As the seasons change around us, it is another opportunity for us to recommit and remember why we are members of Christ's Church and why we continue on our journey towards Christ. With elections coming up, COVID continuing to loom over our lives, unrest throughout the world and so many more hardships, it is easy for us to lose our remembrance to stay focused on what truly matters. We lose our focus and forget that we are citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom where the grace of Christ is freely given, the Father's love is poured out continually, and the Communion of the Holy Spirit unites all believes.
Sadly, what happens when we lose our focus, is that we usually fall into a daze of spiritual sloth. We feel bogged down with life, too tired to pray, ignore helping our neighbor, and generally cave in on ourselves through self-love. We muster any strength we have to get through the day doing just the essential of what we need and then fall into a coma of self comforts; social media, Netflix, video games, and the like. Days, weeks, and sometimes months go by before we even realize how much time has passed, only to realize that our spiritual muscles have atrophied.
Father Sophrony of blessed memory, the former elder of St. John the Baptist Monastery, once noted, “The Fathers talk about “spiritual laziness,” which means lack of care about one’s salvation. With few exceptions, all humanity is now living in the state of laziness. People have become indifferent about their salvation. They do not seek divine life. They confine themselves to forms of life which pertains to everyday needs and mundane activities. God, though, created us out of nothing, in the image of the Absolute and after His likeness. If this revelation is true, then the absence of concern for salvation is nothing else than the death of the human person.”
May we during this time of seasonal change take every burst of cold air we feel around us, as a reminder to wake ourselves up from our spiritual torpor and return to God. We must dust off our prayer book and put them to use to connect with our Savior. And may we remind ourselves of what truly matters; to have an ever present vision of Christ's Kingdom and do all we can to strive towards the Author of Life.
In Christ,
Fr. Steve
Sadly, what happens when we lose our focus, is that we usually fall into a daze of spiritual sloth. We feel bogged down with life, too tired to pray, ignore helping our neighbor, and generally cave in on ourselves through self-love. We muster any strength we have to get through the day doing just the essential of what we need and then fall into a coma of self comforts; social media, Netflix, video games, and the like. Days, weeks, and sometimes months go by before we even realize how much time has passed, only to realize that our spiritual muscles have atrophied.
Father Sophrony of blessed memory, the former elder of St. John the Baptist Monastery, once noted, “The Fathers talk about “spiritual laziness,” which means lack of care about one’s salvation. With few exceptions, all humanity is now living in the state of laziness. People have become indifferent about their salvation. They do not seek divine life. They confine themselves to forms of life which pertains to everyday needs and mundane activities. God, though, created us out of nothing, in the image of the Absolute and after His likeness. If this revelation is true, then the absence of concern for salvation is nothing else than the death of the human person.”
May we during this time of seasonal change take every burst of cold air we feel around us, as a reminder to wake ourselves up from our spiritual torpor and return to God. We must dust off our prayer book and put them to use to connect with our Savior. And may we remind ourselves of what truly matters; to have an ever present vision of Christ's Kingdom and do all we can to strive towards the Author of Life.
In Christ,
Fr. Steve
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