The word “upgrade” always rings a sweet note in our ears. The list of possible things we can upgrade is endless: smart gadgets, car accessories, house and kitchen appliances, our burger, coke and fries, additional perks and products included in our purchases, etc. An upgrade is always appreciated and desired even though it may require paying a little more or having to change the entire gadget or appliance.
Upgrades can be accidental or improvements that don’t radically or dramatically change the product itself. Say, a smart phone with additional screen features, short-cuts or a newer version of a program.
Essential upgrades are those that give a greater advantage to work or certain practical needs. These changes don’t have to be necessarily big. For example, minor technological improvements in speed, space and security can save one millions in investments.
Whether essential or accidental, we are always inclined to upgrade. This only demonstrates our natural predisposition for what is good, how something can be improved and in a limited sense, perfected. This inclination originates from God’s creational design aimed at man’s ultimate and authentic good which is union with Him. Choosing to live according to this truth is what will give man true happiness and identity.
If man, however, forgets this divine design, he will reduce his existence—and also his identity—to simply materially and superficially improving what he has, and not who he can and ought to be. A disorder begins in one’s endless insecurity of acquiring material things that will shrink his heart’s capacity to grow in love and generosity.
In order to avoid reducing personal growth only to material things, one has to consider the importance of upgrading oneself spiritually. If professionally or socially, we are eager to find our place, our talent and even our fame as someone good in something, the spiritual life also demands that we strive for our spiritual identity to develop our spiritual “I.”
Jack Philip says, “It is a healthy thing to develop a spiritual ‘I’ because it drives one to pursue skills and talents and to emulate specific role models. Aspiring to be like Francis of Assisi or Teresa of Calcutta may be the first sign of a vocation or one’s first step along the path to holiness. Of course, it is much better to aspire to be ‘somebody’ whose life reflects the Gospel values. The question of identity is a dangerous one if left unanswered.” (J. Philip, “I Choose to be Free: The Power of Faith, Hope and Charity”)
One must, however, be cautious when attempting a spiritual upgrade. We can be falsely led to think that such an improvement will depend on how much we invest or sacrifice in time for prayer, virtues, apostolate and community service. As much as all these are signs of our desires to be holy, we must constantly remind ourselves that the work of upgrading, that is, the work of our holiness depends solely on God.
Philip continues saying that we undoubtedly are fulfilled when striving for the good and holiness. But he warns us of a hidden danger even in our effort to attain our spiritual “I.” He says, “We find self-fulfillment in practicing certain virtues or in acquiring specific spiritual traits. This means that we unconsciously identify ourselves with the good that we are capable of doing. Good deeds (e.g., prayer, fasting, service to one’s neighbor, or engaging in some apostolic activity) are certainly laudable, but it would be very dangerous to identify ourselves with the spiritual good that we are capable of doing.” (Ibid.)
In other words, there too is the danger of becoming attached to the materiality of our spiritual life. This happens when the spiritual things we do (and mistakenly think of solely capable of doing), become an end in themselves rather than a means to transform us into and identify us with Christ. If we, therefore, are to achieve a genuine spiritual upgrade, we must be ready to downgrade ourselves.
Downgrading is another term for being humble. John the Baptist had as his motto “He must increase, and I must decrease.” This is essentially what spiritual upgrading is: allowing Christ to take more control of our lives (i.e. thoughts, words and actions), by being less ourselves, by being less sure of ourselves, and by striving to trust more in Him each day.
Here are some examples where humility can be lived: “Prayer is the humility of the man who acknowledges his profound wretchedness and the greatness of God. (…) Faith is the humility of the mind which renounces its own judgment and surrenders to the verdict and authority of the Church. Obedience is the humility of the will which subjects itself to the will of another, for God’s sake. Chastity is the humility of the flesh, which subjects itself to the spirit. Exterior mortification is the humility of the senses. Penance is the humility of all the passions, immolated to the Lord.” (St. Josemaría, Furrow, #259)
Living these examples shows how we are upgraded spiritually when we let God do the upgrading with His grace. This is because only He can give us grace, without which we are literally incapable of doing anything except to dispose ourselves to its action. Disposing ourselves is further achieved when we first empty ourselves of any obstacle to His grace (i.e. pride, greed, fame, etc.), then purify ourselves further which is made possible with the acts of humility mentioned by St. Josemaría, and expanding our possibilities to receive more grace through the constant exercise of human virtues.
We can end with St. Augustine’s wonderful analogy on upgrading. “A container has to be empty before it can be filled. Well, then pour out the evil that is in you, since you should be filled with goodness. Imagine that God wants to fill you with honey, but if you are full of vinegar, where are you going to put the honey? First you have to empty the container, and then you have to clean it and wash it, even though you may get tired and you may need to scrub it, so that it is capable of receiving something.” (In Ep. I Joann. 4, 2, 6: PL 35, 2008)