There was once an article about successful people. What makes them different from the rest of humanity? Their habits. According to the article, the five habits of successful people include the following:

• They get up early
• They read a lot
• They give exercise a priority
• They have multiple incomes
• They give time for reflection

It is said that as human beings, we have habits. Some habits are good and they bring us benefits; some habits are bad, and they have a negative effect on us.

Even in our spiritual life, we have habits. We go to Mass, we pray, and we read books about our faith. When it comes to our faith, it is good that we develop the habit, but the real question is…do we become better people?

In the Gospel, the Pharisees and Scribes indeed had the habit of fasting – but did they become better people, more understanding, and more compassionate? The response of Christ, “New wineskin for New wine.” In other words, “if God is truly with you, then truly one should be a better person.”

In our spiritual life, five habits we should do:

1. Lead a prayerful life. Since God is real, prayer life is very real. It is not only the structured prayers, but the informal prayers as well. As Jesus said, pray unceasingly.
   
2. Show forgiveness. A highly spiritual person forgives and also asks for forgiveness. Yes, that person gets hurt, but then again, that person knows that God will right whatever is wrong.
   
3. Share and give. Giving is the highest form of living. Whether rich or poor, a spiritual person knows how to share and give.
   
4. Do the right thing. We live in a world with so much temptations. While it is so easy to cheat, steal, or commit a crime, a spiritual person always does the right thing. Never mind if there is no material gain in the world.
   
5. Look at things in the eyes of faith. Trusting in the goodness of God, a spiritual person looks at situations in the eyes of faith, because all that happens does so for a reason and a purpose. God has a plan in all of these.

In each Mass, especially in these times of pandemic, we thank God for the gift of faith. Indeed, even when there is so much uncertainty, there is someone we can hold on to and there are habits that we can continue to do.