Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Hitting Bottom

I am suddenly aware that there is a lull in the Sports world for me.  There is nothing to look forward to. The college basketball March Madness is over.  There is no Super Bowl.  Hockey, Pro Basketball playoffs are an eternity away from a Finals.  Baseball is just at the beginning of its long season.  There is no evening excitement on TV for me, a Sports fan.  But it is Holy Week!  Do I not look forward to Easter?  I must admit, I lack the enthusiasm for the core of my faith that would equal my enthusiasm for a Sport's dramatic conclusion.  This is what is called a Spiritual Bottom.  I am in grave need of Grace, a miracle, God's help.  My soul is dry.  I am powerless to change.  But a Bottom is good.  It makes me realize that I need God on a daily basis.  I need daily spiritual help.  My prayer cannot be just when I want something.  It will have to be daily, and this will make a new relationship, based upon my powerlessness to change and God's love in spite of myself.  I have the chance to experience God loving the messy me, until I can become what God has called me to be.  The Good News is that this all bothers me.  If Easter is just a weekend holiday of fun for you, your life is a lot more of a mess than mine.  I will take a Bottom any day because saints can be made from desperation, but never from complacency.
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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 15, 2014 at 10:02 AM

    I think we expect a spiritual excitement about Holy Week and Easter. Sometimes it is not there. We have to pray and find out what that means to us. Connie

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  2. AnonymousApril 16, 2014 at 12:37 PM

    I love that last sentence. So many philosophers and theologians talk about detachment, but desperation does seem fundamental too. I wonder what the best combination is.

    Perhaps that choice is out of my hands!

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  3. AnonymousApril 16, 2014 at 8:02 PM

    "Lord, since you have called me to your flock, I beg you, by your grace and strength that in trouble, anguish and distress, I may never turn away from you. Lord, look down upon me and my infirmities and help me, to bear them patiently" St. Franci of Assisi
    Padre, this is my daily prayer and a favorite...With my life, it always seems to fit. Happy Easter for the Lord is risen!

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