Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Almost There?

The thing about a spiritual journey is that...well...it's a journey. When I was young, and we were going on a day trip to the shore, my father would load up the '57 Chevy with blankets and some of our toys while my mother would pack sandwiches, snacks and something to drink. The four children would squeeze into the backseat and we'd all settle in for about an hour drive. Of course, when you are going somewhere fun, an hour drive might as well be a trip to Mars or Jupiter! And it never failed, about ten minutes into the trip, one of us kids would yell out from the back, "Are we there yet?"


Coming back to the Catholic Church was also my spiritual re-birth. That sounds strange coming from someone who left the Church and became a Protestant pastor, but it is true. The Catholic Church has such a treasure of spiritual life, that it is mind boggling when you stop and take a look at it. Within that great spiritual treasure chest lies many ways to develop a strong loving Communion with Our Lord. Coming back to the Church was another step on that journey to that holy union with God. Sometimes I stop and wonder how far I am on this journey and from time to time I want to yell out, "Am I there yet?"


I am not there yet. I get excited with anticipation of that full communion with my Lord and Saviour, but that also causes me to get frustrated now and again. Humans are so wonderfully made, and yet, so easily frustrated. I want what I want, when I want it! That is my humanity speaking. We travel on this spiritual journey through life and we think we know where we should be at any given moment. But, I think the journey to a full communion with God is more than just sitting and waiting to arrive. I believe the journey is also when we are given the time to become familiar with God.


When we got too antsy on our trips to the shore, mom would tell us to play a game along the way. One of those games was to look out the window of our car and spot something that began with the letter "A." after someone located that we would continue down the alphabet until we spotted something that began with the letter "Z." This was more than something to occupy our time until we arrived. This was also something to let us see the beauty of the world around us. This was to remind us that the trip to the shore included many wonderful sights of beauty along the way.


When I returned to the Church I discovered that there are many ways offered by the Catholic Church to develop a fuller communion with God. There are many routes within the Faith to forge a relationship with the Almighty. I have been inquiring into a few of the associations and third orders of the Chruch in the hope of finding a group that will help me see the beauty of God's world as I travel. I have discovered a path with the Confraternity of Penitents that uses the Franciscan Rule of 1221. For me, this association of the Catholic Church has opened my eyes to beauty of the journey on my way to Our Lord, while still reminding me of the place where our hearts will find perfect communion and rest.


How is your journey going? What do you see today that begins with the letter "A?"

3 comments:

John said...

“I have been inquiring into a few of the associations and third orders of the Church in the hope of finding a group that will help me see the beauty of God's world as I travel. I have discovered a path with the Confraternity of Penitents that uses the Franciscan Rule of 1221.”

Super, and by coincidence I just came across the Confraternity of Penitents as a Third Order in my Internet surfing and added a link to www.penitents.org to my list of Third Orders. Their web site has very good information.

Is that the group you are talking about?

I liked the www.penitents.org web site because I could immediately understand the context of their information. Anyone from any background would know the big picture about the Penitents.

Jim said...

John, yes, that is the very same group. They are a great group. They provide community for those who have difficulty in finding a community or have difficulty in coordinating meeting times with work schedules. Aside from that, they also provide a very caring formation process with experienced formators who provide a personal touch. Considering that this is the internet, such personal touch is helpful. The Confraternity of Penitents also provides opportunities for annual retreats for those who are able.

John said...

Jim,

You wrote, “they also provide a very caring formation process with experienced formators who provide a personal touch.”

This is what naturally comes from a group whose clarity of thought regrading their mission is so evident on their web site. I was very impressed.

EWTN’s show on the Major Religious Orders of Men which was shown today (episode 8) had a short description of the Confraternity of Penitents — at least I think it is the same group, I had the show on while I was doing something else and may not have heard it correctly.