Mortification: Being Generous Towards God
I intend to humble my body … humiliate and mortify my spirit, which has rebelled against God. By doing this, the powers of my soul, the feelings of my body, and everything in me may contribute in giving glory to God. (OOCC, X, p.74; STA, 67)
In St. Vincent Pallotti’s perspective, a life of mortification consists of being generous towards God. A person is stingy towards God when seeking his own interests becomes the main goal of his life. Hence, St. Vincent admonished his followers to be generous towards God by living a life of total mortification. Such a life calls for giving up all excesses involving one’s passions, opinions, will, imagination, senses, and the use of created things. Living a mortified life in all these areas of a person’s life does not mean that he must go to extremes. St. Vincent Pallotti instructed his followers to avoid extremes in the practice of mortification and recommended a path of moderation. Though he was rather strict with himself, he was considerate towards himself in the practice of mortification because of his health. He always advised discretion in doing penance. For mortification should not be considered as an end in itself, but rather it is only a means to growing in the life of God. It is a significant way of showing one’s attitude of being generous towards God by seeking him and others instead of one’s self.
Do I consider mortification as an act of generosity towards God? Am I stingy towards God due to my self-centered actions? Am I ready to give up all forms of excesses in my daily living? Do I live the path of moderation in living a life of mortification? Do I consider mortification as a means to genuine Christian life or an end to itself?
When you have done all you have been commanded, say, “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.” (Lk. 17: 10)