It's crunch time

Yes, it's this time when a year is passing and ending and another is coming and starting that we need to make a review of what has taken place and a projection of what can happen inthe next year.

We must have a good picture of where we succeeded or failed in the past year, or where we can still improve. And we alsoneed to set clear goals for the next year.

If we are truly serious with our life, which does not mean that we should not have fun and exciting thrills, this exercise is what we should do. Let's always remember that we are meant to account for everything that we are and have in this life. We are meant to be fruitful and productive, and not to be idle or complacent.

Let's see how we have performed first o fall in our life of piety that is the bedrock of all the other aspects of our life. That's simply because it is in our spiritual life, in our relation with God and with others that would determine the ultimate quality of our life-whether it is a life that can enter eternal life with God or not.

Our performance in all the other aspects of our life-family, work and profession, social life, politics, economics, culture, etc.-should be subordinated to our spiritual life and inspired by it.

If we have been monitoring our performance through the regular practice of daily examination of conscience and monthly recollection and yearly retreat, reviewing and projecting should notbe difficult to do.

Of course, this is a practice that needs to be learned thoroughly. And let's hope that we can start with our own selves andthen help others to learn it. In this, there is a lot to be done.

Let's hope that the different institutions-families, schools, parishes, offices, etc.-give their due subsidiary contribution for this purpose. What a different world it would be-one that is proper to us as responsible children of God-if we would learn how to do this crunching exercise well!

In our review and projection, let us look into the finer points of things as well as the bigger and bolder issues. That's simply because as Christ said: "He who is faithful in little is faithful also in much." (Lk16,10)

We should avoid getting entangled in the little things without considering the big things, and vice-versa, getting engrossed with the big things while neglecting the little things. Wehave to do both defense and offense in the struggles involved in our spiritual and moral life.

We need to know more the reason and motive behind our every thought, word and deed, to see if it is truly love of God and others that drives us, or is it more out of pride, vanity, greed, envy, etc.?

We need to know the art of protecting what we already attained in terms of our own sanctification even as we continue conquering more areas. There will always be something we must improve and develop. We have to be wary of our tendency to fall into complacency and self-satisfaction---stuck in our comfort zones.

It's always good to do some crunching to see if things arethe way they should be. It should be part of our system.