Distractions in our heavenward journey.

Distractions in our heavenward journey.
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"Don't you know that we should attend full Mass on Sunday?" There was heat in her words.

" You know that I know.

Why do you waste your time and energy asking unnecessary questions."
He answered coolly.

"Unless we reach the Church in time for Mass, I will fast the whole day "

"If you fast every Sunday the deficiency in our monthly budget can easily be filled up."

"I am not joking."

"Alright.  Now it is only seven. There is one full hour for Mass.

Let us start walking.''

Without a single word as answer, she took the Bible and started to walk.

Her husband also started to walk, but with a cellphone.

She was reciting Rosary on the way.

His phone was in his left hand kissing his left ear and his lips were moving up and down in the air.

She was talking with Mother Mary.

He was talking with,

Who knows?

They started together,  but he began to lag behind as minutes passed  by.

Every now and then she looked behind inviting him to walk faster,

but he was more interested in his phone than walking.

To make things worse,

political and cinema   posters on both sides of the road

devoured his church going time for no benefit to anybody.

She entered the church fifteen minutes before the beginning of Holy Mass,

but when  he was entering the church

he was welcomed by the Celebrant's words,

"Ite missa est!"

"Go, the mass is ended."

"சென்று வாருங்கள், பூசை முடிந்தது".

This kind of experience is very common in our church going community!

No distractions seem to attract them while going to the
Cinema theater,

but they come in groups while attending prayer related duties!

But, this distraction is nothing

when compared with the distractions

that meet with us

during our heavenward journey!

Every journey has a beginning and a destination.

Our heavenward journey begins with our conception in our mother's womb

and ends with our deaoth, the gateway to heaven.

The mother,

(we are talking of Christian mothers)

who conceives the  child,

has every duty to take care of it's  spiritual welfare.

The mother's thought,

speech,

action,

mental disposition,

in short, 

everything ,

has an impact on her child,

conceived or born,

positively or negatively.

Mother's meditations,

prayers

and such other spiritual activities

will help the child grow  spiritually.

But how many mothers do this as their spiritual duty?

They take more interest in the physical welfare  of the child than in its spiritual welfare.

Some mothers don't worry about spirituality at all.

Their anti -spiritual activities serve only as spiritual distractions to the child yet to be born.

When we admit a pregnant lady into a hospital  for delivery

we take more than enough care to see

that the delivery is normal.

That is good.

But do we take so much care to 8 the child in the spiritual path?

Have you ever noticed how the competitors in a running race are getting ready at the starting point?

Have you ever noticed that

each  competitor would be given a track to keep while running

and he would be ready at starting point of the given track?

In our spiritual journey we don't compete with anybody,

but we have to be given a track

so that
we may not miss our path

anywhere during our spiritual journey. 

By the spiritual track that we should keep during our journey

I refer to the saint

whose name we are given  at our baptism.

Our Holy Mother the Church wants us to be identified

by a Christian name,

the name of a saint,

who is supposed to be our spiritual  guide

during our heavenward journey.

But many of us run after fashionable names for their children ,

leaving them to themselves, without a guide

in this distraction-full world.

Distractions are like powerful waves,

which,

in a turbulent ocean,

move away a 'towards - a - destination - traveling -  ship' aimlessly,

preventing it from reaching its destination.

The destination of our spiritual journey in this world is heaven.

The distractor,  Satan,

who distracted our first parents from the right path

by attracting them with the forbidden fruit

is still roaming about in this world

with his countless companions

with the only aim

of distracting us from our sole aim of life, heaven.

His sole aim is to preventing us from gaining what he failed to gain, heaven. 

At our every move towards heaven

he will be there to attract our attention

to somewhere else.

Concentration on God is essential for prayer.

But we find it difficult to say  even one 'Our Father' without distraction.

Once am Bishop was conversing with his priest friend about prayer.

The priest was saying that it was easy for him to pray without any distraction.

The Bishop said, "If you say one 'Our Father' now without distraction , I shall present to you my horse."

The priest accepted the challenge and began the prayer with his eyes closed.

In the middle of the prayer he opened his eyes and asked the Bishop,  "Will you give horse alone or with the saddles also?"

The Bishop began to laugh!

This anecdote might have been said for a joke.

But it has a lesson to teach us.

When we go to the church for Mass, Satan follows us to attract us with distractions.

When we try to concentrate on the celebrant,

the well intentioned altar decorations themselves serve to distract our attention.

The cell phone in our pocket, the attractive dress style of the people around us, our own after -Mass-action-plans and such other things serve as our distractors.

Of course they are blameless in themselves,

but it is our own mental disposition,

which we have not trained for concentration is to be blamed.

If we allot a few minutes in the morning for meditation

and mental  concentration,

we can easily free ourselves from distractions.

All our material activities can be spiritualized if we offer them for the glory of God.

But we materialize even our spiritual activities by doing them for self glory.

It is due to the temptation of the distractor, the devil.

But it is useless blaming him, because it is his nature.

We must pray with concentration,

"Lead us not into temptation"

and Our Father in Heaven

will enable us to be free from the destractor.

All our life life activities,

both

material, (such as those that satisfy physical needs,)

and

spiritual, (such as prayer, celebration of feasts of saints and good acts)

are to be done for the greater glory of God.

But God's glory already being perfect

it cannot become 'more perfect',

but we will be spiritually more benefited.

We will enjoy those benefits in heaven.

But satan cannot bear the thought of our everlasting enjoyment.

He will distract our mind from everlasting bliss with God

which can be had only after death,

by attractive thoughts of immediate self glory,

thereby making us lose our everlasting benefits.

Our guardian Saint,

whose name we bear

is traveling with us

with his attractive thoughts about heaven.

Satan too is traveling with us with his distractive thoughts of self glory.

He strews distractions allover  our spiritual heavenward path.

So we must always concentrate our mind on God

throughout our journey

so that we may be free from all distractions.

Lourdu Selvam.