20100512 Preview: The Spiritual Life

The Spiritual Life

By Michael A. Kirk

Universal Call to Holiness

The Second Ecumenical Vatican Council (Vatican II) reminded the laity of the Church of something that had long been overlooked in spiritual teaching: each and every member of God’s people is called to be a saint. For some time, the focus had been on the callings of priests and religious (nuns, monks, etc.) to be holy in order to be examples for the lay people. While there is a greater responsibility on the priests to be a worthy example of Christian living (i.e. Paul), the calling Jesus issued to us to be holy was given to all. We all have the examples and tools available to us either to accept God’s grace and grow in virtue or to reject God’s grace and continue to be made a slave to sin.

Having been given the amazing freedom and intellect that we have from God, there is almost nothing in this world that we cannot do. Yet we know that there are things we should do and things we should not. We know that some actions are fitting to our nature, and others are not. We are meant to live with God in Heaven, and we should show that by our lives here on earth. However, the spiritual life is not just “acting” but rather is “transforming.” God’s grace works real change in us, both through the sacraments and through working with us to grow in virtue and holiness.

Imitation of Christ

1 John 2:5-6 “This is the way we may know that we are in union with him: whoever claims to abide in him ought to live (just) as he lived.”

Jesus proclaimed in the Gospels that He is “the way, the truth, and the life.” How then do we come to imitate the life of Jesus? The first thing we must do is to get to know Him better, look upon the choices He made and the lessons He gave, and learn what it is that we should value most and for which we should strive.

Studying Christ in the Scriptures we can see a contempt for the vanity of the world, a focus on the next life rather than this one. Jesus recognized temptations as what they were and showed us how to resist them. He employed adversity—in its ultimate form as the Cross—to accomplish the greatest goods. Furthermore, throughout the Gospels, the Lord submitted to the will of His Father and to the legitimate earthly authorities. And perhaps most prominently, He preaches and demonstrates love and forgiveness at all times, not only when convenient or accepted.

Lectio Divina

St. Jerome once said, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” The converse may also be said: in study of the Scriptures, one may come to know Christ more. Lectio Divina (Latin for sacred reading) is a practice of meditating on the Scriptures. Through this method, one may come to a deeper appreciation of Jesus the Christ and learn to better follow Him.

The practice of Lectio Divina naturally begins with the practice of Lectio, reading, wherein we attentively read a selected passage—note that it should be a well-selected passage, not just a random page or chapter. The passage should then be read again with Meditatio, deep thought or meditation on the message or messages of the passage. Readers should consider how they and their lives are reflected positively or negatively in the passage.

Using the fruits of Lectio and Meditatio, readers should enter into Oratio, prayer with God about the message(s) they are receiving from the passage, especially those themes that are leading them to reform their lives. The final stage of Lectio Divina is Contemplatio, contemplation. Contemplation means uniting one’s heart with God’s, or, rather, letting God’s heart fill and overtake your own.

Eucharistic Piety

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed that we might all be one as He and the Father are One. To draw us together, He gave us the Church to guide us and His own Body and Blood to unite us in Holy Communion. What we receive in Communion at Mass is Our Lord, glorious and enthroned in Heaven, so that we might dwell in Him and He in us. Jesus transforms the simple bread and wine we offer into His Body and Blood for us to consume, not only so that we can have a visible sign of our unity with one another, but also so that we can have a real and lasting unity with Him.

The Church celebrates this gift in two main ways: the first is the Mass and Holy Communion, the other is Eucharistic Adoration. Eucharistic Adoration is the practice of worshipping Our Lord Jesus present in the Eucharist. This may be done by making a simple visit to the church or chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved (in the tabernacle). Eucharistic Adoration is also done solemnly with songs, prayers, and incense on certain occasions throughout the year, notably on the first Friday of every month and after Holy Thursday Mass.

Evangelization & Mission

For what has the Lord sent you out into the world? This is the question we each must answer when contemplating what “mission” means. There are missions which the Lord has given to His people. There are further missions to which the Church has committed herself. There are mission territories, where the Gospel still needs to be preached. There are mission churches, where the faithful are few, but dedicated to their faith. Then there are the missions for which the Lord has equipped each of us.

Some of us are made to be mothers or gardeners. Some are made to be fathers or soldiers. Some are made to be priests or engineers. For each of us, there will be some missions we accept and some we decline, both out of those for which the Lord has prepared us and those for which we might not be ready. What we must do in all cases is to do everything with the intention of furthering the Gospel in our own lives and that of others. Where something in our lives opposes our mission, we should seek to amend it without delay.

“Evangelization” is what we call spreading the Gospel of Jesus the Christ. In other times and places, this meant telling the pagan world about the One True God and His Son who died for our sins. In our place and time, it can still mean this, although it often also includes reminding a believer of what it means to be a Christian.

Spiritual Combat

The devil is real. Make no mistake about this. Before this world came to be, God made the angels, and one of the most powerful of these angels chose not to serve God, but to challenge Him. This angel and those who stood with him lost the glory that they had in God’s presence, but not their power. They are called fallen angels, or demons, because they fell from heaven’s glory to a lower state of being. These demons are not physical beings. Rather they are spiritual beings that seek to lead men to reject God in the same way as they once did.

Demons seek first and foremost to tempt us to fall. They may also try to coerce us (find ways to threaten us or our loved ones). In some rare, but real, cases, demons will oppress (affect the person’s life, well-being, or environment) or even possess (take charge of a person’s body, speaking and acting for them) someone without the person’s consent. While cases of oppression and possession are often the result of the person or an enemy opening them up to attack (by participating in some demonic or pagan activity), they can also happen when no one has done anything to provoke them.

The first recourse when we believe there may be demonic activity in our lives or that of others is to resort to prayer and the Sacraments. The Sacraments and fervent prayer, being full of the life of God, are the fastest, surest remedy to a demonic presence. If the appearance of demonic activity persists, then a priest should be contacted. With regards to demonic possession, specifically, it is imperative that a sound evaluation be made whether the problem is demonic, psychological, or medical. Taking the wrong approach in any case can have devastating results.