Over the last several weeks Stephan has been asking me all kinds of questions about how to grow in his spirituality. Of course we all know the usual answers, but his questions have required a more thoughtful and ordered response. The truth is that you can’t get a perfect body in one fell swoop, no matter what the latest magazine headline tells you! Michael Phelps did not become the gold metal athlete that he is over night.

We can learn a lot about being “spiritually fit” by understanding physical fitness. There are many people who suffer from attitudes toward spirituality similar to their attitudes toward fitness; namely, wanting the results without really understanding the process that leads to results. We want to have inner peace, a sense of meaning, a connection to other people, a knowledge of God and the World — and we want it now! Generally we realize the need for spirituality in the midst of a crisis. We realize that something is missing and we try to quickly find whatever it is so that we can feel better right now. But it doesn’t work that way. We must come into reality and understand that this will take time and accept the fact that our work and dedication to spirituality will pay off in the end.

What is spirituality?

Unfortunately, a lot of people think that spirituality is just about themselves — it becomes a “self-help” exercise, just another kind of consumer product. If spirituality is to have any meaning at all, it must be about God. Spirituality is what leads us deeper and deeper into the mystery of life, of beauty, of truth, of goodness — in short, into the mystery of the person we call God.

Ignatius said, “spirituality is the practice, a regular endeavor through which we come to build our lives on the love of God — to order our lives according to God’s plan for us.” Therefore, its focus, then, is not primarily ourselves, but God.

“A regular endeavor through which we come to build….” We then are called to develop a long-term spiritual “workout.” A workout that first and foremost confronts the reality of God and the reality of ourselves. The first step is to “repent,” or identify the wrongs ways of living and don’t do them again. Secondly, is to build good habits in place of the bad ones. This may sound overly simple, but truthfully it is the only way to begin. If we want to develop spiritually we must learn what we’re doing that is harmful to us and we must also learn to do those things that are helpful to us.

Thus spiritual “workouts” or “endeavors” will help us to become better human beings by practicing the love of God and neighbor.

I will try to walk you through some of these endeavors…. so come walk with me!!!