What would an “acceptance” morality look like? Instead of vilifying our human desires, wallowing in denial, and playing a perpetual game of interior dualism, we could accept our fundamental goodness, as twisted up and distorted as we may sometimes feel, with the firm hope that a greater meaning will be worked out in time. The fact that an alcoholic person, for instance, has the very specific desire for alcohol that can be met through intricate systems of innovation, production and transportation of alcohol, is itself an existential miracle that should be celebrated! Such trust in the very ground of one’s being opens the way for new emotional and spiritual possibilities: the mystery of growth and recovery, the satisfaction of authentic human relationships, and the sheer joy of reaching out to others in service. The repressed, however, are confined to a life of fighting that offers no greater horizon for anything at all. Lord Jesus, set within me the sturdy foundation of self-acceptance as the altar for my morality and help me to make something beautiful out of my life. Ave Crux, Spes Unica.
