Help for Catechists: February 2009

Spiritual Bank Accounts

By Mary Lou Rosien

As my husband and I follow the day’s economic news we are forced to reevaluate our thinking about what is important. Our 401K, like most people’s, has been cut in half and we struggle with college tuition, job security and increasing costs.

I remember a time, several years ago, when we faced with a similar uncertainty. We sought counsel from our priest who assured us that as long as we loved the Lord, had faith and were willing to work hard, there was nothing we could not crawl out of. That advice has strengthened us through the years and we fall back upon it now.

Life is uncertain. We go through our days thinking we know what the next day holds. We don’t. Two days before Christmas a friend of ours died without any warning, leaving behind a wife and three children. This particular man was devoted to the Lord. He and his wife spent hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament in adoration. This is what gives us comfort now. Knowing that our friend loved the Lord and that the Lord loves him.

Jobs, homes, even life itself can disappear in an instant, only love of the Lord is enduring. How than can we build our spiritual bank accounts when our financial ones are cause for concern?

1. Spending time in prayer. We cannot claim to know the Lord if we do not talk to Him on a regular basis. When we talk to a friend, we deepen our knowledge of them. We learn to trust them and we love them more. We can practice many types of prayer.

• Just conversing with the Lord.
•  Adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
•  Praying your Rosary or other formal prayers
• Contemplative prayer.
•  Active prayer. There is a line in a book that I love (Seven Archangels; Annihilation, for anyone interested), where Mary quips that she prayed through cookies. I am like that too. I like to pray by doing something. Baking for a sick friend, caring for a child, rocking a baby while thinking of the Lord can all become prayers.

2. Practicing works of Mercy. Doing for others is a wonderful way to draw closer to the Lord. Look for opportunities to be kind. They surround us every day, the mom of the crying child who needs a smile or kind word, the woman who needs help to her car, or the older gentleman with the WWII sticker on his car and his Veteran’s cap on his head who appreciates thanks for his service.

3. Read Scripture passages that inspire hope. Many of Psalms are about trusting and loving the Lord. They remind us of His promises to us, about how He will care for us and protect us. It is inspiring to know that God is in control.

4. Continue to give. It can be so difficult for us to give money or even our time to our church community when we are frightened and struggling. My mother always says, “The Lord cannot be outdone in generosity.” My own experience has proven this to be true.

I pray that 2009 will be a prosperous year for all of you, dear readers. If it is difficult, be assured of my constant prayers and of the love and promises of the Lord.

Mary Lou Rosien writes from her home in North Chili, NY.  She is the author of Managing Stress with the Help of your Catholic Faith (OSV Publishing).  Write to her at mrosien@rochester.rr.com.