I love following the weather forecasts online, especially at this time of year when you never know what is coming at you. Here in Ireland you never know quite what is coming at you and how to dress for going out. People often get mixed up about the difference between the Weather and the Climate . The weather concerns the day to day forecasts. Climate is a more general overview. For instance the difference between the Weather in Ireland and that of ,say, North Africa is about Climate. It strikes me this can be said about the Spiritual/Prayer Pilgrimage we are on. Climate is pretty well the Stage of the Spiritual Life we are on . It is a General Understanding, s Bird's Eye view , a Satellite image of what is going on . The Weather is the Spiritual Life is the day to day understanding of how we sit with God. We see this Weather map, so to speak when we do our Examination of Consciences before the Sacrament of Confession. On the other hand we might be reviewing our Climate or General Spiritual Progress when for instance talking to Our Spiritual Director or when we have the time when on a Good Retreat or have time for it. The Difficulty is that as with the Weather we can get the two Climate and Weather mixed up. So with the Spiritual Life we can get what is passing the Spiritual Weather mixed up with what is enduring our General Spiritual State. A good example of this mix up can be our Physical State. If we are exhausted or in bad health, or having relationship problems we can have some clear effects on our prayer life. That we are failing in prayer. But this is seeing what is passing for that which is permanent. It is mistaking the passing Weather for the more enduring Climate. If there were no rain , there would be no crops. If there were no Winter the poor Earth would have no sleep for the Winter. The Weather is the Weather, it comes it goes. If it rains it does not mean it is a bad day, it is simply a day that is meant to be on the spiritual journey, nor if the sun shines is it a good day because of it. In a similar way people can mistake Weather for Climate. If we get a period of Good Weather or Spiritual Highs we think the Climate or our Spiritual Growth may be flourishing. In the same way when we get a period of bad weather we think we have failed God and are going backwards. A much better overview a better lens for seeing the Climate or weather in our inner lives is the Cross. When we die with Christ, then we live with Christ. A big part of this is asking the question , 'Am I giving person or a giving person?' I very much envy married people for this. Married people are perfectly located to be giving people. Giving is at the very heart of Family. The Blessed Trinity is family and is all about giving. God Created the family in the perfect image of the Trinity.
