In my life, I was not successful in staying in positions of power. I do not need to go into detail, but I was saved from becoming part of the establishment, either a government, for which I worked at a fairly high level, or other.
Now, a professional by nature, talent, training, wants to be part of the establishment. However, if the Catholic Church is the establishment, it is almost impossible not to fall to the siren song of cooperation, compromise, weakening of conscience. Thankfully, partly grace, partly my temperament, which prefers truth to all else, I was a complete failure at securing or keeping the diocesan posts as well as the government post I thought I would be chosen to do. Thank God for failure.
Now, I see that if one is going to pursue holiness, one must choose humility, the lowest place, the place where one can maintain orthodoxy. All roses need a walled garden in which to thrive, not a highway.
Love of God and His Ways demands that "moral squint" decried by Cardinal Wolsey in the great play, A Man for All Seasons.
Thank you, Jesus, for failures.
