“Ghost of the Future!” he exclaimed, “I fear you more than any spectre I have seen. But, as I know your purpose is to do me good, and as I hope to live to be another man from what I was, I am prepared to bear you company, and do it with a thankful heart. Will you not speak to me? ”
It gave him no reply. The hand was pointed straight before them.
“Lead on!” said Scrooge. “Lead on! The night is waning fast, and it is precious time to me, I know. Lead on, Spirit! “
-Stave Four, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
As I thought about this final installment of my New Evangelizers blog series on the using the Holy Family as a guidepost to fight the Five Wounds of Secularization (Busyness, Consumerism/Materialism, Violence/Revenge, Individualism, and now, Entitlement), this scene from the Alastair Sim movie version of A Christmas Carol popped into my head.
Like Scrooge’s fear of the Ghost of Christmas-Yet-To-Come, the fifth wound, entitlement, sends shivers up my spine.
Entitlement. It is a true scourge on our modern life. It has permeated culture and society, threatening to sour much of what we believe is great about the world we live in.
“I’m entitled to a better job.”
“I’m a senior. I’m entitled to start on the football team.”
“I’m entitled to get a raise.”
“I deserve to act holier than thou because I attend church every Sunday morning.”
“Don’t you know who I am?”
Any of these sound familiar? It’s the attitude of entitlement. The attitude that the world and God and the church (etc., etc.) owe us something. The belief we should not have to earn or appreciate the joys we are given in life. Entitlement is just plain selfishness.
Entitlement lacks humility and it lacks gratitude. The entitlement mindset closes our hearts and our minds. It douses the flame of appreciation for life and the good things made available to each of us on a daily basis.
“You deserve a break today.”
Who remembers that slogan from a popular fast food chain? Do we really deserve, or are entitled to, a “break today”? Have we done the work to justify getting the “break today”? And, if we do get the “break today,” do we take the time to be thankful for it?
The beauty of it all lies in God’s grace. I used to think of the road to heaven as a strenuous, lifelong climb up the side of God’s mountain. My thinking changed dramatically several years ago at our parish mission when visiting Vincentian priest, Fr. Richard Gielow, taught that God places us at the top of the mountain right next to him from the get-go. He wants us there next to him. It’s up to us, with the free will He provides, not to slide downward away from him. A simple and beautiful truth.
We are not entitled to God’s grace because we claim Christianity. We are given grace and heaven as gifts from God. When we mistreat and under-appreciate these gifts, they slip away from us as we slide further down the side of God’s mountain.
Joseph and Mary are again perfect examples of this simple and beautiful concept. They accepted God’s grace and His will without waiver and without any hint or shred of entitlement. Joseph humbly accepted his role without expecting God to provide him with the hippest, coolest camel caravan in the Middle East and an entourage to carry the pregnant Mary on a stylish sedan chair from Nazareth to their resort lodgings overlooking Bethlehem.
When humble Mary was a young girl, she probably dreamed, expected, and envisioned a normal life for herself as a devout Jewish mother and wife. She tossed aside any selfish desires or wants to accept the role as Mother of God offered by the angel Gabriel. She did so without a single thought that she was entitled to receive anything in return.
I could spin tale after tale of how anti-entitlement Jesus was during his life, ministry, and death. But, fortunately for you, it has already been done (in a much better literary fashion than I could ever accomplish) in the New Testament.
God’s grace doesn’t come with a list of benefits and perks; it comes from Him, is part of Him, and is given to us freely through His love. It is a gift, not something we are entitled to. We should appreciate the gift, not expect it or take it for granted.
Rejecting or limiting the influence of the Five Wounds of Secularization by following the example of the Holy Family leads us to a more peaceful existence in this wild and crazy modern life. Finding a spiritual and secular synergy with God brings us a life of true joy and happiness.
Joy. It is all really so simple; it is a hit-yourself-in-the-forehead kind of simplicity. God wants us to have joy. He wants us joyful in heaven next to him. He wants us joyful in our time on earth. That is why he sent his Son to die for our sins, so we can have that joy. Isn’t that awesome?
Be joyful.
Spread joyful.
Shine joyful.
So, it’s time to wrap up this blog series, New Evangelizers. Go fight the good fight against the Five Wounds of Secularization. Be not afraid and use the Holy Family as a spiritual guide. Pray to them for help and strength. There was a great response line in the Eucharistic Ministers to the Homebound blessing that went, “With gratitude to God, I accept this mission.”
Keep this gratitude to God alive and well and at your side always.
Finally, as our good friend Ebenezer Scrooge said, “Lead on, Spirit!”
Copyright © 2013, Mike Hays
Mike Hays
Mike Hays is a husband, a father of three, a lifelong Kansan and works as a molecular microbiologist. Besides writing, he has been a high school strength and conditioning coach, a football coach and a baseball coach. His debut middle grade historical fiction novel, THE YOUNGER DAYS, is a 2012 recipient of The Catholic Writer's Guild Seal of Approval Award. You can find it at the publisher's website or on Amazon.
One response to “The Age of Entitlement”
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I have really enjoyed this series, Mike. Thanks for taking the time to wrestle it out of yourself! 🙂