From A to Ω: Finding Zeal in a Life Well Lived

Alpha calls the dawn
Zeal, fuel this journey Ahead
Omega calls thee
~Thomas C. Maples

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. (Revelation 22:13)

The Alpha of Intentionality: Beginning with Purpose

Every morning I awaken and say two simple words: “Thank You.” I begin each day like this because, no matter what happens next, I have at least expressed gratitude for the simple act of receiving one more chance to get it right. In other words, starting with gratitude sets the table with zeal. That zeal is the needed ingredient to nurture the body, soul, and spirit with renewed energy and purpose for the day ahead.

Not that there are many things that go wrong. Instead, I look at life as an adventure, filled with twists, turns, mishaps, and awe-inspiring moments. Even simple wildflowers along a rainy spring day can inspire awe. While this represents the wisdom that age affords us, I cannot help but think of its simple return to an age of childhood curiosity. Indeed, that return marks the starting point of wonder for what is to come.

Childhood Radiance and the Act of Being

As the observation—often attributed to Sigmund Freud—rightly suggests, there is a distressing contrast between the radiant intelligence of the child and the feeble mentality of the average adult.

This ideal is not foreign to the biblical context of beginning and end. It is not foreign to the beauty of the journey that lies in between. For Christ, as quoted in Matthew, informs us that,

Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

~Matthew 18: 3-5

Yet, the act of being often allows our innate radiance to be dampened by the monotony of ritual. We mistake routine for purpose. But if we embrace the cyclical nature of our growth, we can shatter that monotony. By intentionally treating each new task as a ‘beginning,’ we reopen the door to discovery. As a result, this process transforms what once felt like a confusing, aimless path into a deliberate journey toward the zeal that life affords us in the daily journey to Omega.

Zeal and the Engine of Being: Powering the Daily Journey

Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’.

~(Viktor Frankl 2006, 76)

How do we power that daily journey of life? There is a lot of unknown space between the beginning and the end.

The answer is Zeal. Yet, this is not just some energy given from a source of motivation. It is not a passive engagement with spirit, in which an external source uses the psychology of language, loudness, or contrasting color schemes to shock the system into an adrenal response. Instead, the zeal spoken of here engages the soul. Furthermore, it transforms mundane work into the very challenges that call for spiritual and soul-felt growth.

When we fuel our daily actions with Zeal, we move from passive existence to active engagement, ensuring our steps are deliberate, loving, and courageous.

When the ideal of Zeal meets faith—that simple belief in an image yet to be realized—the ‘engine’ that moves us from our beginning toward our end engages. It transforms abstract belief into the concrete actions that compose the storyline of our lives. Furthermore, this engine of being is fueled by three core pillars:

Three Pillars of Active Zeal

To develop a “why” to live, we must put our individual aim into perspective in relation to the “what’s” we have been given as vocation. This allows us to develop a trajectory (the how) by which to accelerate the engine of ego toward its true destination: the Omega of Self. Let us examine three steps in this process:

Contemplative Zeal (Prayer): Starting the Engine

To develop a “thirst” for the Divine, we must actively seek God’s presence in our lives. This is not a passive event; just as when we start a car’s engine, it does not turn over with a lukewarm response. God’s presence is found in Scripture, the Sacraments, and the silence we actively create. Find something that brings purpose to others, and you will sense the higher order that God brings to a life being well lived.

Active Zeal (Service): The Stability of the Pendulum

Every human being is a reflection of Alpha, the beginning. Bringing the “Omega” vision into the present, we refuse to accept injustice or suffering. However, do not fall into the oppressive trap of the oppressor by causing suffering to end suffering. Such a one-sided conviction allows history to repeat itself, without bringing stability to the pendulum’s force. Every human being is a reflection of Alpha, the Beginning. What stone in the mosaic of God do they represent? Where are they in relation to you?

Persevering Zeal (Resilience): The Shift to the Self

FOCUS (Follow One Course Until Successful). How hard is focusing these days? It may be difficult to maintain enthusiasm when the road is difficult. Yet, it is spiritual grit that keeps one focused on the final destination (Ω) when the immediate path is obscured by trial or weariness. However, it is in those trials that the true life-defining stories emerge, and allow the Self to shine through those life events where ego once reigned. Give yourself a Why, and you will determine the How

Omega’s Horizon: Why the Destination Matters

Thoroughly unprepared, we take the step into the afternoon of life. Worse still, we take this step with the false presupposition that our truths and our ideals will serve us as hitherto. But we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of life’s morning, for what was great in the morning will be little at evening and what in the morning was true, at evening will have become a lie.

~(Carl Jung 1969, par. 784).

When dawn calls us, we live by the rules of the morning. The whole day is yet to come. What adventures or perils will it entail? Will it be fruitful, or something to fear?

The answer to this lies in the destination where we point our ship—that waiting vessel of the soul that has yet to create its personal story. As we enter the afternoon of life, we take account of the story that was and the story yet to come. We are halfway through the journey. Do we need to change course, or has it been an adventure worth engaging?

Never fret; there is still the evening to come. Whatever was wrong, make small changes—don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater—and create meaning in the life to come.

The Two Pivotal Points

We all have an Alpha. We all have an Omega. What story do you want to create in between? As Jung suggests, we cannot live life in the evening by the same rules that applied in the morning. Yet, we can course-correct the ship to include those callings of the soul that gnaw at us, urging us to realize the brevity—and the beauty—of our dreams.

May peace be with you on your journey.

Bibliography

Frankl, Viktor E. 2006. Man’s Search for Meaning. Boston: Beacon Press.
Jung, C. G. 1969. “The Stages of Life.” In The Collected Works of C. G. Jung. Vol. 8, The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche. Translated by R. F. C. Hull. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.