A few posts ago, I wrote about my morning ritual of stretching with yoga postures and taking time to meditate and pray so that I can better live my day with flexibility—physically and otherwise. After reading the second reading from Mass today, I feel like St. Paul must have been a yoga pro.
The reading came from Paul’s letter to the Christian community in Philippi. He writes,
“…I have learned to be satisfied with what I have. I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. I have learned how to cope with every circumstance—how to eat well or go hungry, to be well provided for or do without. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
~Philippians 4:11-13
Though at first, Paul seems a bit cocky in this passage, he makes it clear that it is not by his own ability that he has achieved this level of flexibility and adaptability; it is through the Yoga Master that Paul is able to become a yoga pro. And that’s something to strive for.
I know there are still many circumstances in which I’m not very good at living with love. When I’m hungry, I can be pretty selfish. And when I’m tired, I’m just darn cranky—ask my brothers or any of my past roommates. I think this reading is a great reminder to draw strength from Christ in those times of struggle, while also drawing that same strength from Christ when everything is going our way.
This reading also helps me to remember not to get too cocky when I am able to live with love. When you think about it, everything we are able to do has been a gift given to us, not something we constructed in ourselves. And if I have any hopes of making it to the pros, I’m going to need God’s help.
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