Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

When I first came across these words from the Letter to the Romans as a young adult, I felt very heartened. At the time, I was absorbed in the expectations of secular culture. I felt pressured to have a perfect body, relationship, and schoolwork, and I was often worrying about what I should be doing to bring about whatever my future should be. The expectations of “this age” felt cumbersome. And so, being encouraged not to conform but to be transformed into something else felt like a relief. I did want to discern the will of God. I probably wanted to be perfect too, alas. I felt pressure to have a perfect body, compared myself to friends in relationships, and wondered what I should do to shape my future.

These words continue to be deeply relevant. There’s something in me that continues to feel pressured by the culture around me, an influence that’s amplified by social media. People curate their lives in images, but is what is shared “good and pleasing and perfect”? It seems so, but it’s not real, is it? For people of faith, success is measured by a different standard than a society that prizes wealth, beauty, youth, and prestige. And yet, I still feel the weight of expectations, and nothing is as heavy as the weight of my own expectations. So, I keep trying to be open to God’s transformation, the renewal of my mind that God does bit by bit.

And what is “the will of God”? What really is “good and pleasing and perfect”?

Well, I think our gospel tells us, but it feels less consoling than the pretty words from the Letter to the Romans. Peter is trying to think positively about Jesus’s future, but Jesus shuts that down. (And I’m with Jesus in squelching false positivity). Peter’s optimism is a stumbling block because Jesus knows that the will of God will move him to the cross and that his disciples must also pick up our crosses to follow him. Yikes! That may not be the transformation I was looking for. How about you?

Jesus’s words echo those of Paul in Romans. “Do not conform yourself to this age,” can be reframed by Jesus’s question: “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?” If we conform ourselves to the values of the culture around us, the culture that insists that more is better, that it’s fine to oppress vulnerable people, that distraction to the point of numbness is normal, well, we lose what’s essential. We lose not only to what’s Christ-like but what makes us fully human. However, if we live into all that Christ calls us to – loving our neighbors, caring for the poor and vulnerable, embracing a Beatitude attitude, what do we gain? Everything. God. Community. Ourselves.

I feel like the values of this age, at least in western culture, are even slicker and more tantalizing than they were in Jesus’s time. I mean, we hardly even know what’s real anymore. The cost of AI is high at every level – on the environment, on our well-being, our compassion toward others. And it literally costs money. Dominance and self-centeredness are the values promoted by so many of our secular leaders. I hope our church leaders are doing the opposite and many are (see Pope Leo’s Magnifica Humanitas). And yet, from many church leaders, when it comes to protesting the harm caused by a culture of greed and dominance, I hear nothing but silence.

I also don’t think it’s exclusively up to Christians to challenge what’s wrong with the society around us. There are plenty of people of goodwill from other faith traditions and from no faith tradition who insist upon peace and justice and equity, people who are willing to work for the common good. It’s nice to know we’re in this together, and I hope the common call to work for good unites us in a shared sense of purpose. I think it does unite us.

Seeking the simple, loving path is challenging, though. And for Christians, our particular call to deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow Christ in poverty, service, and love is difficult.

And yet, I keep trying. And if you’re with me reflecting on all this, I imagine you’re on the journey too. Why do we do this if it’s so hard?

Well, I think we keep picking up our crosses and following Christ because in this journey of discipleship, we find life. There’s something that keeps pulling us forward even as we carry our crosses because the one whom we follow brings us fullness of life – not just at the end of our lives, but now, here, in this moment.

The invitation of these readings is super challenging, but this call also cuts to the heart of things. I don’t know about you, but the pretentious, loud culture around us is exhausting. Like the psalmist says, my soul is thirsting for God, and only in God will I be refreshed.

May we continue to be open to the renewal of our minds. May we pick up our crosses and move with Christ as best we can, and may we find the fullness of life to which we’re called.

For Reflection:

What needs to be transformed in you right now?
What about our secular culture bothers you the most, and what keeps pulling you in, influencing you?
What’s God’s call for you in all of this? Maybe we can take some time with God and see what God transforms within us.

Spiritual Reflections

God Space