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LIFE TEEN Presents "Spread the Word" |
What's the forecast for your faith life?
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord…he is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit” - Jeremiah 17:7-8
Situation Explained
Do you ever go through a spiritual “drought”?
Has your faith life grown stale?
Solution Offered
I live in the desert of Arizona. It rarely rains here.
My younger brother lives in the pacific northwest of Washington. It is rarely sunny there.
There’s rain on the horizon. Though brothers by blood and Americans by birth, our lives are drastically different. He looks forward to sunshine. At the first glimpse of the sun’s rays, he can’t get outside fast enough. I long for rain. In fact, two weeks ago it began pouring during Mass. The assembly was so elated that following the closing hymn, they actually cheered for the rain. When all you have is dry heat, rain truly is a gift from (the) heaven(s).
My brother and I live in two drastically different realities, yet both are reality.
The spiritual life is quite similar, actually. The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that with God as the Author of life, there is “a season for everything” (Eccl 3). That’s important to remember. Why you may ask?
Well just because you live in the desert, that doesn’t mean that the heavens can’t open on you and the rain fall upon you with no warning. Likewise, just because you live in a spiritual rain forest for a good portion of your life, doesn’t mean that a drought can’t hit you in an instant, without warning.
Everyone has sunny days and rainy days in their faith lives. Sometimes, in fact, it’s more than days…it can become seasons, even years of heavy rainfall or intense drought.
Recently, much has been made of the new book publishing Blessed (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta’s private letters. In the book, we are given insight into the saint’s personal prayer life and the spiritual “drought” that she endured for decades.
The popular term that has often been associated with spiritual drought or loneliness is the “dark night of the soul”, taken from the writings of the Spanish poet and Carmelite priest, St. John of the Cross. Many saints, in fact, shared similar feelings of spiritual drought they suffered, including St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Paul of the Cross.
Have you ever known spiritual “loneliness”?
Are you, possibly, experiencing a spiritual “dryness” right now?
If you have (or you presently are) it’s important to remember a few things:
First, feeling “arid” or dry in your prayer life doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in a spiritual drought. Often times we are arid because we have almost no prayer life or a shallow prayer life, at best.
The first thing to do is to be honest with yourself and with God. If you don’t pray, start. If you don’t know how, ask someone for help. In fact, go to God and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayer (Rom. 8:26). You can always start with the Our Father (Matt. 6). And don’t forget to listen; in prayer, the listening is twice as important as “the talking”.
Second, if you have a solid and consistent prayer life and you’re feeling a period of “darkness”, do not be afraid. Scripture affirms that God never abandons us (Mt. 28:20), that He is holding us by the hand (Is. 41:10), and that is always near us (James 4:8-9).
Sometimes those periods of darkness can actually be the greatest gifts to our spiritual lives; they keep us from getting complacent and apathetic. Sometimes darkness causes us to more passionately and urgently seek God, helping us avoid the deadly sin of sloth. Sometimes that spiritual darkness is just the shadow of God’s hand, that is how close He is holding us to Him.
Lastly, if you have a solid prayer life and have “tried everything you can” to break out of the darkness or the drought, without much luck…be patient. Although we work off a watch, God is timeless. His thoughts are not our thoughts (Is. 55) and He has a reason for this season in your life. Trust in the Lord, completely (Prov. 3:5-6).
If He thinks enough of you to allow you to go through such a drought, He must think very highly of you. God believes in you more than you believe in yourself. While we’re all designed for sainthood God, it seems, allows certain souls into the HOV lane of holiness and grace, moving at a faster rate than the rest of us. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta was one such woman. You’d be fortunate to be included in her “car”.
The point is that prayer should be our constant, whether it’s sunny or gray, clear or cloudy. Prayer is everything. Prayer is our greatest source of untapped strength and our greatest fountain of unclaimed hope. Prayer has the power to change more than the world. Prayer changes even the most sinful of human hearts, because it allows the Creator of that heart to see clearly, once again.
If you are at a high point of your spiritual life right now, thank God for this season.
If you are at a low point and in a drought right now, thank God for this season…and do something about it.
Spend some time in prayer right now. Spend some time before the Blessed Sacrament this week. Get to Mass before Sunday, if you can. Get to Reconciliation if you need.
Prepare for Sunday’s Mass. Take time to read the readings. If you get confused, let us help. Take a couple minutes and listen to this week’s Sunday x 3 Podcast. You’ll be amazed at how the readings this weekend affirm what God is telling us here.
There’s rain on the horizon. Whether or not that is a good thing or a bad thing, depends on your perspective and your reality.
Salvation Given
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord…he is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit” - Jeremiah 17:7-8
God’s Son shines. God’s Kingdom reigns.
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| Affectionately known as the "Bible Geek ®”, Mark Hart serves as Executive Vice President for Life Teen International. A graduate from the University of Notre Dame, Mark is a popular speaker, award-winning author and weekly regular on Catholic radio programs.
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