Tuesday, August 31, 2010

A Spiritual "Tune Up"

Cars have batteries that die. They cough and sputter. Backfire. Hesitate. Go a little. Jerk forward. Conk out. Start again. Die. Pull off to the side of the road.

When this happens we take them to a mechanic who does some diagnostic things (I guess) and determines a course of action. Fix this. Replace that. Scrap the whole thing. Whatever it may be.

I don't know about you, but my faith-life is more like a 1974 Dodge Dart (my first car) than a 2011 Honda Civic.

It runs well for a while, then begins to "act up." Sometimes I want to trade it in for a newer model, but I know that what it really needs is a tune up. It's a good car, afterall. It's been with me for so long. I can't just toss it in the heap with the others.

For me, spiritual direction is that tune up. It gives me the "manual" for taking care of my spirituality.

Recently I have been instructed by my spirtual director to do the morning and eveing prayers. And I have been. For the most part. And when I don't - guess what happens?

Yep, you're right. Cough. Chug. Jerk. Sputter. Die.

Time to take the car back to the shop. Confession. Mass. Prayer. Meditation. Reading the Word of God. Those morning and evening prayers.

Pray for me that I can keep my engine running. I'll do the same for you.

Vroom vroom!

25 comments:

Theodore M. Seeber said...

Here's a challenge for you- if you haven't done so already:
Become at least a 1st Degree Knight of Columbus. Take that rosary they gave you in the 1st Degree and put it in your pocket.

Every time you get frustrated with your job, your life, or your kids, take it out of your pocket and pray ONE DECADE, Our Father, 10 Hail Mary's, Glory Be.


I'm amazed at how much that has done for my spiritual life. in the last two years.

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Wiley_Coyote said...

Confession, mass, prayer, meditation... have you considered trying THOUGHT for a change? Try reason, logic and the scientific method. These are a much more reliable path to the truth than delusion and rationalization

Unknown said...

Nice post, i like it.

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Why are more christians converting to islam each year. Just a while ago I was listening to two of my friends one is a muslim who isn't practising Islam as he said. The other is a solid christian from an old christian family. I've always listen to them arguing. The muslim do always make good points that makes us agree with him. Two weeks later our friend converted to Islam after reading about islam and reading the quran. Now Three of us are in the way of converting. Can any one read the quran and let me know if there is some sorta mistake so I can use it to argue with my friends. I'm on the edge of converting I gave up

Theodore M. Seeber said...

The flaw in the Koran is that Allah is insane.

Unlike the Catholic view of God, where God is the same yesterday, today, and forever and where we can examine the natural world to discover the mind of God almost as a 2nd scripture (the whole foundation of Western Science is based on a rational God who follows his own rules- even if we don't know what those rules are yet); the Islamic view of Allah is a capricious, all powerful being who doesn't even guarantee that the sun will rise tomorrow.

Pope Benedict discussed this difference in his infamous Regensburg Address, back in 2006.

Ask your friend and the friend who converted him why God told Mohammed early on that "There is no compulsion in religion", then later to wage holy war against the Jews and Christians living in Mecca at the time- a total reversal of fortune for the Kufar under Islam, and a total reversal of God's promises in the Bible, putting the Koran at *direct* conflict with the Bible.

But more importantly, this kind of reversal happened whenever it was convenient in Mohammed's life- making him a bigger flip-flopper than John Kerry.

Anonymous said...

I really agree with the facts that you have shared on this post. An interesting topic like this really enhances reader's mind to have more effective decisions over a certain issue.


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rsctt603 said...

we all need a tune up at times!


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cathartic writing said...

I find it very satisfying that prayer and meditation affect my life like a good car wash seems to affect my car. It just seems to run better.

scfinder said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mateo said...

I read this a year later, and it works. Both my car battery and my faith battery are crapping out.

Here's to the tune up.

Matt

http://catholicfriedrice.blogspot.com/

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