The word “authentic” pops up a lot these days. Out in the general culture, people recognize that integrity is important. We value honesty, even if it comes in the form of brutal confrontation on a reality TV show.

But authenticity goes further than honesty. Actually, it goes deeper than honesty. Authenticity comes out of a person’s core; it’s an expression of who the person truly is.

In this week’s chapter from My Life with the Saints, Fr. Jim Martin tells us about Thomas Merton. You can go to the chapter by clicking here. Merton was a Trappist monk who died not that many years ago. While he is not an official saint in the Catholic Church he’s saintly for many people because of his ability to honestly look at his life, see his humanity and also see God’s grace. His autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, has helped people all over the world learn the meaning of authenticity.

Merton talked about the “true self.” He had learned—sometimes the hard way—that human beings have a way of denying who they truly are. Even though we are corrupted by sin, there remains that core person created by God and loved by God. As we grow in our awareness of God’s love, and as we develop our relationship with God, we become more and more in touch with our truest nature—our most authentic self.

So Christians might think of authenticity as living closely connected to our true self. Authenticity gets past all the versions of ourselves that we try to present to the world—versions that we think will seem intelligent or important or attractive. Authenticity concerns my very specific history and the gifts of personality and ability God placed within me. Authenticity means that I accept who I am as a beloved child of God and that I move freely in the world as that daughter or son—not as some other person I’d rather be.

Exercise for the Week

Spend at least an hour in prayer this week—preferably all at once, but you can divide the time into 2 or 3 prayer sessions. During that hour of prayer, have the courage to ask, “God, please show me my deepest, truest self. Help me to accept that self with gratitude and to love that person. Help me walk in the freedom of authenticity.”

To post a tribute to a loved one who has died click on the All Souls tab.

To take advantage of special savings on My Life with the Saints by Fr. James Martin, use the promo code “SAINTS09”. Only $12.00 each! (paperback edition only).

]]> http://deepeningfriendship.loyolapress.com/2009/11/09/god-wants-the-authentic-you/feed/ 1 http://deepeningfriendship.loyolapress.com/2009/11/03/little-saints/ http://deepeningfriendship.loyolapress.com/2009/11/03/little-saints/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:04:29 +0000 Vinita http://deepeningfriendship.loyolapress.com/?p=745 For this month’s discussion of saints, we begin with St. Thérèse of Lisieux. This is a good choice, because she considered herself “little” and she demonstrated and encouraged our love of God through little acts. It’s helpful to start small when we’re trying to develop or grow in some way. For inspiration from St. Thérèse, be sure to read the chapter we’ve provided from My Life with the Saints.

When was the last time you truly felt that by living your ordinary life you were becoming a saint? When surrounded by a culture in which everyone must become famous, even if through a few humiliating moments on a reality television show, it’s difficult to see our ordinary as sacred. In this society, “little” doesn’t count for much.

But St. Thérèse discovered that “little” was quite good enough for God and for holiness: “I applied myself to practicing little virtues, not having the capability of practicing the great.”

We hardly think of ourselves as saints. But in God’s kingdom, we are indeed saints, because we are constantly being transformed into the people God created us to be:

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.”

—2 Corinthians 3:17–18

Do you dare accept this holy identity? Can you own the fact that you are destined to become more and more a true reflection of God?

Exercise for the week:

As you go through this week, take time to jot down the many tasks you do. Also, try to list the various conversations and other interactions you have with people.

Look over the items on this, and for each one ask yourself:

How does this task or interaction give me the opportunity to express love?
How can I perceive God’s love touching me through this task or interaction?

I encourage you to share your thoughts in a comment on the blog.

Then thank God specifically for these opportunities. This simple act of gratitude for what is daily and ordinary is what gradually builds a saintly life.

To post a tribute to a loved one who has died click on the All Souls tab.

To take advantage of special savings on My Life with the Saints by Fr. James Martin, use the promo code “SAINTS09”. Only $12.00 each! (paperback edition only).

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