Spiritual Training

The power of the Holy Spirit can’t be denied to those with an open heart for the unexpected. If we welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives we can do wonderful things. How do we go about doing that?

At the basic level, there is prayer; through it, we build the relationship with the Trinity. Then, there is spiritual training; this would be equivalent to professional development.

In the secular world, people who aspire to be experts in their field crave professional development because it: a) increases their knowledge b) sets them apart from others, c) allows them to speak with authority, d) people trust their expertise and e) allows them to discern the truth. Christians should have the same craving and expectations for spiritual training, particularly when this training gives us the tool to evangelize; to promote the Word of God.

Many of us Catholics hesitate to evangelize or have discussions about faith because our spiritual training is lacking. Worse, we may misinform or misrepresent the Church’s teachings because of our incomplete knowledge and understanding.

Lack of spiritual training can also leads to us to feel intimidated, confused or persuaded by those with more apparent knowledge or expertise even if they themselves are misinformed.

The good news for us is that there are many ways and opportunities to participate in spiritual training. Besides prayer, we should spend time studying the bible and reading faith-based materials. We should attend mass weekly and participate in the sacraments of Communion and Reconciliation. In addition, we should regularly attend religious conferences or retreats.

Four years ago my Catholic faith was in the dumps. I was miserable and uncommitted to my faith. A weekend retreat, however, changed all that. On that Christ Renews His Parish weekend, I felt the Holy Spirit descend upon me and it inspired me to become an expert on my faith and to be a servant.

This past weekend, I have the opportunity to attend the Fullness of Truth Conference held in Buda, Texas. Over 800 people came together to pray and listen to the wisdom of three wonderful speakers: Dr. Michael Barber, Dr. John Bergsma, and Dr. Scott Hahn. They inspired us, gave us knowledge and tools to increase our expertise and evangelization skills.

Each of us is responsible for building up our Church and our faith. God knows that our humanity makes those tasks difficult. Therefore, God sent his son to die for us and left the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, to help us and guide us.

Invest in your faith. Be a life-long learner. Become an expert. Share your faith.

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