The will to live a willed life is, at its deepest level, the desire to let God’s will and our free will meet in a loving, creative partnership. A new year is a privileged moment to renew this partnership and to choose—not just to have a life, but to will a life that is consciously shaped by Christ, for others, and for the Kingdom.
1. From vague wishes to a “willed life”
Every January, people around the world make resolutions: to get fit, to
reduce stress, to be more organised or to “spend more time with family.” These
are good desires, but often they remain vague wishes. In Catholic spiritual
tradition, the invitation goes further: to allow the Holy Spirit to convert our
freedom, so that our plans and desires become a response to God’s loving call.
Scripture reminds us that “it is God who works in you, both to will and to
work for his good pleasure” (Phil 2:13). Our will is not erased by grace; it is
healed, strengthened, and invited to cooperate. A “willed life” is therefore
not stoic self‑discipline or sheer will‑power. It is the decision to bring
every dimension of life—spiritual, human, emotional, intellectual,
ecological—under the gentle lordship of Christ, and to keep choosing this day
after day.
A new year is like a blank page. We can drift
through it on autopilot, driven by habit and external pressures, or we can
write it deliberately with God, allowing his Word to become the deep script of
our choices. This is why many Catholic writers encourage concrete spiritual
goals at the start of the year: daily prayer, frequent sacraments, acts of
mercy, and intentional growth in virtue.
2. Will, love, and the call to holiness
At first glance, “drawing up a will” or “making a life plan” may sound
legalistic or self‑centred, but in the Christian vision it is an act of love.
It is a way of asking: How can my time, energy, relationships, gifts and even
my material resources serve God’s Kingdom more clearly—now and in the future?
Jesus tells the rich young man: “Go, sell what you
have, and give to the poor… then come, follow me” (Mk 10:21). The heart of the
invitation is not loss but freedom: freedom from possessions that possess us,
and freedom for a relationship that gives life. In a similar way, a willed life
is a freely embraced pattern of commitments—spiritual, relational, apostolic
and ecological—that expresses our deepest love for God and neighbour.
In practice, this means deliberately aligning our
“small wills” (daily choices) with the “big Will” of God, who desires that “all
be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4). It also means
recognising that our decisions have ripple effects: on our families,
communities, the Church, and the wider creation. A consciously willed life
becomes a channel through which God’s providence and mercy can flow to others.
3. Seeing God’s call in the concrete: one example
The life’s personal spiritual plan you outline—rooted in one’s self identity, mystical consciousness and apostolic
or human service—is a concrete illustration of what it means to will a life in
Christ. It is not abstract piety but a carefully discerned response to God’s
call at a particular time and place.
Here, God’s call is heard in the quiet rhythm of our
home and surrounding, or the workplace: prayer, work at home, work at office,
reading, studying, writing, and supportive service. It is deepened by the
Church’s ecological magisterium—especially Laudato Si’—and by the
Christo‑cosmic vision of Teilhard de Chardin’s “Mass of the World,” where all
creation is seen as drawn into the Eucharistic offering of Christ.
Three elements stand out in this plan:
- Mystical
union and eco‑mysticism: God is encountered not only in the chapel but
in the whole cosmos; creation becomes a theophany and a partner in praise.
- The
Non-compulsive Way: faith, reason, devotion and loving gentleness
shape the style of presence among others, building relationships of trust
and joy.
- Integration
of dimensions: human self‑care, community life, spiritual
depth, intellectual labour, consecrated mission, emotional maturity and
ecological responsibility are all woven into a single fabric.
This is what a “willed life” looks like: not a rigid schedule, but a
dynamic pattern where each area supports the others, oriented toward a clear
Gospel vision—here, a “universal eco‑mysticism” that sees all reality in
Christ.
4. Free will and life‑planning in Christian perspective
Modern psychology confirms that people who set specific, meaningful goals
and review them regularly are more likely to grow in resilience, wellbeing and
purpose. Yet Christian tradition adds something crucial: discernment. The
question is not only “What do I want?” but “What is God inviting me to desire?”
Saint Ignatius of Loyola teaches that the human
person is created “to praise, reverence and serve God our Lord, and by this
means to save his soul,” and that other things are to be used insofar as they
help toward this end. The will is free, but it becomes truly free when it
chooses according to this fundamental orientation.
A good spiritual life plan therefore:
- Begins with
God’s initiative – recognising how God has already been at work
in our history, gifts, wounds and desires.
- Names the
“actual situation” honestly – strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and
limits.
- Sets
concrete lines of action – small, realistic steps that can be evaluated
and adjusted.
- Integrates
the whole person – body and soul, emotions and intellect,
personal and communal, human and ecological.
- Includes
regular examen and review – to see where the Spirit is confirming,
challenging or redirecting.
From a theological angle, this honours both divine providence and human
freedom: God respects our agency, and we in turn trust his wisdom more than our
own impulses.
5. Lines of action: willing a willed life in 2026
Drawing from tried plan and wider ecclesial insights, here are concrete
lines of action for anyone wanting to “will a willed life” this year—adaptable
to different vocations.
1) Personal spiritual plan of life
- Set a daily
rhythm of prayer: a fixed time for morning offering, Scripture
meditation (lectio divina), and an evening examen in which you review the
day with Christ.
- Choose one
key Eucharistic or biblical text—for instance, 2 Cor 5:17 (new creation)
or the Canticle of Creation—and let it accompany you as a leitmotif
through the year.
- Plan regular
silent adoration or nature‑based contemplation, allowing God to re‑shape
your inner gaze toward a more contemplative, eco‑sensitive mysticism.
2) Human and emotional wellbeing
- Protect
basic self‑care: regular sleep, wholesome food, moderate exercise;
these are not selfish luxuries but stewardship of the temple of the Holy
Spirit (1 Cor 6:19).
- Use tools
like a gratitude and reflection journal to notice patterns of
stress, joy, consolation and desolation, and to bring them into spiritual
direction.
- Practise
emotional honesty in community: name your limits, ask for help, and
cultivate humour and forgiveness.
3) Family/Community and relationships
- Intentionally
show up: for common communiry/family prayer, meals, recreation and
meetings, not only physically but with listening and availability.
- Create
spaces for shared reading and reflection on Laudato Si’, Christian
spirituality, or other texts that connect faith and ecology; this builds a
common horizon.
- Seek
reconciliation promptly when conflicts arise, practising non‑judgemental
dialogue and patient listening.
4) Intellectual and apostolic mission
- Draw up a realistic
work schedule that honours both creativity and rest; overproduction
without integration can fragment the heart.
- Engage
continuously with Church documents, teachings, world situations, synodal
reflections and contemporary theology, especially where they intersect
with your work mission.
- Mentor at
least a few persons—children, students, friends, collaborators—in
combining faith, thought and action, helping them develop their own life
plans.
5) Ecological conversion and eco‑mysticism
- Let creation
become a sacrament of encounter: treat each walk, tree, river or
sunrise as an opportunity to praise and intercede for the world.
- Integrate practical
ecology into daily habits: reduce waste, conserve energy, support
local green initiatives, and bring these themes into catechesis and
liturgy.
- Cultivate universal
brotherhood by building bridges with people of other faiths and
cultures around shared concern for the Earth and the poor.
6) Ongoing evaluation and review
- Schedule a quarterly
review of your plan: What has borne fruit? What feels forced? Where is
the Spirit inviting adjustment?
- Use yearly
retreats or major feasts (Easter, Pentecost, Francis of Assisi) as moments
to renew and perhaps rewrite parts of your plan.
- Above all,
measure “success” not by productivity but by growth in faith, hope, love,
joy and compassion.
In all this, the aim is not to control life but to offer it: like
bread and wine on the altar, like creation in Teilhard’s cosmic Mass, like Don
Bosco’s “Da mihi animas, cetera tolle.”
6. Questions for personal reflection
To deepen the move from “will to live” to “willed life,” you might pray
with questions like these at the start of the year or during a retreat:
- When I look
back over the past year, where do I recognise moments when I truly
lived—when I felt aligned with God’s will, fully present, and
generous?
- Where do I
notice patterns of fragmentation—overwork, escapism, anger, compulsive use
of media, or neglect of relationships? What do these reveal about my
unspoken fears or false securities?
- How clearly
have I named God’s call in my current context—family, community, ministry,
creation? If I had to summarise it in two sentences, what would I say?
- Which
dimension of my life plan (human, spiritual, community, intellectual,
apostolic, ecological, emotional) is most integrated at present? Which one
is most neglected?
- What one
concrete step can I take this month to bring my free will into deeper
harmony with God’s will—something small but specific, that I can review at
the end of the month?
- If someone
were to read my calendar, budget and daily routine, what would they
conclude are my real priorities? How close is that image to the Gospel
priorities of Jesus?
- In the light
of Laudato Si’ and the cry of the Earth and the poor, how is God
inviting me to widen my circle of concern beyond my immediate comfort
zone?
Conclusion: “Today, with you, Lord”
To will a willed life is ultimately to say each morning: “Today, Lord, I
choose to live with you, in you, and for you.” It is to entrust our plans to
the One who makes all things new, while taking responsibility for each concrete
choice.
As 2026 unfolds, the invitation is simple and
demanding: write your life’s plan with a strong will, but write it together
with the Holy Spirit; be determined to love those you love most and those you
naturally avoid; care for your own heart so that it may become a home for God
and a shelter for others; let your relationship with creation become a school
of praise and solidarity.
Your gift of a daily, willed life—no matter how hidden—helps secure the future of God’s plan in building the Kingdom. It is an ongoing “yes” that allows Christ to live his own willed life in you, for the blessing of many, long after this year has passed.
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