For Parishioners of St. Mark’s, Holy Trinity, St. Mary’s, and St. Clements
In the realm of the spirit--the life of the soul--no one can afford to glide, slide, become indifferent, turn away. Either one is moving towards God, or one is moving away from God. You are either attending to the Divine, or you are turning away and becoming lost in passing things. In the realm of the spirit, there is no such thing as neutrality: one struggles against sin and evil, or one embraces true and enduring goods.
What is at stake is life: One can maintain physical life with proper nutrition, exercise, rest, but these things do not guarantee inner life, spiritual life, the life of the soul. One can have a healthy body, and be dying inside. Spiritual death shows up in sin, selfishness, excessive sorrow, unhappiness, a depressed spirit, lack of energy, loss of a sense of purpose, a belief that life is meaningless, nagging irritability, spiritual and mental laziness, and so on.
To gain and to maintain true life--the life of the human spirit--one must ever engage in two activities: putting to death in oneself all that is sinful, not of God; and seeking to love and to know God with all of one’s heart, mind, soul. Regarding putting to death whatever is sinful and evil in one’s character I have written elsewhere, and will develop those thoughts in due course. For the present we concentrate on the positive: What ought one do to gain and to maintain genuine spiritual life? What are fundamental and needed spiritual exercises to grow in God?
There are two kinds of activities necessary to develop one’s character and spiritual life. Both entail the development of virtues or excellences of soul. These virtues were well classified by the Greek philosophers as moral and intellectual-spiritual virtues. Moral virtues are essentially actions developing in particular ways the love of oneself (mind and body), and the love of one’s neighbors. Intellectual / spiritual virtues develop the life of the mind more directly, and the human being’s life in God. Both sets of virtues can be seen under Christ’s dual commandment: to love God, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself. For the present, I will concentrate our attention on love of God, with the understanding that love of God entails the right use of one’s mental and spiritual powers. The love of neighbor is given much attention in homilies and in one’s daily and practical life. In our culture generally, and all-too-often even in the churches, we neglect to guide our people on the path of loving God, and nourishing the Divine within the human soul.
Now we ask a concrete question: How can a human being develop the life of his mind, his spiritual life? The fundamental activity is simple, yet demanding: prayer and study. In other words, one must become mindful of the reality of God (prayer) and seek to understand oneself and the world in light of God (study).
As St. Bonaventure famously summarized our tradition, prayer is essentially the lifting of the mind and heart to God. By prayer one attends to the unseen reality which we call “God.” One may ask God questions, ask for needs to be filled, or praise and thank God for Who He Is and what He does.
The kind of study that nourishes the life of the spirit places all that exists and happens in light of God. One studies to gain wisdom and understanding: to develop a right perspective on life, to see everything in God, and under divine Providence. All that is, all that happens, unfolds in God. Study aims to clarify this truth.
In the realm of the spirit--the life of the soul--no one can afford to glide, slide, become indifferent, turn away. Either one is moving towards God, or one is moving away from God. You are either attending to the Divine, or you are turning away and becoming lost in passing things. In the realm of the spirit, there is no such thing as neutrality: one struggles against sin and evil, or one embraces true and enduring goods.
What is at stake is life: One can maintain physical life with proper nutrition, exercise, rest, but these things do not guarantee inner life, spiritual life, the life of the soul. One can have a healthy body, and be dying inside. Spiritual death shows up in sin, selfishness, excessive sorrow, unhappiness, a depressed spirit, lack of energy, loss of a sense of purpose, a belief that life is meaningless, nagging irritability, spiritual and mental laziness, and so on.
To gain and to maintain true life--the life of the human spirit--one must ever engage in two activities: putting to death in oneself all that is sinful, not of God; and seeking to love and to know God with all of one’s heart, mind, soul. Regarding putting to death whatever is sinful and evil in one’s character I have written elsewhere, and will develop those thoughts in due course. For the present we concentrate on the positive: What ought one do to gain and to maintain genuine spiritual life? What are fundamental and needed spiritual exercises to grow in God?
There are two kinds of activities necessary to develop one’s character and spiritual life. Both entail the development of virtues or excellences of soul. These virtues were well classified by the Greek philosophers as moral and intellectual-spiritual virtues. Moral virtues are essentially actions developing in particular ways the love of oneself (mind and body), and the love of one’s neighbors. Intellectual / spiritual virtues develop the life of the mind more directly, and the human being’s life in God. Both sets of virtues can be seen under Christ’s dual commandment: to love God, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself. For the present, I will concentrate our attention on love of God, with the understanding that love of God entails the right use of one’s mental and spiritual powers. The love of neighbor is given much attention in homilies and in one’s daily and practical life. In our culture generally, and all-too-often even in the churches, we neglect to guide our people on the path of loving God, and nourishing the Divine within the human soul.
Now we ask a concrete question: How can a human being develop the life of his mind, his spiritual life? The fundamental activity is simple, yet demanding: prayer and study. In other words, one must become mindful of the reality of God (prayer) and seek to understand oneself and the world in light of God (study).
As St. Bonaventure famously summarized our tradition, prayer is essentially the lifting of the mind and heart to God. By prayer one attends to the unseen reality which we call “God.” One may ask God questions, ask for needs to be filled, or praise and thank God for Who He Is and what He does.
The kind of study that nourishes the life of the spirit places all that exists and happens in light of God. One studies to gain wisdom and understanding: to develop a right perspective on life, to see everything in God, and under divine Providence. All that is, all that happens, unfolds in God. Study aims to clarify this truth.
***
Enough of these generalizations for the present. In what activities ought our parishioners to engage in order to grow spiritually? I raise the question in response to Bishop Michael’s Lenten Letter to Priests, 2012, in which he exhorts and encourages priests of this diocese to engage in more spiritual activities, and he makes suggestions as to which forms are most likely to produce good results in his priests.
Understanding that individual needs and abilities vary, I tentatively make the following suggestions to be considered by parishioners:
First and foremost, each parishioner ought to seek to attend Mass each Saturday-Sunday. We offer four week-end Liturgies in these faith communities. When present, one ought to try to be truly present in mind by praying and being attentive.
Second, during Lent, I encourage each parishioner to attend at least one weekday Mass each week. We provide Masses on Monday, Tuesday morning, Tuesday evening, and Friday. In Great Falls one can find Masses offered daily in a number of Catholic churches.
Third, I encourage each parishioner to spend at least 15 minutes a day in prayer: praying the psalms; or reciting the Rosary; or quietly praying from the heart; or in another way that one finds suitable, and to which one will be faithful.
Fourth, some form of study of the things of God is necessary for spiritual growth. The adult faith class is intended to aid parishioners in their spiritual lives as we study the Gospel of John together. For our young people, CCD is offered, and children are urged to attend. Otherwise, I strongly encourage each person to spend at least an hour a week nourishing their knowledge of the things of God. Good books are readily available. You may ask me for suggestions. Spiritual growth requires mental activity.
Fifth, each person is encouraged to reflect on his or her sins, and to avail themselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and attend our common penance services (as on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday this Lent, with the burning of sins).
Sixth, each person ought to spend some time each week in silence, seeking God’s Presence, listening to His silent word, and adoring the LORD in the heart. There is no substitute for time spent alone with the Alone.
Seventh, plan now to attend all of the main Liturgies during Holy Week: Passion (Palm) Sunday; Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday; the Good Friday service; and either the Easter Vigil (Holy Saturday evening) or an Easter day Mass. These are the High Holy Days of Christian faith. Why would you not attend them?
