Spiritual Reflection, Summer 2019 - Attitude

When a person first learns to fly airplanes, this pilot-to-be is trained to fly under what is called VFR. This is an acronym for Visual Flight Rules where the pilot relies on being able to see the horizon in front and on the sides. Only later do they learn IFR, Instrument Flight Rules, whereby flying is purely with reference to flight deck instruments and navigation under direction from Air Traffic Control.

Visual Flight Rules provides a good analogy for many life circumstances, but a particularly beautiful one for Christians and, in particular, for Vincentians and people in ministry to others. This is because VFR is all about two basic words: attitude and power.

Flying by attitude means visually establishing the airplane’s attitude with reference to the natural horizon:

• pitch attitude is controlled by using the plane's elevators to raise and lower the nose in relation to the natural horizon ahead;
• bank attitude is controlled by using the plane's ailerons to attain a desired bank angle in relation to the natural horizon to the left and right of the forward direction.
• Power control is used when the flight situation indicates a need for a change in thrust.

The primary rule of attitude flying is:
ATTITUDE + POWER = PERFORMANCE

In the Christian life power clearly comes from the Holy Spirit, especially (but not exclusively) as channelled through the prayer of faith in both action and contemplation. But what about attitude?

Attitude

Attitude + Power = Performance

The essence of attitude is that it is "the way we look at things." Attitude is our part. For life in general, attitude is positive or negative, active or passive, inclusive or exclusive, open-minded and tolerant or prejudiced and bigoted. For Christians generally, attitude is hope and faith-filled or defeatist, oriented towards others in loving service or towards ourselves in selfishness.

As Vincentians, one way that we can find nourishment for attitude, the way we look at things, is by contemplating the Vincentian mission: to live the Gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice and joy. Of course we want to treat everybody, not just the poor, with love, respect, justice and joy - especially the members of our own families.

Contemplation requires setting aside time on a daily  basis - even if it is only 3 minutes. Such contemplation will surely infuse attitude with the 'right stuff'.

ATTITUDE + POWER = PERFORMANCE