Msgr. Don Fischer reflects on how spirituality evolves and transforms over time.

Good morning. I want to talk about the goal of spirituality. What is it? Well, one of the ways I think I've misunderstood it is I've grown up wanting to have a spiritual life, being a Roman Catholic, going to church, learning about what God asks of me. As I grew as a child into an adult, I found out what was sinful, what was not sinful.

And there was a real struggle in me to make sure that I became what I was intended to be. And so the way I first thought that would take place is I would have power over my emotions and over my actions. And so I would control how I acted. And then I would become the man that I intended to be because I controlled everything.

I made sure that I didn't allow myself to go in a direction that I was drawn to. Well, there's a certain wisdom in that. But the real gift of spirituality is not control, but becoming, being transformed, being changed, so that sin no longer is attractive. Sin is no longer something you choose or even would want to choose.

And what is shame? It is that we sometimes don't understand the power of God's mercy and the power of God's presence in your life as not informational. Don't do this. Do this, don't do this. Do this. No, it's transformational. What you're drawn to before you're no longer drawn to. The mistakes you are drawn to commit are no longer attractive, and now you're drawn to something that’s more Life-Giving. It's a very, very different way to understand the process of spirituality, how it grows, how it changes. It's not about control. It's about surrendering to insight after insight after insight. And you're changed, and your life is different. 

Have a great day.

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