May 29, 2007

Connect the Dots

When I was a teenager I gave little to no thought about my spiritual life. Like so many Americans, I was caught up in things that are not important, things that are distractions at best. Praying is to the soul what breathing and eating are to the body. Many modern people have spiritual anorexia. They sadly neglect their spiritual life.

A healthy spiritual life is nourished by a diet of prayer, the sacraments (especially Confession and Eucharist), serving the poor and spiritual direction. Spiritual direction often happens through the advice given by the priest during the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Confession.

I remember the days when, as a college student, I was trying to pray and reconnect my spiritual life. Through the loving guidance of good priests, my spiritual fathers (see 1 Thess 2:11), I started to see the dots of God’s grace in my life. As I progressed in the spiritual life, I was able to connect the dots so as to better see the picture of what God was doing in my life. How exciting! This process takes a lifetime. We will not be able to see what God is doing in our life if we are neglecting our soul.

Let us pray for each other,

Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR

St. Joseph Friary, New York, NY

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