Editorial – The Prescription
By Rev. Raymond Petrucci
What is the authentic prescription for fame, for wealth, or for longevity? Or, maybe, what is desired is a lifestyle that most effectively fashions a person of virtue and righteousness. In Loma Linda, California, Marge Jetton attributes the attainment of her five score years and four to a bedrock faith in God and in the belief that as long as she lives, she can make a difference in the world.
This outlook on the purpose of one's being manifests a life immersed in faith. The secular emphasis on the fulfillment of life deriving from accumulation is countered by the sacred commission of accomplishing fulfillment through dissemination. One might describe this dissemination as a non-controversial "spreading the wealth," because in itself it is not materialistic but spiritual. The feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction in life emerges from the inner desire to please God. Every aspect of daily living becomes charged with limitless possibilities to serve God in others. This giving is a loving act, a God-centered work that returns immeasurable rewards.
One would not be straying from the central point, but would be in accordance with it by linking this protocol for well being with the traditional spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Gaze upon them with a perceptive eye: Spiritual Works of Mercy - instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish sinners, bear wrongs patiently, forgive others willingly, comfort the afflicted, and pray for the living and the dead; Corporal Works of Mercy – feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, house the homeless, visit the sick, ransom the captive, and bury the dead. Being attuned to this Christian mandate, one readily can conceive that their application would be truly medicinal to the body and the soul.
People who feel their life is part of a larger plan and are guided by their spiritual values have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, a lower risk of heart attack and cancer, and heal faster and live longer.
– Harold G. Koenig, M.D., Duke University
The prescription for a life that is heaven bound may be astounding in its complexity or remarkable for its simplicity. A life may show itself radiant in its spectacular expressions of service to God or may fulfill its mission in magnificent humility as a strand woven to near invisibility through the artistry of the craftsmen of the Benares silk coveted by the aristocracy of India. A life, however, is much more than show or fabric. In appreciation of the divine source of human dignity and integrity, people ought to express their gratitude for the gift of life by willing it into a reflection of the Giver
Immanuel Kant once said, "Morality is not properly the doctrine of how we make ourselves happy, but how we make ourselves worthy of happiness." Traveling the path of life, like walking the road to Emmaus, is always an encounter with Christ. Thus is found the perfect prescription for the purity and the beauty of being alive and of being holy. The mortality of the Lenten journey leads to the immortality of the Easter destination.