If we could reflect a bit, we could be a little better in our spiritual life.

Spiritual life is always at risk unless we take much care of it. It is almost same as physical health as far as the care and concern is needed for its sustenance. All of us find challenges and downfalls in our spiritual journey. But how often we recover and go forward?

Suppose we find one of our vehicles suddenly broke down on the way during the journey. Before calling a mechanic for help, we will surely check whether there is enough fuel. If we are sure that the fuel is over, then we would never call for help. Apply this to spiritual life too.

Prayer is the fuel of spiritual life. If we are sure that our spiritual life is broken down due to lack of prayer, then there is no use in getting advice from anyone regarding its recovery. If prayer life is sound and good then we may look for other options.

In physical life if we have gone through some serious illness, we need enough time for recovery. Just after being healed we would never take up hard works. It would make us sick again. After an illness what is required of us is the recovery of health. Sin makes us spiritually sick. But through the sacrament of confession, we would have been healed. Do not right away go to undertake heavy spiritual loads. First and foremost recover our health through prayer and being in the presence of the Lord.

Another challenge in our spiritual journey is the problem of bad habits. St. Augustine would say, ‘evil is the privation of goodness.’ Suppose there is a hole on the floor, we can never remove it by taking it away. If we try to do so, the hole will become even bigger. We should fill it with something else. We are trying for years and years, to take away our sinful dispositions and bad habits. It is as trying to take away a hole. Every sin and drawback is a privation; fill it with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Invite the Holy Spirit to help you and make you stronger in that area. We can’t take away darkness as such, without bringing light to the dark place to make it bright. The problem is that darkness is not an entity in itself, but a privation of light. We can become spiritually strong, by filling ourselves with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Many a time we think that God has punished us because we have sinned. We tend to think as this one of the reasons of our spiritual fall. God never punishes anyone who repents over the sins committed. He is mercy and love.

Suppose someone drinks acid; should anyone come to him and burn him? No. Why? Acid by nature is burning. By the very fact a person has drunk acid, he is allowing himself to be burned. As such sin carries with it the punishment too. No sin is good for human body or soul.

So one who sins is supposed to bear the evil consequences of sin. Therefore we must be very vigilant in our spiritual life, for keeping the holiness of our body and mind.

- – - written by Jinto Mathew

What is ungodliness? A vice contrary to piety.

What is piety? A virtue, or gift of the Holy Spirit, by which we regard God, and worship Him, and venerate Him as our Father.

We are therefore commanded so to deny ungodliness, that we may “live piously in this world;” or, what amounts to the same thing, so to live piously in this world, that we may deny all ungodliness. But why are these two mentioned, since one would be sufficient?

The Holy Spirit was thus pleased to speak, in order to make us understand that if we wish to please God, we must be so in love with piety as to admit of no impiety. For there are many Christians who seem pious by praying to God, by assisting at the adorable sacrifice, by hearing sermons, but, in the meanwhile, they either blaspheme God, or swear falsely, or break through their vows. And what else is this, but to pretend to be “pious” towards God, and yet be impious at the same time?

Wherefore, those who desire to live well that they may die well, so to worship God as to deny all ungodliness. Even the very shadow of it. For it will be of little profit daily to hear Mass, and to adore Christ in the holy mysteries, if, in the mean time, we impiously blaspheme God, or swear by His holy name. But we must deny all ungodliness, not only the more heinous sort, but even the slightest.

Many of us desire to be holy, but we fall in sin; There is a solution.

The disciple approached the Master with grief and said, ‘I fell again… I committed the same sin. The devil is after me… I can’t succeed.’ Master smiled and gently asked, ‘were you able to keep up all the other decisions, except that sin… I mean… daily prayer, Bible reading, spiritual reading…etc.’ Disciple was in a dilemma. He said, ‘No master, after this sin, I was fed up and I stopped all the others.’

‘No my child’, said the Master, ‘it is the other way round. Since you gradually stopped all the other, you fell into that particular sin again.’

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Many of us confess every now and then, the same sins committed in our life. We give many reasons for it; devils force, our weakness in that area, uncontrollable temptations, the dual law within… etc. Many of us aspire to be holy and loving to others, but we do not reach up to the standard that is in our mind. Is there a solution for it?

Put aside our sins, are we able to put into action all the decisions we make in our life? Most say no. Then, the problem is our inability to bring into reality what we think we should. So, the cure for our problem lies in maintaining this ability. We should be more capable to incarnate our good decisions. Once we acquire this ability in our life, it is easy to avoid sin.

Spiritual fathers would suggest mortifications in this training. If we take a decision to avoid a delicious food, we should do it. A decision not to watch television for some day must be accomplished. Decision to avoid a look, small favor, kind help… everything must be done as we take the decision. They are virtues, yet again, they are also training our mind to keep up the decisions we take. Though it is grace, firm decision too has something to do with holiness of life.

Unless and until we train ourselves in the field of virtues, we cannot avoid sin. There is some form of grace called ‘sanctifying grace’ in our life. Its meaning is strictly connected with holiness in day to day life. Spiritually, it makes one perfect in front of God. Openness to sanctifying grace will make us capable of doing every possible virtue in our life, at each and every moment.

Unless and until we do all the possible good works and virtuous acts in our life, we are under the cloud of sin. Sanctifying grace increases when one person takes up mortifications one after another. It will help us not only to avoid sin but also to be strong in the decisions we take in our life. Those who grow in this grace will fulfill many good endeavors in life.

- – - written by Jinto Mathew