Journal of Sacred Work

[Note: the following meditation was written by Cathy Self, Sr. V.P. of the Baptist Healing Trust]

   The idea of passion was first described by Plato (at left with Aristotle in painting by Raphael) who
suggested that all passion falls into one of four categories including joy,
grief, desire, and fear. Much later, Thomas Aquinas divided passion into two
facets of the soul’s appetite: those passions that are readily satisfied, such
as love and joy, and those that are more difficult to obtain, such as courage
and hope. A typical definition of passion in a dictionary includes words like
suffering, fervor, zeal. Regardless of how passion is defined, most have either
experienced it personally or witnessed it in another – an energy that is
observable and can be contagious….

   Passion sees what could be
and is blind to obstacles, whether real or imagined. Most always passion
entails some degree of suffering, of self-sacrifice. Baseball players are among
the most passionate people I know.
   I saw passion in my son
early in his life when he learned the difference between desire and passion. As
a very young, aspiring baseball pitcher, Matt first tasted desire, wanting to
be the best pitcher on his team. He became focused on earned run averages,
strikeouts, win/loss columns, and how his stats compared to others’ in the
league. Over time, however, Matt’s desire turned to passion. As his heart grew
to love the game itself, Matt became less focused on comparisons and more on
his own growth and capabilities. He looked forward to playing the game itself,
and began to experience both the joy of doing his best as well as thrilling in
the success of his teammates. Matt began to see what could be and no obstacle
was too impossible to overcome.
   In the midst of passion is
the manifestation of our very best ideals, feelings, beliefs, and values. Passion is what separates us from what others
may try to tell us and what we know is true within. When someone pointed out to
our son the statistical unlikelihood of becoming a professional baseball player,
we saw a young man shrug his shoulders and respond “I’m still going to do my
best.”
   Over the years I’ve sadly
seen coworkers opt out of striving for the best, choosing instead to live a
life that felt safer – doing just enough to get by, staying under the radar,
collecting the paycheck, and starting over again the next day. My heart breaks
at the missed joy and peace of living into a sense of mission and purpose. Yes,
passion often requires of us sacrifice and discipline – but as a way of life,
as a response to a dream – passion is among the greatest of gifts we have to
offer.