“Take up your Cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:26).
I have recently started to do some more exercise. And, by more exercise, I really mean exercise itself – because I live a very sedentary lifestyle and rarely exercise.
One of the things that I have done is that I have started engaging in some exercise classes. I have done this because it seems that in a class environment, I can learn the sort of exercises that I should be doing in order to get myself moving and active and to keep fit and healthy. On my own, I really do not have a lot of experience in exercising and thus it can be a little overwhelming to try to get everything done on my own and in my own way.
The thing that I noticed is that quite a lot of time is spent – relatively speaking – on preparation. Firstly, there are the instructions, when the trainer is explaining the activities to the group. Then, there are the stretches, when the participants are stretching so that they are prepared for the exercise. And then there is a warm up and a warm down and all of that is in addition to the exercise itself.
And I have been thinking about that today.
You see, it seems to me that these exercises classes and my preparation for eternal life are very similar things. Just as I need to be in a class environment to understand the best way to exercise, I also need to be in a Catholic Community – that is the Catholic Church itself – in order to be able to learn how to please my God. Here, the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church, allows me to make the formation of faith that is required for my spiritual health and wellbeing.
Then, I consider the stretches and warm-ups and warm downs. Well, these remind me of my spiritual journey as well. These are the things that I come across on my journey – the little things. The small trials (not the terrible crosses). These are the things that I am required to endure. And by simply enduring them, I am able to become stronger and more capable to adapt to the bigger things – to the things that will cause me serious discomfort. And I am able to do this because I have stretched it out on the little things.
And it will be all those little things put together and the big things as well that are my pathway to Heaven. For did not God say, “Take up your Cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:26)?
And I have been thinking about that today as I have been thinking about exercise classes. For it seems to me that in just the same way as I need to strengthen my body, I must also work to strengthen my spiritual soul as well…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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