As I See It

by Fr. Vin

A Spiritual Checkup

Lent ends on Holy Thursday, and the Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, concluding with the Easter Vigil) begins.  So for those of us who have taken Lent seriously as a time to deepen our friendship with God, this is a good time to take stock.  Back at the beginning of Lent I offered a list of things that create a healthy environment for our spiritual growth: Can you say that these things are more true of you today than they were back in early February?

1)          I spend time in worship or prayer every day.

2)          My faith is involved in every aspect of my life.

3)          Because of my faith I have forgiven people who have hurt me deeply.

4)          Because of my faith I have meaning and purpose in my life.

5)          My faith has called me to develop my God-given strengths.

6)          I will take unpopular stands to defend my faith.

7)          My faith gives me inner peace.

8)          I speak words of kindness to those in need of encouragement.

9)          I am a person who is spiritually committed.

Doing these nine things consistently will, over time, change us.  But they’re hard to do and, because we may not often feel like doing them, it’s next to impossible to do them consistently when we’re on our own.  That’s why we need other people who are also committed to living like this – people we find in our church community.  Engagement in church life is the best way to grow in spiritual health.

It’s no secret that the values and way of life that Jesus taught are taking a beating in our culture, even though many people would describe themselves as “Christian” or even “saved.”  I’m convinced that there are two primary reasons for the weakness of Christian weakness: First, on the part of almost every organized Christian denomination, we’ve consistently watered-down the stringent demands of the Gospel.  (How many of us take “love your enemies” fully seriously?  Perhaps we don’t because we haven’t been taught clearly enough that it’s a matter of our eternal salvation.) And the second reason is that even sincere Christians try to live this extraordinarily difficult way of life on their own. 

The common phrase about “accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior” displays the problem clearly: This phrase is found nowhere in the Gospels, but what we do find there is, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I [Jesus] am in their midst” [Matthew 18:20].  Christian discipleship can only be lived together with other Christian disciples. 

Our parish’s partnering with the Gallup Organization to deepen parishioner engagement is based on this truth: we can only grow closer to Christ by becoming more engaged in parish life.  And we can most effectively help others, old and young, to grow closer to Christ by doing the things that invite them toward engagement. 

This coming week we remember in our rituals the love that God has shown us in Christ.  I encourage you to deepen your spiritual commitment by joining other disciples of Christ for the services on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and, of course, Easter.  And if your Lenten disciplines have helped you, continue them, so as to enjoy the abundant life that comes from friendship with God.  Until next week, peace.

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