Spiritual Growth

SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Cl. Mario D’Couto SDB

It’s quite easy to make pious prayers or suggestions in a Church and then come out and have a fight or an argument with someone. If such was the case, would one call this ‘spirituality’? Obviously not! Spirituality involves consistency. However, consistency in this sense does not mean that if ever one fell from grace, then that would be the end of one’s spiritual journey. Not at all! We can always come to our Lord and Master who is ever loving and merciful. Yet what are some of the indications that one can see if he or she is moving along the right track of spiritual growth?

In the first place, growth is not something that can be seen but it is taking place all the time. At the start of each new season, a mother stores the clothing worn in the summer or fall and then brings out items for the season at hand. She exclaims with dismay that last season’s clothing does not fit the children anymore. Yet she was scarcely aware of how much they had grown during the months past. The same can be said of a growth of a tree, an animal or any other living being.

The growth that can be seen by my trousers that are too short or by a new leaf ready to open is apparent only after it has happened. Though we may speak loosely of seeing something grow before our eyes we are talking about what has happened as a result of growth rather than about the process of growth itself.

We cannot control growth; for that is not within our hands. We can facilitate growth and that means to provide the necessary means and requirements that are essential for something to grow like food, clothing, shelter and other basic needs for a human being or sunlight, air and water for a plant and so on. Hence, just as all forms of growth require different settings, the spiritual growth also has its own requirements.

Growth in the spiritual life occurs within. It cannot be felt or seen. We will never know with certainty that we are growing in the divine life. Uncertainty ought not to cause us anguish but should be an occasion for trust in Him alone. He who sees my heart’s desire, Who loves me more than I love myself, will give me growth in His own way and time. In fact, being overtly preoccupied about the fact about whether I am making any progress in the spiritual life could be more of a hindrance rather than a facilitating factor. When I attempt to measure the degree of my spirituality, I become introspective. My ‘executive will,’ not the Divine Will, becomes central. I want to know how I am doing. The emphasis is on me, not on God. Spirituality is seen not as a gift but as a project.

God wants us to take the simple reality of everyday and believe in it. Spirituality is true if it emerges from the content of living in the daily situation as God’s will for me. This everydayness, common place as it is, is the truest measure of spiritual life.

Prayerful reflection is necessary so that we do not confuse growth with activity; intimacy with fantasy; openness to the Spirit with self – induced placidity. In prayer we come to recognize Christ as the Source of our life. He radiates His mercy through our actions. Our life is His gift. Day by day we try to live in grateful awareness of this gift, letting each situation bring out a new opportunity for love. During moments of meditation we may not ‘feel’ our rootedness in Him. We may not be sure whether we have prayed or not, but Christ will dwell in our hearts, even in our dryness.

  To be on the way towards Him is to live in faith even when I am not feeling, to obey His will even when everyday routine seems disappointing. The uncertainty I feel is precisely what calls me back to Him again and again. Rather than become overly concerned with progress in  the spiritual life, I choose to let this uncertainty be, understanding it as God’s will for me at this time – as a message inviting me to return to His presence in faith.

An old priest was asked the same question, “How do you know when you are coming closer to God?” He chuckled, “You know it when you are doing His will. You just know it.” This reply came without hesitation and with the confidence of a lifetime of experience. He did not stop and think nor did he enter into a lengthy discussion. His simple answer reflects a personal understanding of the spiritual life, one that we, in our competitive, data – conscious world, tend to forget.

When we use mere techniques to evaluate our relationship with God, the knowledge of intellectual certitude, of logical, cause – effect principles fail. Evaluating our relationship with God is not some scientific analyses. It is therefore obviously clear as to why should we revere God as a mystery. He is not a concept; He is a Person.

The phrase “coming closer to God” means “becoming aware of God” for we are already close to Him. St. Paul tells us, “….. He is not really far from us, since it is in Him that we live and move and exist ….” (Acts 17:27 -28). Becoming a more spiritual person means becoming aware of our rootedness in God, of our dependence on Him for every breath we take and every thought we have.      

The unfortunate thing is that most often we are fully immersed in the daily concerns of our reality. Not that it is wrong, but it is also important to maintain the balance.

Since the immediacy of daily life tends to hold our full attention, we need to increase our awareness of Christ’s presence, of His secret plan behind all human projects. This is definitely not easy for it is easier said than done. It is for this reason, therefore that we need to set aside special time, each day, each month, each year to recollect ourselves in meditation and reflective reading. Such times help us grow attentive to His loving will. We become more aware of the closeness that is already there.


Eventually, our fidelity to these exercises moves us closer to a life in tune with God’s will. Although our daily life involves attention, they are no longer isolated and fragmented. In them we see God’s love for us and an opportunity to grow in loving response to Him.  The people we serve, the dreams we dream, the relaxed and anxious moments we have still remain in the foreground of our experience; but we can, with God’s grace, see them in a new light. 

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