Greatness comes from sacrifice. To become great we sacrifice our flaws and failures learning from them not agonizing over them.
Sacrificing our flaws demands discipline. That is we learn from our mistakes growing ever more each day knowing failure moves us forward as we learn and correct ourselves. This becomes our passion. We willingly endure anything to achieve everything.
Passion to become great drives men and women to do extraordinary feats that defy reason, logic, and prudence. Yet, as St. Paul asks us, do they do this to win a crown of leaves or a crown of glory?
Many merely want an earthly crown, the fruits of their labor: home, car, family, friends, and hobby only to retire. Saints, however, want an imperishable crown that magnifies the soul. With magnanimity, nothing is too great for us to achieve, even heaven for we willingly sacrifice anything to have everything. How come we do not seek greatness of soul and win an imperishable crown that is eternal? (I Cor 9:25)
Greatness begins with repentance. Repentance admits wrong-doing. Repentance leads to reconciliation, restoring relationships. And repentance demands future avoidance of the fault or failure.
Repentance not only turns away from sin, it turns towards holiness. Many people struggle with repentance as they focus merely on defeating the demon within instead of defeating the demon by replacing the evil with goodness.
Unless we fill ourselves with something as we empty ourselves of another thing, we will not defeat the demons within. Repentance, then, is much more than just admitting and confessing our sins. It turns toward greatness — greatness of soul.
Magnanimity is greatness of soul. We discipline ourselves making the necessary sacrifices to defeat the demons that try to destroy our magnanimity.
Pusillanimous is smallness of soul. We are ignorant of what God will do with us with if we allow Him. We fail to repent because we fear failure. We shrink, excuse, and absolve ourselves from doing great things out of fear. Yet, God tells us we can to the impossible.
Today, Jesus asks us to flourish. To do that, we change our way of thinking from being small souled, grumbling, complaining, criticizing and instead, we cultivate the virtues, gifts, and fruits of the Holy Spirit to be a soul that magnifies the Lord.