There is a lot of talk Spirituality versus Religion. Many new age concepts incorporate older religious philosophies into present day sensibilities in order to treat the “whole person.”
I find there is no reason to search when the answer is present and accounted for…
Catholicism, the Universal Church, looks at the whole person–body, mind, and spirit–as it offers methods of worship. For example, there are those who want to get away from the world and enter into the Silence of the Eternal God. We call them contemplatives. There are those who want to shout from the rooftops the Great Glory of God. We call them charismatics. There are those who just want to get by, go to work, pay the mortgage, have dinner with the spouse and kids, no real bells and whistles. Let’s just keep it simple. We call them the laity.
A beloved priest decided to combine his two great loves: Mary, the Mother of God and daily exercise. He created a routine involving stretching, cardio, and strength-training while saying the rosary. Each prayer had an exercise or kept time to an exercise. If he was pressed for time, a decade would do. If he had a little time to spare, maybe he could toss in a sixth or seventh decade. In this way he continues to make his life a prayer, offering his love of exercise and his love of Mary to Jesus Christ.
Personally, I have fondness for pilates with small weights. Did you know that the Book of Christian Prayer is just right for that sort of routine? In holding the books–mine and Stephen’s–I am able to strength-train and know who it is I am conditioning for. I need my body strong to do God’s work. Vanity need not enter the room. Pilates are designed to make slow movements more effective. I listened to Stephen’s slower, more melodic music as I held the books. I considered the weight in my hands and the message seeping into my soul. “I am called… I have losses in my past … I long for happiness…God will always love me.”
What does this mean?
“God calls me to be His.”
“I feel broken.”
“I feel lost.”
“God loves me more than I will ever understand.”
If we meditate on God’s love, our own shortcomings, and God’s love again, we being to see that we are not alone. We are merely incomplete. God makes us complete. God gives us the silent reprieve we seek from the noise of the world. God is there always speaking to us, whispering encouragement. Are we listening?
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