Spiritual Shopping

It has been a while since I've bought something just for myself, so Thursday morning (my payday) I decided to get some exercise and walk down-town to have a browse in "Veritas Central", Albury's Catholic gift store. Last time I went in there was the end of last year, or the very start of this year - some eight months ago now.

As I am trying more than ever to rekindle my faith and love of God, a progress of abandoning certain traits and bad habits is in order. Instead of spending money on things that are used once, never again (for example, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs etc) this week I decided to spend money on what I NEED rather than what I WANT. I did spend on material items, yes; but not worthless material belongings in God's eyes.

When one is trying to change their way of living, deciding to either abstain from a certain poison, or drastically reducing the amount they ingest, a good way to reward ones-self is to buy something special that they wouldn't have bought if still consumed by the downward spiral of that drug.

Whilst I was looking through Veritas, I found two books that I have recently added to my list of "must read" - "True Devotion to Mary" by St. Louis de Montfort, and "The Rule of St. Benedict". What better way to grow in love of God and His Church, than to read about devoting one-self to the Blessed Virgin Mary, then following through with that devotion in an act of consecration? "To Jesus, through Mary".

As for "The Rule" I've thought what better book to read, growing spiritually, following the Father of Western Monasticism! Though I'm not a monk, I'm sure by reading this book I will find spiritual nourishment and texts I can apply to my current state of life.

There were plenty of other things in the store I wanted to buy, but the two books were enough for now. Though I will be going back there more often for spiritual nourishment when I've finished reading these three books, "The Way" which I recently purchased included in that list.

Finding God in Everyday Life

Since I started reading "The Way" by St. Josemaría Escrivá I have been growing in sanctity - or holiness - looking at life through a different lens, increasingly thinking of God and life. Sometimes that inspiration will come from the strangest of places; today from a friend who isn't religious (though I don't think they're atheist.)


They were telling me about a documentary that they had seen about people who had "technically died," but came back to life. All of these people talked of how they saw a light, felt a deep sense of peace/pleasure and wanting to go "into the light." Some saw deceased family members telling them to go back, as nice and peaceful as it was, not to "enter the light." Some even said how when they were bought back to life, they were somehow annoyed because they loved this strange feeling of death.


These people all "died" from different reasons: accidents of different sorts, or on the operating table. Except one person who had a very different experience: feeling pain, burning, not wanting to be there at all and hating every second they were there. That person tried to suicide, but lived to tell of their "hellish experience."


I'm not the best on Biblical knowledge, though know enough that only certain sins will give you eternal damnation. No pleas to Jesus' Divine Mercy or asking for Our Lady's intercession. One of those sins it to blaspheme the Holy Spirit: "And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven." - Luke 12:10.

Another sin is to make changes to Holy Scripture: "For I testify unto everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, and from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." - Revelation 22:18-19.

The third sin that will give you eternal damnation is suicide, just what the one person in this documentary tried to do as their final act on earth! Why is it such a sin to kill yourself, though? Here are two good enough reasons, I'm sure there are plenty of others you could find: "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." - Genesis 1:27.

"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are." - 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

If one cannot blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, one cannot expect to kill the temple of the Holy Spirit and not expect the same outcome!

Having said all this, suicide is a very real issue. If you are suicidal, hopefully reading this will change your decision to take that path. Talk to people and let them know how you feel. Life can get pretty bad at times, some people don't have many problems in life while others seem to get heaped with problem after problem.

I myself have been suicidal at times in my life. As much as I would love to be in Heaven with my God - no more pain, no more suffering - I know I won't have a chance if I end it myself. Having a spiritual belief/religion does help in life; if one of those ways it helps is to make you not give up on life, that can only be a good thing! Life does get better though, we have our rough patches but we have our good times as well. Start to look at life from a different perspective - through a different lens as I like to say.

"The Way" by St. Josemaría Escrivá

Reading is something I am quite fond of, something I do every day. Whether it's to read FaceBook statuses, news articles and religious essays, I do it all the time without actually recognising what I'm doing - to me, reading comes natural.

Books on the other hand, whilst I enjoy them when I actually get into the story, I go through phases of constantly reading for a period of time, then suddenly stop and not get back into it for a longer period of time.

"The Way" by St. Josemaría Escrivá is one book I have had on my "to-read list" for at least six years now; ever since I first heard of it whilst I was in Sydney for a week-long, fun and faith-filled time as a pilgrim during World Youth Day 2008. Without going off topic, that was the best week of my life and will be pretty hard to top it! Being in such a large city, constantly surrounded by young people who share the same Catholic faith - language being no barrier - we were all one very large family united in Jesus Christ.

I finally ordered a copy of "The Way" two weeks ago and have been guiding my way through it, quite slowly but only ever with a prayerful spirit. So far I have finished a few "chapters" but when I looked this morning, I'm only on page forty (or thereabouts!) but already come to the conclusion that it wasn't $20 wasted; this is a book I had to own and will be flipping through it for the rest of my life.

Those who don't know, "The Way" was written by the founder of "Opus Dei", the first personal prelature in the Roman Catholic Church. Many will call it the handbook of Opus Dei, but it is much more than that, applicable to everyone in life - whether you're Catholic or not. It's not a story, but a book divided into sections with short sayings/quotes that relate to the title of that chapter. Many chapters that you would expect, such as "Prayer" and "Love" as well as more obscure sounding ones, such as "Mortification" (it talks more about spiritual mortification, not physical mortification as many anti-Opus Dei readers would assume).

Basically, the book is about life and finding God in it, no matter how upbeat or mellow ones current situation is. It is written in a very gentle style, one can relate to the author as a brother but at the same time a father or an uncle. It is formed with 999 short quotations applicable to the certain chapter one is reading and very easy to navigate and understand. Some may think it would be a hard book to read as it has no story as such; it is meant to make the reader think about their life, where they're going and the way they go about doing it.

First published in 1939, "The Way" has sold more than 4.5million copies in over 40 languages, and sits alongside other great religious works such as "The Imitation of Christ". It is a book you will always keep, going back through the pages for the rest of your life. It is a book of life, for life!