55 I am amazed at the enthusiasm with which young people endure what for me would be grueling penance when they become interested in competitive sports. athletes train for hours on end day after day to prepare themselves for competition. musicians, also, practice for hours each day to keep in good form. and, particularly in our won day, just ordinary people perform grueling exercises to maintain good physical health.
the spiritual life is no different. we have to keep in shape. while I believe our spiritual lives should be marked by casual ordinariness and not betray anything odd or outlandish, there are some things which are a natural part of spiritual development and they are spiritual exercises. spirituality is being in touch with our inner self, who we are, what we are, how we really think and feel and how we relate to the world around us. most importantly of all, how do all these things connect us with God who is the center of our lives. in the process of growing spiritually, what we are in essence doing is developing a comprehensive vision of life, a vision with God as the ever-present focus, giving clarity to what we see and feel and meaning to our existence. developing this vision is not easy. we can get lost. we can make mistakes which can be harmful. witness the
56 bizarre things people do in the name of religion. how often we see so-called religious people obsessed with religion and feeling they have to become the conscience for everyone around them, becoming nuisances by their incessant pressure on family and even strangers. how many people throughout history were burned at the stake and tortured in the name of religion? in our own day we see only too often the tragedies that take place because of religious fanatics. you can be sure each of those persons began their spiritual journey pretty much as everyone else, but because of some strange quirk took a wrong turn and ended up with ideas that are far from healthy.
to keep our minds healthy we have to be nourished on a healthy diet. and we also have to breathe. that is understood. our nourishment comes from our reading, particularly the Scriptures; our breathing is our prayer life. disciplining unruly desires is also essential. reading opens our minds to the endless possibilities for spiritual growth, depending on where god is leading us and in what direction our energies drive us. we have to remember everyone's spirituality is different. there is no monolithic spiritual model. some may develop an interest in social justice. others may be interested in the role of women in the world. some may choose politics. some may be concerned about the plight of starving people or the homeless. some may be drawn to contemplation. others may be content to just live ordinary lives within their limited circle of friends and neighbors. to a great extent it depends on where God is leading. not that
57 these interests are the whole of the spiritual life. they are not. they are the natural outlet, however, of our inner concerns which are an integral part of our spiritual lives, but they are not the essence of our spirituality. the essence of our spiritual lives is the partnership we have with God, the intimacy we have established with Him. whatever He leads we are prepared to follow.
living this new life in the spirit is not easy. it is not natural for us, so we have to discipline our natural tendencies to adjust to this new and unfamiliar mode of behavior. self discipline is just as important for spiritual development as it is for physical and mental development. just as athletes discipline themselves with endless calisthenics and motivate them selves by reading about their heroes, so spiritual athletes have to discipline unruly tendencies and regularly stimulate themselves to maintain their interest in spiritual development. if this regimen is lacking, interest will eventually wane and they will drift back into their old ways. in the past spiritually minded people read the live of the saints. there was great benefit in that as well as enjoyment. it provided exciting and powerful ideals for people to ponder or imitate. in getting rid of saints, many modern c
Christians deprived themselves and their children of an army of inspiring witnesses to faith and heroic spirituality. i remember as a child i used to spend endless hours reading the lives of the saints, especially the early christian martyrs. i was fascinated by their courage and their attachment to god. it was encouraging to witness the
58 wonderful things God accomplished in the lives of these generous souls willing to sacrifice all to follow Him.
young people today are rarely exposed to this literature. it is difficult for them to find much enjoyment in reading the Scriptures. the language and style is archaic. the stories are sketchy and for most young people very boring. the lives of the saints were a big help in introducing young people to Christ. lacking this there is a vacuum in which young people particularly either starve for ideals to imitate or create their own heroes, which, unfortunately, may be far from saintly. one of the saddest things in our society is that young people have no role models other than sports heroes. we have taken the saint out of their live and now we pay the price. they have no christian heroes to follow.
this developmental phase in our spiritual lives is critical. critical, because at this point we are setting for ourselves the course for the future. decisions we make now will affect the rest of our lives. the keystone of our new lives is freedom. having found our Christ, our Savior, the first gift He gives us is our freedom. freedom to be ourselves, freedom to follow Him, freedom to make our own choices. unfortunately, many people do not feel comfortable with freedom. they must find for themselves a leader, a guru, or a mentor to take over the direction of their spiritual lives who will tell them what to do and how to think. a guide and counselor is understandable, as in sports or music or in any pursuit, but that is not enough. many mistakenly believe they have to be led each step of the way.
59 I am presently reading a book about an organization within the Catholic Church that demands total obedience of its members. they must obtain permission from their leader for everything they do. he lays down for them guidelines even for their change of underwear. they are told they must break contact with their families and not share the work of their organization with any of their family members. when young people are recruited they are ordered not to tell their parents about their joining the society. members are obligated to lay bare the state of their souls to their leader. any new ideas about their spiritual lives they must share with their leader for his approval. he had total control over their souls. this had the ring of the diabolical about it . it is frightening.
such behavior strangles the freedom Jesus won for us. it strips from people their dignity as children of God who should have direct access to their heavenly Father, and gives a human being veto power over the Holy spirit's work in a person's life. it deprives them of the joy of being free to be themselves and enslaves them to their leader's wishes, no matter how apparently lofty their goals. even God does not demand the kind of control over lives that this group demands of its members. such unhealthy societies limit the redemption of Christ, and interfere with the Holy Spirit's work in the members' souls. the overall purpose of the group is to gain power in the Church and in society. to this end they befriend the wealthy, the well educated and the powerful. the poor are not of great interest. the radical
60 departure from the spirit of Jesus is clear, but to assure the maintaining of their goals, they must demand that their followers give up their freedom and follow their leader's wishes.
freedom is essential in the spiritual life if we are to respond to the Holy Spirit , and grow in God's grace. we see this clearly in the lives of the Old Testament prophets. they had a most difficult role to play in God's plan. God had set up a teaching authority in Judaism from Moses through the high priests and the scribes and pharisees. god guided the religious life of His people through them. the prophets were always vulnerable because in times of crises, when the religious leaders failed God, he would choose these men from outside the teaching authority to deliver messages to the people this aroused the jealousy of the priests and the king that God should snub them and choose a nobody to provide guidance for the people as a result, religious leaders persecuted and killed the prophets. so, it is easy to see why the young prophets panicked when God called them. understandably they were reluctant to follow God's prodding because they knew full well what their fate would be. it was precisely these brave persons who are the heroes in the Bible, with many books of the Bible named after them. no one remembers the names of the scribes and Pharisees or what the priests did, other than that they killed the prophets. the prophets were special because they allowed themselves to e free to listen to god and respond to His call.
we see the same phenomenon today. Church leaders
61 are stuck in sterile, worn-out forms and indulge in global politics and international financial dealings, which no doubt is in some way necessary. but God's people are starving with unfilled needs which grow ever more critical with each passing day. and little is done. so, we see God bypassing the teaching authority and speaking through ordinary people like Dorothy Day, or Cesar Chavez, or some of the more sensible and forward-looking theologians who prick the consciences of the shepherds so they will wake up an heed the needs of the flock. history again repeats itself. the prophets are punished or ostracized for listening to God and for delivering His messages to the people. in the past, god could use the prophets for his special work because they were free to listen to what He was telling them and were not enamored with things of the past. they could have chosen not to listen. after all, who were they to tell those consecrated by God what they should teach or how they should act? but the true prophets chose to be open to God's call and to obey his instructions.
prophets are only one example of people who listen to god. each person has a mission just as important if not as dramatic as that of the prophets. we also must have the freedom to follow where God directs if we would accomplish the role He has designed for us.
freedom, however, is not easy to handle. some people panic at the thought of being free. a number of years ago I
was chairman of a human rights commission and was also on an advisory board for the state office for the aging. concerned about the elderly in the prisons
62 who were no longer a threat to society, I set up a committee to work for their release from state prisons. at first, the prison officials could no locate most of the inmates targeted. they had become lost in a sea of paperwork and there was no record of their existence on the computers. when they finally found them, we were shocked to find that the inmates were happy enough remaining lost and did not want to be released. they had found security in their surroundings and were quite content to stay there until they died. they were afraid they could not handle living free outside. there are many people with that same fear of freedom. whether it comes from insecurity or not wanting to take responsibility for their actions, the effect is the same. they are afraid that being free they might fail or be held accountable fro decisions they might make. they would rather be told what to do and not have to make decisions. if someone has a problem lie that, the spiritual life is difficult because of relationship with
God involves making decisions, decisions to alter your understanding of things, to look at God in a different light, to follow where God may want to lead you. for persons like that it may be a help to have a spiritual director, not to have veto power over decisions but to be used as a sounding board for ideas, and as a help in resolving issues that may be complicated or confusing and to offer suggestions for the person to consider. the director should be person of faith who understands the spiritual life, is intelligent and has common sense.
people do not always realize the joy of being free.
63 this is because many have a problem with how to use their freedom. it is the same problem children have. how often they complain, 'Mother, I'm bored'. boredom will always e a problem unless we learn how to use our freedom. it can be a great help if we are good readers. there are volumes of solid spiritual writings for persons at all stages of the spiritual life, some boring, some not only helpful but exciting. we should acquaint ourselves with these books and schedule a few minutes from our busy schedule each day to enjoy them. they can ope up for us vast horizons and present invigorating new challenges for us to consider.
beside reading, prayer is essential. our relationship with God grows from our constant awareness of His presence in our lives .at first it is difficult to think of Him. but as His presence becomes more real, our sense of His nearness blossoms into an intimate communing with Him in a beautiful kind of prayer. it may be a monologue or it may be perceived as a kind of dialogue. in prayer God works on our attitudes. He alters our vision, our understanding of life. over a period of time spent communing with God. we will notice our attitudes changing toward everything. we think differently about God we think differently about material things. we think differently about God. we think differently about material things. we think differently about rich people and poor people. we see God's creation and everything in it as sacred. given the time God will eventually transform our whole life. He does this so subtly we do not even know it. others see it and might on occasion make the remark,
64 'What a beautiful person you have become! and the remarkable thing is that you do not even know what they are talking about, because God has accomplished this so quietly that you were totally unaware of what was happening. this is what St. Paul meant when he wrote, 'I live, now not I, but Christ lives in me.
placing ourselves at God's disposal may take a bold leap of trust, but it will probably be the most important decision of our lives. disciplining ourselves and following our spiritual exercises will strengthen us in our new lives and light up the way on our new and bold journeys.
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