Mike advised him, it’s not that abiding is right and striving is wrong. It’s important to do, but it’s important to also know what not to do in order to acquire the goal your living for.
There are many reasons why we choose to commit to activities, whether it’s for fear of missing out, liking being needed, needing to be liked. The list goes on. But if I find myself unable to rest, do I have a clear vision of what I really want out of life?
Being slightly engaged and not knowing what you’re striving for can be more exhausting than being fully engaged while knowing what you’re striving for.
It’s important to know when, where, and how I need rest, to know when to just abide in God, like Mary and not Martha (see Luke 10:38-42).
In any given hour, you can be called to strive like Martha in one moment and abide like Mary in the next; to do something one moment and just be in the next. The best thing is when you know you’re doing the right thing and you get to abide in God as well because you know you’re doing his will.
Transcript
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| 0:00.6 | There's a jet flying over I don't think you can hear the jet |
| 0:05.3 | but but but but banny okay here we go |
| 0:16.4 | Hi, my name is Framink Schmitz and this is essential presents so recently I was talking with a guy |
| 0:20.6 | Who said that he's very busy. He's a college student. He is busy with academics |
| 0:25.1 | He's he's a he's an athlete student athlete church campus ministry type stuff |
| 0:28.8 | And he said one of the things he finds it really difficult to do is he finds it really difficult to not be doing something |
| 0:36.3 | This thing is almost impossible to not be doing something if I stop I feel really guilty like I should be doing something |
| 0:42.9 | And he says where you ask me like what what do I do? |
| 0:45.1 | It's really interesting because there is an element where that's good that initiative that kind of like |
| 0:51.5 | Default let's go. Let's move. Let's do something is really really great. I think that's |
| 0:57.3 | That's lacking in some people right at the same time when you can't disengage when you can't rest |
| 1:03.6 | Then it becomes a problem. So if I'm always default default to grow or default move default act |
| 1:09.1 | That's wonderful, but if I can't then disengage and say I'm gonna rest now |
| 1:13.2 | It's like the difference between a striding and abiding you might be familiar with sister Maryam and Heather and Michelle's podcast |
| 1:21.2 | Abiding together |
| 1:22.6 | Where they talk about that a lot and I remember I talked with a spoke with one of our students |
| 1:26.7 | I was asking like I strive a lot into a different student |
| 1:30.1 | I strive a lot, but I know I need to abide more one is not right and one is not wrong |
| 1:34.4 | Like striving is not wrong striving is good in fact |
| 1:37.7 | Jesus when he's questioned about it is like how many people would be many people or few people entering the kingdom of heaven |
| 1:43.7 | Jesus's answer is strive strive to enter the narrow gate |
| 1:46.9 | So we're called to strive that same time. We're also called to abide |
... |
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