| How quickly we’ve gone from ‘loving neighbor’ to ‘mistrusting neighbor’, from loving God to wondering where God is. For months, we’ve been rightly focused on minimizing the physical and economic damage caused by the Covid 19 virus. Largely unaddressed throughout this noble effort, however, has been a neglect of our spiritual health. Weeks of isolation, the absence of familiar communal worship, and the inherent mistrust accompanying social distancing help contribute to a new spiritual malaise. The good news is that unlike Covid 19, there is a test to check your spiritual health, maybe as simple as answering a few questions: – Are you a little unfocused, having difficulty concentrating, feeling you’ve lost your sense of purpose, much less grasping your higher purpose? – Are you confused about you place in this rapidly changing, even alien landscape of your life and your world? – Are you questioning some basic tenets of your faith, practices that have served you well but now seem like empty rituals? If so, you might want to take some steps to protect your spiritual health. Some time-honored techniques are staying the course in your current prayer and spiritual practice, taking some time out to listen to God’s words of grace and healing, and discussing things with a spiritual companion or director. More than ever, believe that the power of the Holy Spirit can change the world. Last Sunday, the church celebrated Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit. One might say that event was literally the first “Spiritual Pandemic”. The word pandemic comes from two Greek words, pan, which means all, and demos which means people. Pentecost was a spiritual contagion that infected “all people”. Formerly frightened disciples spoke boldly and did amazing things. Just like a virus spreads from one person to the next, the peace of Christ can spread as well through the power of the same Holy Spirit. Please take an inventory of your own spiritual health and take some steps to remain spiritually healthy. The world desperately needs people alive in the spirit and filled with the peace of Christ to neutralize the fear, anxiety, panic and anger so prevalent in our present time. |