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Spiritual Life

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Spiritual Life › Spiritual Life

The question

Every time I return from a convention I have this passion to be close to God but at the end it always disappears in the midst of  worries about college vanity and salf. I'm hoping you can give me a few suggestions on how to get started and how to maintain life in the spirit.

The answer

Conventions and retreats give us great spiritual boosts in our life. During conventions and retreats, we dedicate few days to the Lord, attending liturgies, lectures and meditating on the Word of the Lord. These focused activities get us closer to the Lord. After leaving the convention, it is a challenge to keep this state and not fall into a lukewarm state. What you need is perseverance. When you attend a convention, you  leave your home, your phone, your schoolwork with everything else in your daily life to be with God during those  three or four days. I am sure you can do the same for at least one hour daily at home.

Dedicate a fixed time daily to be totally devoted to the Lord with no interruptions.
Get more involved in church activities. Attending more often youth meetings or spiritual days at your church will help  you maintain a certain level of spirituality in your life instead of having it as roller coaster.

Pray daily with understanding especially the prayer of the third hour "Your Holy Spirit... do not take Him away from us but we ask You to renew Him within us... Renew a steadfast spirit within me etc."

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Related questions

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 594 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.