21 April 2021

I’ve just started a new position at work. It’s a bit scary, for there are new ways to learn, new computer systems and processes. It makes me feel a bit like I don’t know anything. I’m the newbie.

What goes through my head are thoughts like, “What if I can’t do it? What if I do it wrong?”

The blessing is there are a few of us. Us “newbies.” All in the same boat. All hopefully learning together and have each other’s back. We are all starting a new thing. Some, even now, you can tell are more skilled (especially in computers) than others. Some already have knowledge of some of the programs and modules we are doing.

But the Management are starting everyone from scratch. They are NOT assuming we already know – which is great for us that need to learn the new knowledge to perform the job. It’s great for the new skills we will learn and become more proficient at.

It’s great for those who need to scrub up on the methods and pathways to take.

It’s actually great to even upgrade the ‘new version’ of areas that we thought we knew but have developed in understanding since we did it last.

This is the same way I am going to share some ways to increase our Spiritual Growth.

I am going to assume we ALL know nothing, or the very basics and start from there. That way none of us miss out. For those who need a recap – here it is. For those who are starting out at the starting line here are some thoughts. For those that are a long way off of the journey of being a Christian hopefully it reawakens the spirit within and those who are on the right path it reinforces and congratulates them for their love of Christ and their perseverance.

To grow in the Spirit, with the Spirit, is to allow the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us to develop us into the best Christian we can be. NOTICE THE WORD ALLOW.

It involves ALL of us, physical, mental and spiritual.

God is NOT limited by us and our attitude but because of free will, WE can limit the effectiveness of the Spirit present due to OUR attitude.

Remember NOT many miracles happened in Jesus home town because the people did not believe.

To grow spiritually we need to put ourselves in the Pathway of God. We need to be deliberate. We need to have open hearts.

Some ways to do that is to go to the places, the events where we know that Christ is present. Now I know Christ is present everywhere but there are some moments – 7 of them – where Christ is definitely and truly present.

These are the 7 Sacraments. So, if we want to grow in Christ we can go to Reconciliation. Celebrate the Eucharist. Go and be baptised and confirmed (if we are not). Go to the church where the Blessed Sacrament is present in the tabernacle. Go to a Mass for anointing of the sick. All of these are where special Graces are poured out upon us. Where God’s Spirit can be infused into us without us doing anything but by being present.

Actually that should be our attitude in everything we do.

We can pray – spend time with God.

We can read His Word, study His Word.

We can read the Catholic Catechism, the tradition of the Church.

We can read the lives of the Saints, those who have gone before and we can learn from them.

But in ALL of these things it is OUR SURRENDER that does it.

It is not our intellect, even though this can help us grow in knowledge of Our God. But God can reveal Himself to “babes” if He wishes and give them wisdom from on High.

A reflection I read just the other day sums up my thoughts and heart.

“Jesus has done ninety-nine percent of what is necessary to make us saints. He is quite prepared to do the other one percent, but we will not let him. What did he cry for over Jerusalem? How often I would have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you would not let me (Luke 13:34). That is our trouble. We will not be gathered under his wings. We want to be big fellows. We want to have something big on our tombstone: “This man did so and so.” We will not trust our Lord. We will not accept the truth about our weaknesses and admit that we need our Lord. In every other walk of life, progress is associated with independence. The more competent you are, the more independent you are. The one exception is the spiritual life. The more you progress in the spiritual life, the more completely dependent you become on God. “

@padrepio_son

That is the MAIN thing we need to do to grow in our Spiritual Life – be more completely dependent upon Him.

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups. If you would like more information please click HERE.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Do you need to participate in one of the sacraments this week?

What extra discipline/practice do you need to put into your life in order to commit to spiritual growth?

What area of your life do you need to surrender more?