Daily Habits for Spiritual Change
Dear Friends,
We are in week three of our Lenten journey in the desert with Jesus, learning to walk in his ways and seeking to make those harder changes which we are calling “Soul Work.” This Lent our focus is on true transformation, spiritual renewal, that deeper but harder conversion of life. And according to the habit experts, right about now is the time when we tend to waffle. Surveys say that most people give up “New Year’s Resolutions” after a few weeks. Some call the second Friday in January “quitter’s day.”
A number of reasons prevent us from continuing on the path of genuine progress, including decline in enthusiasm, overly ambitious goals, and lack of planning. If you have begun to waiver in your resolve, what seems to be the cause? Remember that when we falter, we can always begin again with Jesus. Instead of an all-or-nothing approach, we have tried to emphasize beginning small, being specific and concrete about the change you hope to see and building on small successes over time.
One of my memorable takeaways from Atomic Habits (great book!) is that if we would make just a 1% improvement each day, by the end of the year, that would add up to 365% and our lives would be radically different. Now honestly, it is not exactly practical to make a 1% change each and every day, but the principle holds. Begin small and as your new habit settles in, seek to build on that, and then build again, like the miracle of compound interest. Our growth in holy habits compounds over time when we are specific, humble, and prayerful.
This Sunday, we meet a fig tree in the orchard (See Luke 13:1-9). The master is searching for fruit, and finding none, wants the tree cut down. The gardener seeks to give the tree another year with special attention and care so that it may bear fruit. After that special treatment, if no fruit matures, the tree will be cut down. In effect the gardener, who knows the soil and the tree, wants to give this tree another chance.
Some of you may know that I fancy myself to be a gardener. I take pride in striving to create a bit of a garden at home and around campus, to give plants what they need to flourish. Sometimes they need fertilizer or more sun or better drainage, and sometimes they need to be pruned in order to be their best. Each plant in its own time may need something different. When people ask about my green thumb, I tell them that I try to really pay attention and watch for the little clues of what a plant may need. Kind attention to the details makes a significant difference.
Our own lives are like that, too. It takes time and self-awareness to be attuned to what is genuinely needed. My friend Sara, also a gardener, shared with me a rhyme about perennials: the first-year sleeps, the second-year creeps, the third year-leaps! So true. Often it takes a great deal of time, sometimes years, for the gardener to see the fruit of her labor. For a good while, it can look like not much is going on. So, I would encourage you to keep after it, and strive to be attuned to what is working well and what could use some attention or tweaking. But don’t give up!
Jesus uses the parable of the fig tree to invite people to repentance. Twice he says, “If you do not repent, you will perish as they did!” Lent is the great season for repentance, to change our ways and be converted to the Lord. One great way to grow in our self-awareness, to be more attuned to God and his ways is to spend time with the daily examen. And as we grow in self-understanding, we see more and more what needs to be changed. Our desire to seek out forgiveness and the grace to begin again, grows. Next week on Saturday 3/29, from nine to noon, I invite you to encounter God’s mercy and grace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Here is a guide to prepare.
With you on this journey,
Fr. Joel
The DAILY EXAMEN
Find a comfortable and alert position. Take some deep breaths and place yourself in the presence of God to
review your day. Then follow the five steps below.
- Ask God for Light
Look at my day with God’s eyes, not just my own.
- Give Thanks
The day just lived is a gift from God. Be grateful for it.
- Review the Day
Carefully look back on the day just completed,
being guided by the Holy Spirit.
- Face the Shortcomings
I face up to what is wrong, in my life and in me.
- Look Toward Tomorrow
I ask where I need God in the day to come.
