From The Bishop

There is a saying, “Conquer yourself and then conquer the world.” There is a saying, "Conquer yourself and then conquer the world." This statement seems to imply that if you want to be successful in life, you need to be self-disciplined. On a deeper level, I believe that it is saying something more profound. If you want to be happy in life, you need to know yourself. Why is this so important? When someone lacks self-knowledge, there will be little personal growth and relationships will suffer. We have all met individuals who seem unable to comprehend how their words or actions have negatively impacted others. They never see themselves as part of the problem because it always seems to be someone else's fault. There are many ways that a person can gain greater self-awareness. From a faith perspective, I would like to consider just one. It involves Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the life. In writing to the church in Corinth, Paul states, "We have this treasure in clay vessels, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies." (2 Corinthians 4:7-15) At times, the problems of life can seem overwhelming and we can reach a breaking point. St. Paul acknowledges this fact when he speaks about earthen vessels that are brittle and breakable. Within each fragile vessel, there is something of greater value. We are those clay vessels and the treasure that we possess is the presence of God. The difficulty is that we often focus more on the problems rather than on the divine presence. Jesus shows us the way. We can spend all of our time 'outside' dealing with our difficulties, rather than going 'inside' and spending time with Christ. This is one of the most powerful ways we can gain self-knowledge. The closer we are to Jesus, the more he can help us to know ourselves. If we are made from 'clay' and not 'iron,' then Jesus will always handle us with great care because we are breakable. He helps us to know both our strengths and weaknesses. With great love, he helps us to change for the better. Jesus gently offers us the truth about who we are and what we can do with his help. If we believe that Jesus is with us, our problems will not seem so great. We will experience burdens and difficulties; however, we will not become discouraged or feel forsaken. He will help us to enjoy life. It is important to remember Jesus did not say that his followers would never have problems. He did say that with him, all things are possible. Jesus helps us to turn those problems into possibilities. All we need to do is trust him and take the time to be with him. For a Christian, a life of prayer is foundational to self-knowledge. When we go to Christ, he helps us to overcome the problems that we face each day. He also gives us the strength and courage to do what is right and to admit when we are wrong. This helps us to be more successful in life and in our relationships. We are then able to bring more goodness to the world and be a positive influence. So let us not forget that if you conquer yourself, you can conquer the world. Source: https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/opinion-story/9594113-faith-matters-prayer-is-foundational-to-self-knowledge/