FR. FRANCIS ONGKINGCO
A spiritual address is established when we created a sacred spiritual space where God could enter and grace us with his presence.
The dramatic advances offered by technology have radically changed the different functions of man’s life, work, and socialization.
Despite this, however, many realities still remain unchanged. Take for example our home or work addresses.
Addresses have been around since the beginning of time.
Even before written addresses became conventional, man already made use of things around him to help others to find him.
Technology has only modified this by making such markers more efficient and accessible.
This is now our email addresses, social network profiles and smartphone numbers.
With these, we can literally reach anyone, anywhere, anytime and even in their most mobile moments.
Our addresses, whether handwritten or digital, are indispensable if we want to function socially and professionally well.
That is why, we immediately update others when we change our domicile or place of work.
The same idea holds true when we consider our “spiritual address” that is necessary for God to find us, love us and transform us.
In the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve hid from God.
God gently and compassionately sought them out in Eden.
They hid because they had disobeyed God.
When man does something wrong against God or his neighbor, he often goes in hiding.
If he cannot hide physically, he hides morally by lying about his offense or neglect.
He doesn’t want God to know his “address” or location.
In order not to fall into the same lot as our first parents, we must establish a spiritual address.
These are religious acts and devotions, as Henri Nouwen aptly called them, that enable God to find us.
Without them, we could end up “being hidden” from God, not because he does not know where we are, but because we don’t want him to find us.
A spiritual address is established when we created a sacred spiritual space where God could enter and grace us with his presence.
Some reason out that there is no need to define such spiritual perimeters since God is everywhere.
That is very true!
But if God allowed himself to be found in concrete moments of history, like Bethlehem, Nazareth, in the Temple, on a mountain, the Upper Room and on Calvary, then it is only natural for us to allow him to find us in specific moments and places during our daily concerns and duties.
Here are some spiritual addresses we can learn to develop: personal prayer, community and work.
Every person’s prayer is as unique as the person himself.
Although one may pray with others, his prayer before God is a singular spiritual address.
It’s one of a kind and tells God, here I am Lord!
It is ideal for a person to have fix moments to pray, because it is like telling someone to drop by the house to pick up something at such and such a time.
Thus, Jesus will also be excited to drop by and pick up the package of our love, joys, trials and daily ordeals if we tell him when and where!
A community is a kind of address, but shared with others.
This is either one’s church or spiritual support group.
It always helps foster in one a sense of belonging and encouragement to persevere in his spiritual journey.
Still, within this community or group, one possesses a peculiar role that cannot be substituted by another.
Finally, one’s work is another spiritual marker. Thus, we must strive not to reduce it to a simple remunerating activity.
If we learn to do our work well, offering it to God and serving others, our work will be branded by a unique love.
Work, together with its success and failures, can even be a prayer to lift up all other work-related activities to God.
With these spiritual markers, the soul stamps itself with a clear ambition of belonging only to God, by allowing God to find it and possess it for himself one day in heaven.