By Fr. Roy Cimagala
We need to re-examine our spirit of fidelity because with all the rapid new developments around demanding us to be dynamic, open-minded, and versatile in the way we live our commitments, it would be very easy for us to get confused and lost.
Yes, to be faithful, we have to stick to our commitments regardless of the changing circumstances and conditions. It is not, of course, a rigid and mindless kind of fidelity. It has to be alive and active, knowing how to flow with the times.
It has to be a fidelity that does not simply follow the letter of the commitments blindly, but goes to fathom the spirit behind the letter. To be sure, the spirit is always alive and active, while the letter tends to freeze things to facilitate understanding. But we should realize that our understanding of our commitment will always be a work in progress. It can always go deeper and broader.
Having said all that, we also cannot deny that a very safe way to live a truly love-inspired fidelity is always to stick to the letter of the commitment. In fact, any spiritual deepening and broadening of our understanding of our commitments should be launched from the level of the letter.
This may mean that there are old and traditional ways in which some aspects of the commitment are lived that should be maintained, even if there are many other legitimate new and innovative ways of living those aspects of the commitment. This should not be regarded as being too traditional or too rigid.
The important thing to remember is that whatever way one lives some aspects of his commitments should be inspired by a genuine love for God and for those for whom the commitments are made. It is this kind of love which will inspire one to submit himself to certain conditions even if other legitimate conditions are made available.
Thus, for example, a person may still choose to spend his holidays with his family at home even if the possibility of spending them with others and in other places is made available with amenities and privileges provided, and the family actually would not mind. For him, spending the holidays with the family has priority over other possibilities. And that would be a greater manifestation of a love-inspired fidelity to his family.
Given the rapidity and multiplicity of the new developments, we should find ways of how to be faithful to our commitments with great prudence. While our fidelity should also be innovative and creative, it should also know when to stick to certain traditions and old ways of doing things.
We have to be careful because we always have the tendency to get easily carried away and intoxicated by what is new. If we aren’t careful, we can easily complicate our life unnecessarily, since the new things usually bring with them many other things that we may not know yet or that we may still be unable to handle properly.
This, of course, doesn’t mean that we don’t consider the new things altogether. We just have to be prudent with them, seeing to it that these new things and new ways would truly be consistent to our spirit of fidelity and may even enhance it more.
Prudence, of course, may require that we give this issue a lot of thought and consideration, even going to the extent of consulting some people who can help us in this regard. As much as possible, we should avoid the trial-and-error method which should only be resorted to as a last option.
A truly love-inspired fidelity would know how to blend the old and the new, the traditional and the innovations. It would know what to stick to and what to let go of.
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
