One of the most important things we can do to increase physical strength and to prevent injury is to develop a strong core. We refer to the core as the entire torso — front, back and sides. When we learn to brace the core and engage our muscles more fully in our movements, we get stronger and this helps prevent other joints from overdoing it. When we aren’t using our core properly, back, shoulder, knee and other joint issues can develop because they overcompensate for our core weakness.
I was thinking about how we can build a strong core in the spiritual life. First, we are called to be faithful to the Sunday Eucharist. We are strengthened by the Eucharist in a supernatural way. We know this from John 6:53 when Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” Receiving the Eucharist is essential to becoming fully alive in Christ; it is at the core of who we are as Catholics who believe in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
St. Ignatius of Antioch said, “I hunger for the bread of God, the flesh of Jesus Christ ...; I long to drink of his blood, the gift of unending love.”
Having a daily prayer life is also a must for a strong spiritual core. This can include reading and reflecting on scripture, the Mass readings and gospel, praying the prayers of the Church, personal meditative prayer and so on. Daily prayer helps us develop a relationship with Jesus, learn how God is calling us and helps us to grow in holiness. We are called to love the Father, Son and Holy Spirit more than any person or thing in our earthly lives and we can’t do that if we don’t get to know the Trinity through prayer.
St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi said, “Prayer ought to be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering, and accompanied with great reverence. One should consider that he stands in the presence of a God, and speaks with a Lord before whom the angels tremble from awe and fear.”
In physical training, having a strong core allows us to move, lift, bend, run, walk, reach, and carry things in daily life with more ability to do so with grace and ease.
In the spiritual life, when we receive the Eucharist and pray regularly, we are trained and more ready to serve others with grace and ease when God calls us to do so. That strong core allows us to have confidence in our strength and ability to give love to others from the love that we’ve received. Our commitment to the Eucharist and to a prayer life helps God equip us to, for example, bring Jesus to others, to be a comfort to those who are suffering, and encourage those who have lost hope.
If we feel called by God, and our vocation allows, we can do even more to grow closer to Jesus. We can continue to strengthen our spiritual core, for example, by going on retreats, attending Catholic conferences, reading good spiritual books and giving our time and talent to organizations who can benefit from our God-given gifts and talents. We can also do the ‘hidden’ little things in daily life, such as making a meal for someone, praying for them or remaining silent rather than having the last word.
In my experience, there is no containing a Catholic who has a strong spiritual core; they are ready to rock the world with their love for God and their desire to bring others to him. I pray that this describes both you and me!