An Easter Pep Talk For Those of You Who "Don't Have Time" for Your Spiritual Life
So you don't have time for your spiritual life, eh? After practicing the rigors of Lent, even after your joyous celebration of Easter, you're going to slip into the old ways that keep your Faith squirreled away in some little closet of your life. Why?
You're too occupied with trying to earn a living. Heck, it's not like you're out 'till all hours drinking, taking drugs, philandering. You need to make money to support your family. It takes up practically all your time and energy. Whatever time you have left over is for you, your time. Time for a little fun, a little distraction, a few drinks with the boys, innocent stuff really.
More time for God? Prayer? Spiritual reading? Learning your Faith? Daily Mass? Rosary? Meditation? Look, you work hard and conscientiously. God knows you do. Isn't that enough?
Yes and no.
Yes, because working conscientiously, applying "diligence in appointed service" as we pray in our Morning Resolve, is one way, and an important one, to sanctify our work. And, yes, when we sanctify our work, we bolster our spiritual life.
But no. It's not enough. This idea that you've given "enough" time to God smacks of selfishness, doesn't it? Not that you want to drive yourself to exhaustion saying 200 decades of the rosary per day. But carving out even a few minutes just to be with God is asking too much?
Oh, you give money to charity? And you need to make enough money to do that, right? Sorry, I forgot. Of course when you give your money - sometimes your time - to those who need it more than you you really are performing acts of Christian charity - so long as you do so with the right intention, with a good heart. So long as you're not doing it to make yourself "look" charitable, but rather doing it for the glory of God. You are doing it for your fellow man and for Him - and not yourself - right?
Well, let's not get stuck here. Let's cut to the whole point not just your spiritual life, but your whole life: to know, love, and serve God, in order to be happy with Him in Heaven. Nothing else matters if that's not your primary focus each day. And your spiritual life consists in knowing him more and more, loving Him more deeply, and serving Him with gusto and joy each moment of every day.
And while your diligent work and your fulfilling your responsibilities to your family are admirable, they're not enough if your entire purpose in life, your determined focus, isn't on knowing, loving and serving God. Period.
For most of us, that's a tall order, being as selfish as we typically are. But that's why your spiritual life is so important. It helps us get from here, selfish me, to there, loving creature of God, living member of the Body of Christ.
Your special spiritual discipline during Lent should have pushed you to do more for Him Who gave His Sacred Life for you, that you might spend eternity in happiness with Him. And your celebration of the glory of His Resurrection should have sealed the deal, convinced you to persist in those special efforts of prayer, penance, and charitable works, every day throughout the year, not just in Lent.
So you're on your way. You just need to get how busy you are out of your head. Forget about your needing some relief, some fun, whatever. This Easter Season turn your mind and heart to Our Lord and don't turn away and go back to the "old ways" now that Lent has ended.
Enough of the Easter pep talk. Next time, St Peter outlines the fundamental importance of our spiritual lives for us, in great detail...
You're too occupied with trying to earn a living. Heck, it's not like you're out 'till all hours drinking, taking drugs, philandering. You need to make money to support your family. It takes up practically all your time and energy. Whatever time you have left over is for you, your time. Time for a little fun, a little distraction, a few drinks with the boys, innocent stuff really.
More time for God? Prayer? Spiritual reading? Learning your Faith? Daily Mass? Rosary? Meditation? Look, you work hard and conscientiously. God knows you do. Isn't that enough?
Yes and no.
Yes, because working conscientiously, applying "diligence in appointed service" as we pray in our Morning Resolve, is one way, and an important one, to sanctify our work. And, yes, when we sanctify our work, we bolster our spiritual life.
But no. It's not enough. This idea that you've given "enough" time to God smacks of selfishness, doesn't it? Not that you want to drive yourself to exhaustion saying 200 decades of the rosary per day. But carving out even a few minutes just to be with God is asking too much?
Oh, you give money to charity? And you need to make enough money to do that, right? Sorry, I forgot. Of course when you give your money - sometimes your time - to those who need it more than you you really are performing acts of Christian charity - so long as you do so with the right intention, with a good heart. So long as you're not doing it to make yourself "look" charitable, but rather doing it for the glory of God. You are doing it for your fellow man and for Him - and not yourself - right?
Well, let's not get stuck here. Let's cut to the whole point not just your spiritual life, but your whole life: to know, love, and serve God, in order to be happy with Him in Heaven. Nothing else matters if that's not your primary focus each day. And your spiritual life consists in knowing him more and more, loving Him more deeply, and serving Him with gusto and joy each moment of every day.
And while your diligent work and your fulfilling your responsibilities to your family are admirable, they're not enough if your entire purpose in life, your determined focus, isn't on knowing, loving and serving God. Period.
For most of us, that's a tall order, being as selfish as we typically are. But that's why your spiritual life is so important. It helps us get from here, selfish me, to there, loving creature of God, living member of the Body of Christ.
Your special spiritual discipline during Lent should have pushed you to do more for Him Who gave His Sacred Life for you, that you might spend eternity in happiness with Him. And your celebration of the glory of His Resurrection should have sealed the deal, convinced you to persist in those special efforts of prayer, penance, and charitable works, every day throughout the year, not just in Lent.
So you're on your way. You just need to get how busy you are out of your head. Forget about your needing some relief, some fun, whatever. This Easter Season turn your mind and heart to Our Lord and don't turn away and go back to the "old ways" now that Lent has ended.
Enough of the Easter pep talk. Next time, St Peter outlines the fundamental importance of our spiritual lives for us, in great detail...
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