The common factor in each is the struggle to understand and do God's will when it seems uncomfortable. In the Scriptures such struggle is common, but it seems completely out of place today. We are used to a society of conveniences. There is no purpose, only what I determine. There is no vocation for which I was intended, only what I want to do . . .
Narcissism is a key mark of modernity.
What is truly amazing about so many Christians today is that they race on without the slightest awareness that Christianity would not exist if the major figures of Scripture had ordered their lives in the same manner that many Christians now suppose is right. Of all those giving gifts at the Temple, it was a poor widow whose gift meant the most to Christ. Simply enduring pain or giving sacrificially, in and of itself, does not guarantee Christian spirituality, to be sure. However, if we never have to struggle to live for Christ, it may be time to examine ourselves. This struggle should not alarm us as long as we are, like John the Baptist, open to what our Lord says and determined to be faithful to our Lord.