We Always Hate Change!

I used to complain at how difficult it is to adapt to change, especially spiritually. Because I go to school in Ohio, I transition every few months from my home in southern California to my school in eastern Ohio. The two environments are not only severely different in weather and culture, but in the atmosphere I'm in as well. My actual home is a nice place, and I enjoy my family...sometimes. My friends are great as well, but I'm discovering that the more I change and grow at school, the harder it is to be home. At school, I'm surrounded by 2500 other people striving to be holy and become saints. There are 3 Masses every day, perpetual adoration, chapels in every dorm, and a million possible ministries you could join. My professors pray before class, and I'm friends with priests and nuns.

All of this makes the transitions that much harder. I don't have the same opportunities at home as I do at school (i.e. Mass at 3 different times every day). I'm not around the same people. I have absolutely no school schedule that I have to follow. My friends don't even get out of school at the same time...It all makes for an interesting change, to say the least.

However, I mentioned that I used to complain. It just seems so hard. Even semester to semester at my school is so different.

But why wouldn't it be? It should change. We are people and as such, we perpetually change. School is basically a large community of people, a.k.a. other perpetually changing humans. If our faith and spiritual life isn't changing, then something's wrong! I heard it put so beautifully once - If you're not moving forwards, you're moving backwards. Why, do you ask? Because life is an uphill battle. Life and faith are climbing the mountain, and if you stick yourself into Neutral and become complacent, you're just rolling back down the hill.

So obviously we'll be changing. Obviously my spirituality will change. I can't get stuck into a routine of "prayer life" that happens to work for me because that's not how you grow. When I come back to a place that's more spiritually dry than Franciscan University, it's my opportunity to grow in a different way. It's my opportunity to have more quiet time with God in my room, alone, as opposed to only in a chapel 20 ft. from my dorm room. I can experience God anywhere, YOU can experience God anywhere.

Don't complain about change like me, and definitely don't let complacency take hold of you without you knowing it. I've done both, and they haven't really worked out for me very well. Experience God in new ways. He is, after all, the living God. The Bible is the living Word of God, so read it. The Holy Spirit is living, and he is everywhere, so experience him!

Complacency and discouragement is NOT of the Lord. Ever.

Encourage.

During a sermon at Mass on Wednesday, Fr. Mike talked about St. Paul and how one of his favorite ministries that we are all called to is the ministry of encouragement.

Think about it. Think about how people's attitudes would change day-to-day if we just encouraged each other to keep going, keep fighting, keep persevering.

He then proceeded to tell a story from 71 yrs. ago when he was 6. He hit a bully in the head with a frying pan because he was picking on the girls, and the other kids encouraged him. After Mass, he told us that we should not miss the moral of the story and that we should find ways other than frying pans to encourage each other...but the point remains the same.

We can over-compliment, but we can never never over-encourage.

Do not let one another fall into discouragement and hopelessness, both of which are not of the Lord.

Encourage one another always, and keep fighting the good fight of faith.