Inordinate self love can be fatal to the spiritual life. Of course, Our Divine Lord commands us in the Gospel to love our neighbor as our self. So, obviously there is some legitimacy in the proper form of self love.
What is this legitimacy? We should love the fact that God has created us and destined us for heaven if we are faithful to Him and, to the Holy Catholic Church, which He established. We should be thankful for any talents that God has given to us to be used for His glory alone. We should always remember that these talents are gifts from God that we did nothing to merit. These gifts can be taken away at any time at God's discretion.
The greatest gift from God is our Holy Catholic Faith which we received at baptism. This invaluable gift can be lost due to infidelity. Faith is so fragile, which is one reason why acts of Faith are so important in Catholic life. For example, the Nicene Creed is an integral part of Mass. Each day when we begin our rosary we begin with the Apostle's Creed. There are also the acts of Faith, Hope and Charity. We pray these to demonstrate to God our Faith in Him. This demonstration is so essential in the maintaining of our Faith, that at the very least the Apostle's Creed is prayed every day as we offer our Rosary.
One need only look around the world to observe the tremendous loss of faith that exists. Sadly, even many Catholics do not regularly renew their faith.
I receive emails from people who wonder how it is possible that an openly pro-abortion president could be invited to speak at a Catholic university. The answer I believe lies in the loss of faith. If sufficient numbers of Catholics had true faith, this event would not even be remotely possible. With a loss of faith, morality and righteousness become blurred.
Today, I was shocked to read some excerpts from a magazine interview with a very prominent person in our country. This person was asked what it meant for her to be happy. She answered that, "my happiness is tied to how I feel about myself."
Such a response is symptomatic to the loss of faith. This person's self image or faith is based on how they feel, not on virtue or objective truth. Such a comment demonstrates faith only in oneself and not in our Lord.
True happiness comes from a pure conscience. If a person suffers severe health, financial, or other problems, even as severe as persecution for one's faith, that person can remain happy in spirit if they have a clear conscience. With only self centered happiness, once the material elements of our happiness go away, then that happiness turns into despair.
Holy Week is about to begin. Besides participating in the profound and moving ceremonies of Holy Week, I recommend that we also resolve to renew our Faith on a daily basis. Most everyone has some familiarity with the Nicene Creed and with the Apostles Creed. If not, they can certainly be found on the internet. The Act of Faith is also a short, but important prayer. Here are the words:
Oh My God, I firmly believe that Thou art One God in Three Divine Persons, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I believe that Thy Divine Son became Man and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because Thou hast revealed them, Who canst neither deceive or be deceived.
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