We all know that modern life can be antithetical to a deep spiritual life. We are distracted in a million and one ways, our culture despises and fights against true spirituality, and the daily demands of modern living can crush our efforts to grow in holiness. What do the saints and spiritual masters recommend as the response to such difficulties?

Retreat!

A spiritual retreat, that is. One of the bedrocks of a true Catholic spirituality – whether Franciscan, Ignatian, Carmelite or anything in-between – is that every person needs to take a spiritual retreat on a regular basis in order to recharge their spiritual batteries. The format of the retreat varies – it can be self-directed or directed by a priest, one weekend or a whole week or month, made with others or in solitude. In all cases though, the length usually needs to be at least a weekend to be fruitful. A retreat is a time in which we can look at the “big picture”: How are we progressing in the spiritual life? Are we sticking to our promises in prayer and works of charity? Are we putting Christ first in our lives every day? Such questions are very difficult to access objectively and seriously in just a few minutes and between emails. They are questions we need to spend time and deep prayer in answering.

I can attest to the value of such a retreat. For the past eight years, I have made sure to take a weekend retreat (usually at Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, VA) in order to get away from the routine and draw closer to the Lord. These times of intense prayer and meditation have always been fruitful, and have often been the source of insights that would not have been possible without escaping from the daily grind. Our minds need time in order to refocus; I know that the one commonality of all my retreats is that I need Friday evening to simply “detox.” My mind is racing in a million and one directions and I cannot relax. But by the next morning I find that my daily worries subside and I am able to focus on the “one thing necessary.”

Almost anyone can make a retreat – nursing mothers are a noteworthy exception – and everyone should make one on a regular basis (most spiritual directors recommend annual retreats). We need to be trained to fight the spiritual battle we are called to fight, and retreats are a great way to receive that training. One of the best strategies for winning the war in the spiritual life, therefore, is to retreat!

“Mysticism” is one of those words that immediately brings to mind otherworldly images as well as otherworldly people: St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila, for example. These mystics seem to live outside the “real” world and deal in realities far beyond us mortal men. But the fact is that every person is called to mysticism and mysticism is an embracing of the true “real” world: the world of God.

Father Luigi Borriello, a Carmelite priest, breaks down mysticism in a recent interview with Zenit (with my emphasis added):

ZENIT: Mystics are famous for being from another world, but you say this is not so.

Father Borriello: Mystics are men and women of this world.

Today there is a tendency to trivialize mysticism, as if it were something of another world, and that it has nothing to do with us. But it isn’t so. Moreover, the mystics’ experience fits in the Church and is related to faith, not foreign to it.

Mystical experience cannot be separated from faith; it can only take place in it. Mystical experience calls for a mystical theology, a reflection whose basis is mysticism itself.

Today there is a persistence of the mystical event. It is part of the post-modern society. This universal mystical richness is rediscovered in Western and Eastern religiosity. And Eastern mysticism has exercised great fascination in the West.

Also in the present climate of crisis, of confusion and syncretism, there is a temptation to confuse the authentic nature of mysticism with New Age or Next Age realities.

Religion and mysticism are different realities, and it is necessary to make distinctions.

ZENIT: In fact, many seek in the East what Christian mysticism already contains.

Father Borriello: Indeed. It’s a paradox.

Many Christians don’t know the wealth of their own mystical tradition and they turn to the East, seeking what is in the interior of that tradition.

Moreover, it is important to recall that there is a mystagogy in all mystical experience: You can also experience this as the other does.

Although the mystic is reserved, what he says is for others.

In this sense we must say to ourselves that we are all called to sanctity and to mysticism. And the mystical experience is a call to witness.

ZENIT: Christian mysticism always recognizes the “You” of God.

Father Borriello: Yes, it isn’t dissolution; it is encounter.

Christian mysticism is characterized by the Incarnation, which is always a gift; it isn’t something that the human being gains.

In it, the “You,” the duality of a God who gives himself and the man who receives, though there is fusion, always recognizes the other.

We are speaking of duality in unity, as a spiritual marriage. The two always recognize one another; they are not confused; they keep their own identity.

ZENIT: Would it be appropriate to desire a mystical experience?

Father Borriello: It is not a question of asking for it but of receiving it when it comes, if it comes.

Experience is a category that is used in all the disciplines. I prefer to speak of mystical experience; it is something that God gives to man who receives it passively, and, in fact, makes an effort on receiving it.

It is what John of the Cross calls “the night.”There is a collaboration in the acceptance, but the initiative is always God’s, who makes himself known. And the greatest revelation takes place in Jesus Christ.

Hence, mystical experience is always Christ-centered and Trinitarian. And it is revealed only gratuitously, without our merits.

Every follower of Christ wants to draw closer to their Lord throughout their lifetime. And our Lord in his great mercy has given us many means to do so: the sacraments, prayer, works of service, etc. These all help us to become more like Christ and thus draw closer to him. But I would argue that there is another aspect of growth in the spiritual life that is just as important, and it all revolves around one word.

That word is “no”.

Christ told his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24, emphasis added). If you wish to come after Christ, then you must deny yourself – you must say “no” to your passions and your own desires and instead follow the path that Christ lays out before you. At baptism we are cleansed of the stain of original sin, but the effects of original sin still remain in us. We are a fallen race and that means we are a selfish race. Our desires are disordered and are not in conformity with God’s desires. Thus, we must say “no” to our own desires throughout our lives. These “no’s” can be to major sins:

• “No” to murder
• “No” to adultery
• “No” to stealing
• “No” to pornography

But we also must get in the habit of saying “no” to our little desires as well:

• “No” to the extra helping at dinner
• “No” to taking the most comfortable seat in the room
• “No” to giving our own opinion in every conversation
• “No” to watching TV every night
• “No” to wasting time on the Internet
• “No” to sleeping in

For most of us, it is the little “no’s” that are most important, as we are not directly tempted to the major sins. But giving in to the little “no’s” can lead to a selfish lifestyle, which is contrary to the Gospel (and can weaken our resolve against the major sins). Refusing to say no to our little desires on a regular basis leads to greater attachment to the things of this world, which weakens our attachment to our Lord.

In the spiritual classic “The Way”, St. Josemaría Escrivá writes simply, “Get used to saying No” (Point 5). This is advice we all should follow if we wish to grow in the spiritual life.

The central command of the Christian Faith, from which all else revolves, is to love. In fact, Christianity makes the bold statement that “God is Love” (1 John 4:16). If we want to be like God, we must love. Yet, what does it mean to love another person?

A critical aspect of love is how we view our beloved, such as a spouse, our children, or our close friends. Dietrich von Hildebrand said that when we truly love someone, we give them three “credits:”

Faith
When we love someone, we firmly believe in the beauty of that person, even in areas we have not yet discovered. We do not take a critical point of view towards the beloved, but instead believe that they are beautiful in many and various ways. We are convinced that the more we know about the person, the more we will love them.

Hope
Whenever one deals with another person, there are events and actions that are open to interpretation. When we love someone, we always assume the highest interpretation, assuming the best, until we have definitive proof that our interpretation is false. We never assume the worst about those we love.

Solidarity
Of course, every person has faults, including those we love. When we discover these faults in a beloved, we mourn and grieve over them, because we feel that they betray the true beauty of that person. We continue to affirm that it is good that our beloved exists, and we desire nothing more than that they overcome their faults.

Anyone who has loved another person can easily see how they have applied these three credits to their beloved. Who assumes the worst about their spouse, or believes that their child is not beautiful, or doesn’t grieve over a close friend’s faults?

But Christ does not just ask us to love our beloved, he commands that we “love our enemies” (Matthew 5:44). In other words, we must apply those three “credits” to our enemies. We must believe in the intrinsic beauty of our enemies, assume the highest interpretations of their actions, and grieve over any faults they may have. We do this for our spouses, our children, and our friends. Do we do it for our enemies?

One of the fundamental doctrines of the Enlightenment is that mankind is improving through time. As the centuries progress, man also progresses – intellectually, morally and even biologically. We are on our way to becoming a race of “super-men” who will dwarf previous generations in every way. Even though this belief cooled somewhat in the wake of the horrific 20th century, it is still an underlying presupposition of the Western world. Yet Scripture and Tradition tell us that before the End of Time and the Second Coming of Christ, great evils will occur, the world will face terrible cataclysms and the Church will be mercilessly persecuted.

So which is it? Is mankind getting better or worse over time? I think we need to break down our analysis into three separate categories: technological, theological and moral.

Technological
I think there is no question that technology has advanced incredibly over the years. Man has learned to manipulate nature in ways unimaginable in previous generations. If a man from the 10th century were to visit modern-day America, he would think we were all magicians with incredible powers (and he might also wonder why we talk into tiny boxes pressed to our ears all day). God gave man a wondrous intellect and he has used that power to achieve some unbelievable things.

Theological
This one is not so clear-cut. As a strong defender of the belief that the Church’s understanding of revelation over time develops, one might assume that I believe that mankind is progressing theologically. And in one sense, I do. Two thousand years after Christ the Church has had the opportunity to reflect on the deposit of faith given to us by our Lord and understand it better. So in that sense we have progressed. But it would be a mistake to think therefore that we 21st century Christians are “better” followers of Christ than those in the 1st or 5th century. The sources of holiness – primarily the sacraments – have not changed over time and they will not change until the End of Time. The graces we can receive through Baptism or the Eucharist are no different from the graces the first Christians received through these mysteries. Whereas the means to holiness for mankind made an infinite leap with the coming of Christ, it has not changed since his Ascension. So in one sense we have progressed theologically, but in another we have not.

Moral
This is the category which I believe we can unequivocally say that mankind has not progressed. The great promise of the Enlightenment was that once people became smarter they would also become good. History has shown this to be an empty promise. The last century mankind completed was the bloodiest of all time, with horrific wars, ethnic holocausts and the slaughter of millions of unborn children. Yes, in many ways society has improved as well; for example, the discrimination against African-Americans here in the United States has lessened dramatically in the past 100 years. But I cannot see how anyone can say that on a whole mankind has morally progressed. What seems to happen is that the victims of our moral failures shift from one group to another over time. But there are always victims of our immorality. This should not surprise us, as the doctrine of Original Sin tells us that all men are born in sin, and as every society consists of sinful men, it too will be sinful.

So, by my count, it appears to be a tie: 1.5 for progressing, and 1.5 against. But let us look more closely at these categories. The fact that we are progressing technologically but not progressing morally is potentially a terrible thing. Is it really progress that we can now obliterate an entire city with one bomb, but at the same time we have not become more moral? One hundred years ago, getting an abortion was a lot of work, now it is practically a trip to the drug store. So it is clear that, unlike Enlightenment thinkers, one should not equate technological and intellectual progress with moral progress. We might be smarter, but that only means that we can be more effective doing evil. It seems like the apocalyptic evils mentioned in Scripture are becoming less and less fantastical.

All of this is not reason for pessimism, however. We do not know the hour of the final days: it may be next week; it may be in 4,000 years. But we do know this: God continues to shower His grace upon us, and we will always be able to grow in holiness and thus personally progress in the spiritual life.

Fr. William Mills is an Orthodox priest and author of “A 30-Day Retreat: A Personal Guide to Spiritual Renewal.” During the month of June, he will be conducting an online retreat on his blog Walking with God. Today is Day 1 of the retreat, so be sure to take a few minutes from your day to visit his blog.

About a month ago, I wrote that our response to the abuse crisis within the Church is to become saints. As we all should know, we cannot make ourselves saints – it is a work of God. All we can do is ask for His grace and make our will conform to His Will.

With this in mind, I’m very excited by the initiative of some students in Rome, who have decided to have Eucharistic Adoration in reparation for abuse:

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican is hosting two hours of eucharistic adoration “in reparation for abuses committed by priests and for the healing of this wound within the church.”

The service in St. Peter’s Basilica this Saturday will feature an hour of silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, an hour of prayer and meditation, and a solemn blessing at the end.

The unusual initiative was organized by Catholic university students in Rome. Sources said the event was originally planned for the small Church of St. Anne inside Vatican City, but that it was moved to St. Peter’s at the suggestion of Cardinal Angelo Comastri, who is archpriest of the basilica.

So far, however, the Vatican has not publicized the event. Invitations have been forwarded by email and spread by word-of-mouth.

The hour of prayer and meditation will be led by Msgr. Charles Scicluna, an official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith who deals directly with cases of priests accused of abuse of minors.

In several recent statements, Pope Benedict has said the response to the sex abuse crisis in the church will require openness, adoption of new measures to protect children and spiritual reparation.

In a letter to Irish Catholics earlier this year, he asked that eucharistic adoration be set up in every diocese, so that “through intense prayer before the real presence of the Lord, you can make reparation for the sins of abuse that have done so much harm.”

What a wonderful idea! If you have Eucharistic Adoration available to you, try to take some time soon to go and adore the Lord and beg him for his mercy on the whole Church.

Years ago I was helping an RCIA class and at the first session the leader made a few introductory comments. He spoke over and over about the “journey of faith” and how we are all on a “journey” and when we become Catholic that is not the end of the “journey” but just a step in that “journey.” Needless to say, he said “journey” a lot. I recognized that there was truth in what he was saying, but something about it rubbed me wrong. It seemed to me too nebulous and not very descriptive of the spiritual life.

Since then I have noticed that “journey of faith” is a very popular catch-phrase in Catholic circles, and everyone from catechists to priests to bishops use it frequently. Yet I’ve never gotten comfortable with the phrase. Then, I recently read Pope John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Redemptoris Custos about St. Joseph. In it, JPII noted that St. Joseph – along with the Blessed Virgin Mary – was on a “pilgrimage of faith.” And it clicked: we are not simply on a “journey of faith,” but we are on a “pilgrimage of faith,” and there are important differences between the two.

A pilgrimage has a sacred destination.
I can take a journey to Disneyworld, to my uncle’s cabin in the woods, even to the bank. But a pilgrimage always has as its destination some sacred place, such as a shrine or the site of a martyrdom. This changes the whole complexion of the trip, for if one is going to a sacred place, how one gets there matters. And as the destination of our life is heaven, then our lives are surely pilgrimages, not just journeys.

A pilgrimage involves prayer.
When you go on a pilgrimage, you spend your trip in prayer. You are not playing with your gameboys on the way, or watching movies in your van. You recognize that you need to be spiritually prepared when you arrive at your destination, so you use the pilgrimage itself as an opportunity to draw deeper into God’s sacred mysteries.

A pilgrimage involves sacrifice.
Another way to spiritually prepare for your arrival at the end of a pilgrimage is through mortification. You specifically take on sacrifices along the way, such as walking instead of driving, and you accept any inconveniences with a resigned spirit. On a journey, you might get annoyed with the hotel worker, crank up the A/C in the van, and figure out the shortest way to get to where you are going. In a pilgrimage, you offer your sacrifices and inconveniences in union with Christ’s Passion, and put yourself on the Way of the Cross.

A pilgrimage eventually ends.
Sometimes it seems that the phrase “journey of faith” emphasizes the trip to the exclusion of the destination. Yes, we do journey through life, but there is an end-point to our travels that we must always keep in mind. Unlike just any journey, a pilgrimage revolves around the final destination, and so too should our lives revolve around our desired destination, heaven.

I know that many people who use the phrase “journey of faith” are good-natured and recognize that our lives are more than a mere journey. But for me, I’m going to follow Pope John Paul II’s lead and remember that my life is supposed to be a pilgrimage of faith, with all that entails.

Mary Kochan over at Catholic Exchange has a worthwhile article on “Fear, Grief, and the Imperative of Forgiveness“. I recommend it for your reading today.

I mentioned the other day that I have an article in the May 16th edition of OSV Newsweekly and that it was only available online to subscribers. I just found out that they have now made the article available online to all readers. You can access it here.

I have an article in the latest issue of Our Sunday Visitor Newsweekly (subscription required) on not letting anger overtake our spiritual peace during times of scandal and persecution.

Friday has always been a day of penance in the Church. Even during this glorious season of Easter, Friday is still a day we should reflect on our Lord’s passion and death and do some penance in reparation for our sins and the sins of the whole world. A traditional penance for Fridays is to abstain from meat, but, at least in the United States, we are free to choose our Friday penance. When we perform a penance, we should offer an intention with it so that we might follow Paul’s advice and offer up our sufferings “on behalf of his body, which is the church” (Col. 1:24).

Pope Benedict, in his letter to the Catholics of Ireland, asked that their Friday penances over the next year (from now until Easter 2011) be offered for healing and renewal for Ireland in the face of the scandals that have rocked the Irish church. And just this past week, Benedict stated that penance is necessary as a response to the attacks of the world.

Thus, I don’t think I am going out on a limb to suggest that the Pope would love it if every Catholic worldwide were to offer their Friday penances for the next year for healing and renewal in the universal Church. Today is the first Friday we can make this intention (last Friday was part of the Octave of Easter and therefore not a day of penance), so please consider offering your penance today – and every Friday in the coming year – for healing and renewal in the Church as she battles against great evil, from both inside and outside the Church.

Today is also Pope Benedict’s birthday, so consider this year-long Friday practice a perfect birthday gift for him!

Yesterday I wrote that the Catholic’s proper response to the scandals is to become a saint. Someone then emailed me and reasonably asked, “How do you become a saint?”

I have always taken a very practical view of this question. I don’t see sainthood as something mysterious or ethereal. I see it as something every person can obtain if they take concrete steps to do it. Here are five steps I would recommend:

1) Ask God to make you a saint. Frankly, without His help, it’s a losing battle, so you better begin with this. The good news is that He is more than willing to help you in your battle for sanctity.

2) Frequent the Sacraments. Frequently. Most spiritual directors advise attending Mass daily if possible, and confession at least monthly. I would recommend going to confession even more frequently, for it prevents our little sins from growing into big ones.

3) Pray. Try to spend at least 30 minutes a day in private prayer. You can’t know what God wants from you unless you talk to Him a lot.

4) Practice the virtues. This is the least flashy of all the recommendations, but it is vital in the battle for sanctity. One cannot be a saint without being patient with your spouse and kids, kind to your co-workers and loving to your parents. The first step to being a saint is being human.

5) Read the Bible and the lives of the saints. If you want to be a professional baseball player, you are going to read about those who have already achieved that level to see how it is done. Likewise with sainthood: reading the Bible and the lives of the saints gives great guidance for becoming a saint yourself.

Obviously, there are many other things you can do on the path to sanctity, but if you just follow the five steps above, you will be well on your way. And don’t be discouraged when you fall in your attempts to practice these steps. A distinguishing mark of the saints is that when they fall, they always get back up.

Hallelujah! He is Risen!

At daybreak on the first day of the week
the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus
took the spices they had prepared
and went to the tomb.
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb;
but when they entered,
they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
(Luke 24:1-3)

For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit. In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison…
(1 Peter 3:18-19)