Prosperity Part 3
October 8, 2025
Prosperity Part 3
There are many professional titles for those who guide us in our financial welfare: wealth manager, financial planner, investment advisor. Whether our fiduciary is a banker, a registered financial advisor, or a trained financial planner, we trust them to help guide our economic futures. Their responsibility is to ensure that we make wise decisions with our resources to prosper rather than decline economically.
The soul, too, has wealth and potential that can prosper or decline. This makes it just as essential to have a trusted spiritual advisor, planner, or guide who can help us navigate the spiritual dimension of our lives. Without such wisdom, our spiritual prosperity may falter. As in financial matters, our choices can obscure rather than illuminate the quality of our being. Our spiritual choices can be counterproductive, leaving us without a way to process our mistakes or to chart a different course.
With a spiritual advisor, the soul has a greater chance to prosper. This prosperity extends to all aspects of our lives. A healthy soul is rich in consolations rather than weighed down by desolations. In this state of mind, heart, and body, we live more deeply in the Spirit and are more likely to make decisions aligned with divine order.
Over the years, I have been blessed with several spiritual advisors I still cherish. They entered my life at just the right moments, offering pure and selfless wisdom. Their guidance was invaluable, laying the groundwork for facing challenges that otherwise might have overwhelmed me. With their presence, I experienced the wealth of spiritual abundance rather than the poverty of spiritual desolation.
One of my spiritual advisors over the years is Sister Mary at Sacred Heart Monastery in Cullman. I recall many times that Sister Mary guided me with absolute care and wisdom. But I will never forget a time many years ago when I was especially worried about our children, that she shed tremendous light on the situation. Gently she said, “Joe, I know that you love your children, and want the best for them, but the truth is that God loves them even more than you do.” With that one sentence, I shifted from bearing the weight of my children’s lives to realizing that there is a much larger perspective than mine, that the true origin of my children is God, and that there is larger plan, a Holy Plan.
Spiritual practice: Consider finding a spiritual advisor, director, or trusted friend who can help you discern the movements of your spirit. If you do not have someone in this role, reflect on why you may not have invited such a guide on your journey.
Self-inquiry: Why might seeking another perspective on your spiritual struggles or questions be essential?
Prayer: Dear God, I give thanks to the precious souls who have served as my spiritual mothers and fathers. Their wisdom and love are forever in my heart. Amen.
