Created Twice

Following through on the inspirations of the Holy Spirit

08/20/2018

Matthew 19:16-22 A young man approached Jesus and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?" He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." He asked him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, "You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Everyone has had at one time or another bold intentions or big ideas that they sadly never followed through on. Maybe as a child you dreamed of being a scientist who cured cancer, or the first astronaut to walk on Mars, or maybe even thought about being a priest or a nun. But as we grew up and reality reared its ugly head, those daring dreams dissipated. Nolan Bushnell famously observed: “Everyone who has ever taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference.” The years of our youth are exhilarating like a shower, with ideas crowding into our craniums, but adulthood is like stepping out of the shower and drying off and going back to work. Reality rears up.

Stephen Covey insists that “All things are created twice. There’s a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation to all things.” Then he offers a homely example in the construction of a home. He explains in his gentle soothing style: “You create [a home] in every detail before you ever hammer the first nail into place. You try to get a very clear sense of what kind of house you want…Then you reduce it to blueprint and develop construction plans. All of this is done before the earth is touched” (The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, 99). In other words, the blueprint is the first creation and the finished house is the second creation. Both are critical to any successful construction, especially the construction of one’s life, but sadly so many people have brilliant ideas that never materialize because they fail to follow through on them. Perhaps the cure for cancer sits on the scrap heap of first creations because its discoverer got out of the shower, dried off and did nothing about it. It was not “created twice.”

Jesus meets a young man who has a bright idea but fails to follow through on it. Even though the young man does not say so in so many words, Jesus helps him articulate his daring dream, namely, he wishes to be perfect. That desire to be perfect was the young man’s first creation; it was a clear concept in his mind. Then Jesus assumes the role of architect and helps him create a blueprint for perfection, which includes embracing evangelical poverty, so that the young man’s treasure would be in heaven. But that is the point where the young man steps out of the shower and allows reality to ruin his hopes and dreams. “He went away sad, for he had many possessions.” In short, his dream of being perfect, which is another way of saying being conformed completely to Christ in every possible way, was not “created twice.” It remained on the scrap heap of first creations, all those daily discarded blueprints that never built anything. Every idea and intention must be created twice, especially the desire for discipleship.

My friends, have you ever had big and bold spiritual ideas or intentions but struggled to follow through because reality intimidated you? Maybe you thought about going on a mission trip to a foreign country, or even here in the United States, but never signed up. You could have contemplated reading the Bible from cover to cover, but got lost in Leviticus! It could be a plan to pray the rosary daily, or work in the soup kitchen. Perhaps you thought about a liturgical role as lector or Eucharistic minister but chickened out worrying about being in front of people. In other words, the Spirit spoke to you in the shower but you got out, dried off and did nothing about it. The all-important second creation was sort of aborted and never saw the light of day.

Today pray for the grace not to allow reality to ruin the intentions inspired by the Holy Spirit in your heart to be a better disciple. Remember: anything that is not “created twice” is never really created at all; even discipleship must be created twice.

Praised be Jesus Christ!