The First Fall

It was in the Holy City of Jerusalem when I took a terrible fall. Craving locally baked bread sprinkled with sesame seeds, I turned around with the pretzel in hand when a bollard took me down. It was a hard fall. Moses, our tour guide, quickly came to my aid. “Don’t get up—wait a minute to assess the injury.” This was an important lesson which I took to heart.

Striving toward sainthood, the path is not always clear. Especially for someone who likes to take daily walks. Last Wednesday, on our ordinary walk around our neighborhood, an uneven segment of the sidewalk caught the toe of my walking shoe and down I went. Mike was there and actually broke the fall; catching my face with his leg saved me from a face injury. The right knee and shoulder did not fare well in the fall. As much as Mike wanted to help me up, I remembered the Jerusalem lesson and waited, using my right hand to move toward a decorative brick barrier. I pulled myself up.

Sonja

Our daughter Sonja works for a local hospital. She suggested that I come to the emergency room as soon as possible. Sonja arranged for triage as soon as I arrived. X-rays of both my shoulder and knee were ordered. Praising the good Lord, the x-rays came back negative of any breaks, but my right shoulder is out of alignment and there is a possible tear in the tendons. Before leaving the hospital, Sonja arranged an appointment with one of the best orthopedic surgeons. So on Tuesday, an MRI will determine the severity of the injury. Praying that no surgery will be needed. Our daughter is an angel.

Deductive Reasoning

It started nine years ago with a hammer toe that required surgery. Instead of a joint replacement for the useless toe, I opted for a rod. Though the toe looks normal and my feet are anatomically correct, the suffering from the botched surgery has caused me to trip on a daily basis. With this last fall and the injury to my shoulder and right knee, I have cause to question why this is constant. I need to address the real concern, which is the useless toe.

Our Spiritual Falls

In the same way as a physical fall, we must look for the reason why we fall short in our spiritual walk. Like everything in life, we must take a good look around to make sure that an uneven spiritual sidewalk will not cause us to fall. When making a full dedication to serve God, the enemy is there to distract our walk. We cannot take our eyes off the Lord, or we will end up in the water like Peter.

Peter’s fall is the perfect example of spiritual deception. He was walking toward Christ across the water—moving toward the very source of salvation—yet he lost faith in Christ’s power while walking toward Him. That paradox is the nature of spiritual manipulation: the deceiver often poses as a guide to God while actually pulling away from Him. Peter cried out, and Christ caught him. But how many fall and have no one to cry out to—or worse, cry out to the very person pulling them under? As soon as Peter took his eyes off God, down he went. But he was saved because he recognized his error and called out to the Lord.

I find that with more spiritual growth comes more distractions to cause us to fall. So if the first Pope can take his eyes off God, we are no different.

Search Deep

Seeking God when things don’t always go our way is the perfect start. God wants our attention to be on Him. The guidance that our Lord has for us is there for the asking. “Why does this keep happening to me? What am I doing wrong?” Remember, we serve an awesome God who only wants the best for us. There is nothing He will keep from you—just ask.

One of the readings at Mass this week:

Luke 11:9-13 New American Bible (Revised Edition)

⁹“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ¹¹What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? ¹²Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? ¹³If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

Falling Into Darkness: Wrong Counsel

Without knowing, the Enemy can put someone in your life who is trustworthy and is always available to help. Be very wary of these wolves that come in sheep’s clothing, because they have an agenda: to secure a place where they can manipulate. There are therapist who have a good connection with the Catholic Church, but are giving wrong counsel. Sadly, until the Holy Spirit reveals the truth to the persons being counseled, the therapist will continue to keep them under the spell of deception.

This danger is especially delicate when a therapist withholds accountability from their clients, never acknowledging the client’s role in their own struggles, and refuses to counsel forgiveness. When the therapist maintains control over their subjects in this way, they blindly lead the clients into a dark place where no Godly light can shine.

Imagine a broken spirit in the hands of someone so dangerous as this. It happens, and until the scales are removed from the eyes of the clients, all we can do is pray. When someone is hurting, we pray and guide them to the Lord. But in the case of a therapist who exploits vulnerability, the person is guided back to the therapist themselves, continuing the cycle of manipulation. The motivation may be friendship and connection, monetary gain, or both—but the result is spiritual captivity.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for always guiding my steps in life. Today I ask for myself that no surgery will be required to correct my shoulder. Jesus, I trust in You!