Recently I saw Ignatius Press's film, "St. Philip Neri". In it, St. Philip teaches the homeless boys of Rome a song - "paradiso, paradiso, preferisco il paradiso" (Heaven, Heaven, I prefer Heaven). This phrase really stuck with me. It appeared as the answer to all the questions I put to myself every day when faced with daily choices, choices that seem irrelevant or that will seem to have little effect on my soul, but which, in fact, could mean the difference between lukewarmness and the perfection of virtue.
When my alarm goes off in the morning, I have the choice to get up immediately and begin my day or to snooze until it's absolutely necessary to get up because "I'm tired". This may seem an insignificant choice, but I have come to realize that it truly affects me and sets the tone for my whole day. St. Josemaria Escriva put it well when he said, "Conquer yourself each day from the very first moment, getting up on the dot, at a fixed time, without yielding a single minute to laziness. If, with God's help, you conquer yourself, you will be well ahead for the rest of the day. It's so discouraging to find oneself beaten at the first skirmish!" (The Way, 191) I have seen this to be true so many times! I feel much less productive when I give in to laziness at the "first skirmish" and put off getting up on the dot.
Early morning is prime prayer time. The world is still waking up and all is quiet in my soul. I can more readily hear God's voice speaking to me without the distractions of the day. When I think about it, the tempatation to sleep in is the tempatation to miss this precious time with Jesus, this time to rejuvenate my heart and prepare for whatever the day brings. If I don't lay the foundation first, the distractions of the day are more appealing - snapping at a loved one, gossiping about a co-worker, being cranky at circumstances outside of my control, forgetting to pray throughout the day, not discerning each action and word...
It's in these moments that it is helpful to remember that simple phrase - "I prefer Heaven!" When I am tempted to be lazy and sleep in, I tell myself, "I prefer Heaven!" and get up immediately. It can be used in all circumstances because it eliminates all excuses to laziness and rejection of growth in holiness and virtue. Even in something as simple as entertainment choices, preferring Heaven reminds me that these things have an impact on my soul and the way I think about the world. Much of today's entertainment very much de-sensitizes the moral compass of those who live off of it. I never want to become de-sensitized to the Sacred. I always want to remember my final end - Heaven!
Our lives are all destined for eternity, and in the context of time without end, our lives on earth are a puff of smoke. During this short time on earth we have the opportunity to choose Heaven or Hell by our actions. No soul goes to Hell without choosing it in some way. The choices we make every day have an impact on our soul. Little by little we travel closer to or further away from God. I pray that every day, my actions - and all of our actions - would shout "I prefer Heaven!!"
Written by Catherine
