Thoughts for Reflection

The SPIRITUS team has been very busy. The month of March is one of the busiest months as Confirmations are right around the corner in the Easter season. Then there is the "home stretch" in the month of May with a lot of SHINE retreats.

In my previous entry of March 7th, I wrote about listening, looking at one's self and the humility required for this.

Because of the vision of Faith, we can say with Job, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.” That vision of Faith is deeply rooted in the doctrine of God as Father. Like any good father, the Eternal Father desires His children to be happy and be with Him. He has given us a lot of potential and to bring it out, we have to grow. Challenges are a necessary way for us to grow and so God puts us to the test. St. Paul likened this to “scourging” or "discipline" in his letter to the Hebrews.

During our NET training in August, Mark Berchem showed everyone a picture of his son as a little boy wearing a baseball uniform. He then showed another, more recent photo of his son now grown up at a baseball game. Mark said something to the effect of, “I loved my son as a child but now as an adult, I can do more with him. This can only happen if he grew up. God is the same way with us. He wants to do so much with us, but we have to grow up and mature first.” Mark’s statement hit me hard and it has formed the stuff of reflection these 7 months.

SPIRITUS has been very formative for me in the above regard of "growing up." If anyone is considering joining SPIRITUS, contact any of the team members for advice or information.

Happy Solemnity of the Transitus of St. Benedict!
-Kevin Symonds