Spiritual Fitness

"Fitness" is a growing global phenomenon, it seems.  Planet Fitness continues to expand, taking over former department stores which have gone out of business.  Workout World, Latitude, Gold's Gym, all offer the opportunity for exercise for small fees and are filled from early morning till late at night. Such care of the body is admirable and serves as a model for the all important care of the soul.  When a well known athlete, such as an Olympic Champion, after working hard for months and years to win the gold and then allows his or her body to get soft and flabby, it saddens and disappoints us and makes us wonder what all that hard work was for...yes, the medal, fame, etc. But there is life after the medals, so does one just sink into mediocrity? 
We have just completed a 40 day period of intense spiritual "excercise" and we are in the second week after the Easter climax.  Are we sluffing off, relaxing our spiritual efforts, getting spiritually soft and flabby?  Perhaps we don't have to maintain the high intensity of Lent, but it would be sad to sink back into nothing.
We might examine ways that will keep us spiritually toned, and, yes, continue to assert some discipline to keep us spiritually strong, even as we sometimes have to push ourselves into the gym.  Once there we are fine, and when we leave, we are glad we went.  So too with our spiritual lives:  keeping up our spiritual reading, time for reflection, a weekday Mass, the rosary, service to others, and the free smiles we can give to all.  These will help us keep our relationship with Jesus growing, which, after all is said and done, is the reason for keeping spiritually fit.
Bro. Rene