Getting back on track

By Niobe Rodrigues

Psalm 8:5 says, “What is man that you are mindful of him, and a son of man that you care for him?”

Earlier this year, not too long after the end of Lent into the beginning of Easter, I found myself involved in a situation that brought disquiet to my spirit. It did not happen all at once, but I noticed it over time.

After a Lent where I had successfully avoided social media and my mobile games, I felt I had crashed and burned the gains to my spirit to a crisp. I didn’t feel like meditating on the daily readings. I had no zeal to place any reflections online even though I had returned. My spirit felt heavy and uncomfortable.

As God would have it, I got ill and was in quarantine so the only place I could go was online. Through my Facebook memories, I noticed a fairly disturbing trend in my reflective posts after the Lenten season is over. I always experience a dip in spirituality during the early weeks of Easter but around the second half I get back on track. Why is that?

The answer is the verse above. God is mindful of me. God cares for me. I care for Him enough to go back when He calls. How did I get back? I committed to the daily readings and Living Faith whether I felt like it or not.

When I was released and could again leave the house, I tuned in to my favourite Christian station (I don’t own a radio or sound system). I returned to my Hallow app, forcing myself to resettle my spirit.

My hope was not wasted as St Paul says in his letter to the Romans, 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” God’s love did not allow me to stray too far.

I believe I could have chosen differently. I believe I could have continued down the path that I had embarked on at the beginning of Easter and just let things happen as they might have; but as Vanessa Briggs sings, “I don’t know why You love me, I don’t know why You care…And though I’m not worthy…I’m so glad You did.”

Easter and Pentecost are over and this week with Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi rounding off things there are few highlights in the Catholic calendar until Advent. How are we to stay on track?

Let us be aware of discomfort in our spirit. Many times, that is the beginning of when lives start to go astray. When we leave God behind to go our own way, let us not be afraid to turn back to Him. He is the one who brings our spirit peace