Tips to increase our spiritual health in new year

    As the semester starts up, we are reminded by the hacking coughs, runny noses and fevers that flu season is again upon us.
    As I began preparing for teaching my classes, I was reminded to use hand sanitizer and to encourage students to visit the doctor as soon as they felt symptoms, so as not to spread the virus.
    Reports tout this flu season as severe, with people arming themselves with the flu shot in hopes of preparing themselves. And we should prepare ourselves; however, I wonder how many of us prepare ourselves for our spiritual health?
    While we tend to focus on our physical bodies, should we not also prepare ourselves spiritually, ensuring that we are spiritually healthy as well?
     While the bodily symptoms of ill health are often easy to see or feel, when the soul is sick, there is perhaps difficulty in knowing what to do. If the soul becomes sick, it is often harder to find healing.
    Recently, in my parish bulletin, there were tips for staying spiritually fit. The first tip was to pray often. St. John Vianney once said, “The less I pray, the less I want to pray. The more I pray, the more I want to pray.”
    Like all habits, once we get in the routine of praying, our desire to pray becomes stronger. At first, it can seem daunting: What do we say? However, once we become comfortable, prayer can become a conversation rather than a recitation.
    Another tip was to examine our consciences every day, relating directly to the sacrament of confession. By examining our consciences and understanding our actions and the consequences they hold for us, we allow ourselves to become more aware of not only self-examination, but also our spiritual health. If we see ourselves in a constant state of sin, we should take the necessary steps to repentance, knowing that God forgives all of our sins. By repenting, we find ourselves drawn closer to God, as we turn to him in forgiveness and sorrow.
    One of the best tips was “fighting the battle for the mind every day.”
    It is so easy to get wrapped up in negative thoughts: fear, hatred, violence, revenge. It has become so easy to look at the news and become overwhelmed by the amount of negativity that we see, but we must force ourselves to see the positive. We must cultivate peace, hope, love and forgiveness in our thoughts and actions. By actively seeking positive thoughts and actions, we can triumph against the darkness of negativity and become lights of Christ.
    Finally, we must devote ourselves to the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, we come to know God as he enters our body and fills our soul. As we are reminded of Jesus’ sacrifice, we are reminded of his selfless love for us. By receiving the Eucharist in the sacrifice of the Mass, and by attending Eucharistic adoration, we become closer to God because he is present in this sacrament and dwelling among us.
    This year, as we prepare our bodies for our physical health and well being, we must also take into account our soul and its well being. By drawing closer to our faith, we find ourselves less taken in by the glamour of sin and temptation.
    Heather Bozant Witcher can be reached at hbozantwitcher@clarionherald.org.