On the spiritual train of thought, we can feel confident so long as we have God the Father as our conductor in overall control, and Jesus as our engineer who saves us from going in wrong directions. With the Holy Spirit as the fireman who fills us with the flame of God’s love, we can be full of motivation and zeal. It is important to pay attention to the signals of danger: those temptations to laziness, despair, anxiety, and fear.
We all have friends, those coach attendants, that can encourage us on our spiritual journey. We should also be coach attendants to others by sharing spiritual insights with which we have been blessed, directing others to helpful books on spirituality, and praying for them. As the popular slogan goes, “We are all in this together!”
We can learn to shed our distractions while we are on this train. We can visualize packing them up and putting them on boxcars or baggage cars to be dealt with at a later time. We can proceed to the dining car for some spiritual food for thought. And where do we find such food? We can start with some of the Psalms—for example, Psalm 121.
Reading from books of daily prayer, the gospels, lives of saints, the many publications available through RENEW International, and religious periodicals can offer us new spiritual thoughts to digest. Even if we are purposely on our train for only an hour a day, the intentional trip is worth the effort.
If we want quiet, we may slip into the sleeper car, but not to sleep. How about giving centering prayer a try? We don’t have to talk or read, but just be with the Lord. Silence is key. Distractions may vie for our attention, but contemplation can become easier over time.
Our Blessed Mother is a good traveling companion on our spiritual journey. Praying the rosary helps us to not only reflect on the life experiences of Jesus and Mary but also to add our special intentions for ourselves and loved ones. The repetition of the familiar prayers makes that part of the journey easy and comforting.
We may go through some dark tunnels, some dark thoughts, a few challenges, but we know the gentle Light that is waiting at the end of these tunnels.
There are many resources available online for spiritual enrichment. By keying in Catholic prayer, for example, we can find daily prayers and Bible studies. No need for a caboose anymore where the conductor used to go to complete excess paperwork. We are free to create our additional cars of hope, optimism, and gratitude to maintain our train of spiritual thought as we chug, chug, chug along to come closer and closer to God.
Photo credit: Roland Lösslein
Scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Sharon Krause is a RENEW volunteer whose writing has appeared in several resources for small-group faith sharing. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother residing in Manchester, Connecticut. Over the years, she has served in many parish ministries.