As we enter 2017, the traditional New Year’s resolutions are under way. One of the most popular resolutions is getting in shape. Gym memberships spike during the month of January and fitness centers are crowded as people strive to burn off the holiday calories and get healthy. Usually by the end of the first or second month, the gyms are not as packed and later on, it thins out even more. Nevertheless, the desire to work out stems from the fact that by going to the gym, we will feel better, happier, healthier, and full of life.
The Church also wants us to feel better, happier, healthier, and full of life but in a more profound way, of course. While our bodies may grow old and even become ill, our inner lives, our souls, can remain healthy and full of life. The Church does not want us to feel spiritually old, tired and burdened. God wants our souls to experience a life of newness. This life of spiritual renewal began at our baptism as Saint Paul reminds us, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4) God’s desire is that our “youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:5) Christ Himself tells us, “Behold I make all things new.” (Revelation 21:5)
Spiritually we grow tired, old and burdened because of unhealthy choices we make, which lead us to sin. When we sin, when our behavior is contrary to God’s teachings, and we are burdened with experiences like guilt, denial, despair, anger, emptiness and bitterness. Sin and its consequences age our soul; we grow spiritually tired and sick. We are blessed that the Church offers us a way to reverse this process.
In some ways, the Church is like a gym – we come to work out spiritually so that our souls feel better, happier, healthier and full of life. We have trainers in our Bishops, Priests and Theologians who instruct us and help us in our spiritual life. We also have friends in the Saints to encourage us and help us achieve our goals. The Church helps us feel spiritually invigorated and alive, no matter what our age may be. Part of the way the Church is able to help us feel this way is because the burdens of sin are lifted from our life through participation in the sacrament of Confession.
How can we experience this newness of life? First, just like the gym, we need to make Church a priority if we want to see results. We need to attend the Divine Liturgy and receive Holy Communion on a regular basis. We need to pray and read Scripture daily. We need to go to Confession. We need to surround ourselves with those who will encourage us, namely the Saints, by learning about their lives. We need to push ourselves and apply the virtues of patience, kindness, mercy, compassion and forgiveness to those in our lives, even to those who have wronged us. We need to accept the disciplines of fasting, but not just from food, but from gossip, hurtful words, and vengeance. We need to make sure we help the poor through our Philoptochos Society and through other philanthropic agencies.
As we participate in the spiritual gym that is the Church, and get stronger in our faith, I know that we will feel spiritually better, healthier, happier and full of life. At the gym people slowly stop going because exercising gets too difficult. Let us avoid this from happening with the Church. Like working out at the gym, it may not always be easy to go to Church or apply the teachings of the Church to our lives, but the results for our souls will be well worth the effort.
May our Lord bless you and your loved ones this New Year with His abundant love and peace!