Transmitting and receiving the proper spirit

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

 

In all our ways and forms of communication, we should realize ever more deeply that more than just words and ideas, no matter how beautiful, wise and effective they are in human terms, we should be communicating the proper spirit, whether we are in the giving or the receiving end of the process.

It’s the spirit that matters in the end and always. And what spirit would that be? Well, the spirit that is proper to us, not only as persons but also as children of God. In other words, what we have to transmit and receive in all our communications is the spirit of God. Again, not just words and ideas, not just our own desires and intentions.

Transmitting and receiving the spirit of God, to be sure, do not do away with the spirit that is proper to us as a human person. In fact, we should try our best that our words and ideas meet the highest standards possible that our humanity can give to them.

Yes, we have to learn to be as articulate and eloquent as possible, persuasive and convincing with the way we present and deliver our words and ideas, and with the way we delineate our desires and intentions.

But all that effort to achieve those human standards should be properly animated by the ultimate spirit that is proper to us. And that could only be the spirit of God, since whether we are engaged only in some mundane business, we continue always to be children of God, meant to share in the life of God not only in heaven, which is our definitive state, but also here on earth where our definitive destiny is being made and developed.

Remember those words of Christ, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul.” (Mk 8,36) We can take those words to mean that whatever communication we do, whether we are in the giving or receiving end, should always uphold the essential priority of the soul that needs to channel the spirit of God over whatever worldly advantage we can make in our earthly affairs.

In concrete terms, while we have to do our best in preparing what we have to communicate or in preparing to receive what will be communicated to us, we should realize that it is Christ that should be in the middle of all of this business. Let’s not lose sight of this most important aspect of our communications. Otherwise, we may be gaining the whole world, but losing our soul.

Channeling Christ in all our communication processes, whether we are in the giving or receiving side, is what would comprise as the proper intention we ought to have. It’s not only about making business, making some profit, achieving some effectiveness in our earthly duties.

It’s all about channeling Christ. In all our communications, the constant net effect should be that as much as possible, everyone gets closer to God, gets to praise and love God more.

Said in another way, the constant net effect in all our communications should be that everyone grows in what truly is essential to us: our holiness, our sanctification, our becoming more and more like God through Christ in the Holy Spirit.

This means that more than anything else, we should be motivated and supported all the way by our faith, hope and charity, something that can only take place if we have a functioning life of piety, of prayer and sacrifices, of frequent recourse to the sacraments and of the unending effort to wage ascetical struggle, developing virtues, fighting temptations and sin, etc.

 

Thus, when we in the giving side, we will always do things with charity and compassion even if we have to be forceful. When we are in the receiving side, we will always get the message of Christ even if the messenger messes it up with his weaknesses and errors.

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com