An Easter Alphabet

AN EXCELLENT TIME to accelerate spiritual growth in the family is the Easter season, which begins on Easter Sunday and continues until Pentecost, thus spanning a total of 7 weeks. Based on the alphabet, here are 26 ways to live out a deeper spiritual life during Easter time.  
A - Audit. Just as churches and other organizations conduct a yearly audit of their books to be certain the organization is financially 'healthy', consider conducting a spiritual audit of your life to determine that you are spiritually healthy. Do that by prayerfully asking yourself these kinds of questions: Am I pleased with who I am becoming? Is there a quiet, peaceful centre in my life? Am I a joyful person? Are others blessed by my words, actions and presence? Am I becoming less religious or more spiritual?  
B - Beauty. Train the eyes of your soul to look for the beauty in life. 'Beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament,' observed Ralph Waldo Emerson. 'Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing.'
C - Count. The phrase - count your blessings - is well known, and often recommended precisely because it contains profound wisdom. There can be no spiritual progress without taking time to recognize and acknowledge God's multitude of blessings upon us. Advice columnist, Abigail Van Buren frequently tells readers to count their blessings. 'How's you pocketbook?' she asks. 'Thin? Well, most of the world is a lot poorer. No pensions. No welfare. No food stamps. No Social Security. In fact, one-third of the people in the world will go to bed hungry tonight,' she notes. 'Count your blessings,' she says.
D - Day. Each day is a generous gift from God. Daily affirm these biblical words: 'This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.' (Psalm 118:24). Recite those words each day when you wake up. Repeat them whether you are happy or sad; whether your life is good or whether you are weighed down with burdens.
E - Enlarge. Take on something which expands and enlarges you mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually. 'You never become truly spiritual by sitting down and wishing so. You must undertake something so great that you cannot accomplish it unaided,' declared Episcopal priest Phillips Brooks.
F - Faith. Although much in this world is harsh and hurtful, keep the faith. Believe in God. Believe in people. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his work against South African apartheid, has seen terrible things in his time. Yet, he insists that his faith in God and in humanity has not been shaken. 'The world is hungry for goodness. There's something in all of us that hungers after the good and the true,' he declares.
G - Give. Give generously of yourself - your time, talents, experiences, skills, assets. 'The people who make a difference are not the ones with credentials, but the ones with concern,' says Max Lucado in his book And the Angels Were Silent.
H - Honour. Use your time, talent, money to honour God and help people. Consider David Robinson, professional basketball player with the San Antonio Spurs. Although he earns $10 million annually, he is the sports leading philanthropist recently giving $5 million to build a prep school in a blighted area of San Antonio. 'My philosophy is simple,' Robinson declares, 'honour God.'
I - Inspire. Inspire those around you by how you live, act, speak, think. Be the person who raises the consciousness of others.
J - Joy. The psalmist writes, 'We were filled with laughter and we sang for joy. And other nations said, 'What amazing things the Lord has done for them.'' (Psalm 126:2). Joy is a key characteristic of the spiritual life. Rejoice and share joy with others.
K - Kindness. Kindness is a biblical call: 'Be kind and compassionate to one another.' (Ephesians 4:32) Act kindly, speak kindly, think kindly.
L - Laughter. Here's a statement to reflect on written by author Leonid Sukhorukov: 'Life is not a laughing matter - but can you imagine having to live without laughing?'
M - Mistakes. You get to make mistakes. Mistakes are a fact of life. Forgive yourself. Ask God to forgive you. Ask others to forgive you. Then move on.
N - Nurture. Nurture your own faith. Nurture the growing faith in others. Faith is the antidote to life's fears. Fear says, 'I can't', faith says, 'I can'. Fear weakens; faith empowers. Fear sickens; faith heals. Fear makes us weak; faith makes us strong.
O - Overcome. 'Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it,' noted Helen Keller. Be an 'overcomer'.
P - Priorities. Strive to know what is truly important in life and you will have few regrets. In 1988, actress Diane Venora shocked her agent and friends when she announced she was quitting show business. At the time she had just been voted best supporting actress by the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle and had signed a three-picture, million-dollar deal. The first was to be shot on location in Paris. However, her daughter, Madzia, then 8 years old, refused to go with her mother for the shooting. Madzia, who is partially deaf from a degenerative nerve condition, was subject to panic attacks. In order to help her daughter, Venora quit acting and took a local teaching job paying a mere $250 a week, thousands less than she earned as an actress. Venora remained home with her daughter for five years. As Madzia's emotional problems eased, Venora was able to resume her acting career.
Q - Quest. Be open in your quest to do God's will in your life. Always have a beginner's mind. In the beginner's mind there are many options, variations and possibilities. But, in the expert's mind there are few.
R - Recognize. As you move through daily tasks, recognize opportunities to be a helper and a healer. Father Tommy Barnett recently ran from Phoenix to Los Angeles, a distance of 400 miles, in order to raise money for his Los Angeles ministry to gang members, drug and alcohol addicts, single mothers and low-income families. While on the run he met a man in a pickup truck who offered him a ride. Barnett explained why he was running. By the time Barnett was through speaking, the man was weeping and confessed he was an alcoholic in need of help. Fr. Barnett counselled and prayed with him. Be on the alert for opportunities to help those who are in trouble, whenever and wherever they cross your path. It might be as simple as sharing a smile.
S - Silence. Practice daily times of silence in order to re-establish contact with God. Here is simple but solid advice from minister and author Norman Vincent Peale: 'Everyone should insist upon a quarter of an hour of absolute quiet every 24 hours. Go alone into the quietest place available to you and sit or lie down for 15 minutes. Do not write, do not read. Think as little as possible. Throw your mind into neutral. Conceive of your mind as inactive. Begin to listen for the deeper sounds of harmony that are found in the essence of silence.'
T - Tears. Let your tears flow for those who are suffering. Weeping is a physical expression of your compassion. Scripture tells us that Jesus wept when he learned his friend, Lazarus, died. (John 11:35) St. Paul reminds us to 'mourn with those who mourn.' (Romans 12:15)
U - Unity. In a world which is fragmented by so many special interests, unite with those who are trying to heal hurts in your neighbourhood, community, town, state.
V - Visualize. Pray for friends and family and their heartaches and triumphs. Visualize them in your prayers. Close your eyes and see the person surrounded by God's illuminating presence.
W - Wonder. A sense of wonder and awe are indispensable for spiritual growth. Cultivate daily a sense of wonder and awe at the beauty of God's creation - the blessed sun, the gentle rains, the salty seas and running streams.
X - This letter is a mathematical symbol for the unknown. Let it be a reminder to accept that much about life and God is a mystery. Learn to be responsive and comfortable with the unknown. When the patriarch Abraham was called by God to leave his country and friends, he responded not knowing exactly what God was calling him to do and where he was to go.
Y - Yield. Faith means yielding yourself to God because the Higher Power knows what is ultimately best. Here is a good prayer for yielding: 'Lord, give me the guidance to know when to hold on and when to let go, and the grace to make the right decision with dignity.'
Z - Zeal. Be zealous in your commitment to God and to the people around you. Be a passionate proponent of justice, peace, mercy, kindness, love.