135. The difficulty in being a Christian
135. THE DIFFICULTY IN BEING A CHRISTIAN
Is Christianity hard or easy?
It is written (Mt 11:28): Come unto Me, all you that labor and are burdened, which words are expounded by Hilary thus: He calls to Himself all those that labor under the difficulty of observing the Law, and are burdened with the sins of this world. And further on He says of the yoke of the Gospel: For My yoke is sweet and My burden light. Therefore the New Law is a lighter burden than the Old.
A twofold difficulty may attach to works of virtue with which the precepts of the Law are concerned. One is on the part of the outward works, which of themselves are, in a way, difficult and burdensome. And in this respect the Old Law is a much heavier burden than the New, since the Old Law by its numerous ceremonies prescribed many more outward acts than the New Law. . . . The other difficulty attaches to works of virtue as to interior acts; for instance, that a virtuous deed be done with promptitude and pleasure. It is this difficulty that virtue solves, because to act thus is difficult for a man without virtue, but through virtue it becomes easy to him. . . . [T]hus even the Philosopher states that it is easy to do what a righteous man does, but that to do it in the same way, viz. with pleasure and promptitude, is difficult to a man who is not righteous. Accordingly we read also (1 Jn 5:3) that His commandments are not heavy, which words Augustine expounds by saying that they are not heavy to the man that loveth, whereas they are a burden to him that loveth not.
Moreover, the tribulations suffered by those who observe the New Law are easily borne, on account of the love in which the same Law consists; since, as Augustine says, love makes light and nothing of things that seem ardous and beyond our power (I-II,107,4).
Is Christianity hard or easy? The true answer is deeper, more complex, and more paradoxical than a simple yes or no, like all the most important questions about Christianity, and like the most important questions about anything real—e.g., Are we animals or not? Is the universe made of matter or energy? Is light wave or particle? Is truth or love the most absolute? Is God one or many, substance or relationship, essence or person?
On the one hand, Christianity—the very life of Christ in our souls and our lives—is so simple and easy that Christ can say to us—the Christ Who is about to carry the burden of the Cross—that His yoke is easy and His burden is light and we will find in Him rest for our souls (Mt 11:28-30). Once we have Him, nothing can remove or impair or dim that joy, not even torture and death (Rom 8:28-39).
On the other hand, our new marching orders, now that we have enrolled in Christ’s army, are much higher and more difficult than those of civilians. We are called to be not just decent citizens but heroes of virtue: saints.
Yet the New Law of the gospel, which is the very presence of Christ in His Church, in His people, in their souls (and in their bodies), makes obedience easy and joyful because it comes from within, from love, and from free choice motivated by love, rather than from without, from obligation and duty. Lovers actually enjoy doing hard things for their beloved—the very things non-lovers complain about. Of course, this transformation from duty to love, and from burden to joy, is usually gradual, like a tide, not sudden, as we grow in grace like a plant. Do not expect instant sanctification by going faster than grace.
As the homily that the Church used to recommend for all wedding ceremonies says, “Married life is a high calling. It imposes many burdens, risks many sufferings, and requires many sacrifices. Only love can make it possible. Only perfect love can make it a joy.”
The postage stamp commemorating the founding of Boys’ Town orphanage in Nebraska depicts a small boy carrying a larger, crippled one. The caption reads: “He ain’t heavy; he’s my brother.”