Weekly MESSAGE for March 18, 2007: Identity -- Who Are We?

March 18, 2007

Focus: Identity, Who Are We?

Dear Friend,

We’re halfway through Lent and these days continue to be a great time for reflection. You might spend some quiet time with the following thoughts that a friends shared with me last week in an email.

Identity is an elusive concept. We feel we must define ourselves using a relatively small selection of roles and conscious character traits, even if none accurately represents our notion of who we are. The confusion surrounding who we really are is further complicated by the fact that society regularly asks us to suppress so much of our emotional, intellectual, and spiritual energy. Yet we are, in truth, spiritual beings inhabiting physical bodies, striving for enlightenment while living earthly lives. Our true self exists whether I acknowledge it or not. It is often buried under lots of fears and learned behaviors. When I recognize my power, my luminosity, I cannot help but live an authentic life of appreciation, fulfillment, and grace.

At birth and throughout our childhood, our thoughts and feelings were more than likely expressions of our true self. Though we may have learned quickly that to speak and act in a certain fashion would win others’ approval, we understood innately that we were no ordinary human being. There are many ways we can recapture the authenticity we once articulated so freely. Silent prayer, meditation, and reflection can liberate us from the bonds of those earthly customs that compel us to downplay our uniqueness. In order to realize our purpose, however, we must embrace our true self by letting our light shine forth.

Rediscovering who we are, apart from our roles and traits, does take time. It also takes courage. If, like many, we have denied our authenticity for a long while, we may find it difficult to separate our true identity from the identity we have created. Once we do find this authentic self, however, we will be overcome by a wonderful sense of wholeness as we reconcile our spiritual side and our physical side, as well as our inner and outer personas. As we gradually adjust to this developing unity, our role as a human being will reveal itself to us, and we will discover that we have a marvelous purpose to fulfill.

Enjoy the beauty of the warmer weather.

Fondly,
Father Nick Amato