Nativity Catholic Church in Longwood wants followers of Christ to meditate and discover that the purpose of spiritual practice is simply to deepen our love for God.

The weekly message gave an example of what would happen if everyone was paid the same regardless of the amount of hours they worked. People wouldn’t find this fair and would quickly go in front of the labor board to complain.

“We sometimes think that if we pray more, better, or more fervently and go over and above with the practices of our faith," the message in the church's Sept. 20 bulletin said. "God will somehow reward us and present us with some kind of merit badge. We are so wrong. Spiritual practices have only one true purpose: to deepen our love for God. In deepening our love for God, we also increase our ability to see God’s presence around us, living life more purposefully and contemplatively. What if God chooses to treat someone who has come on the scene of faith later in life the same as someone who has devoted their whole lives to it? Does it really matter? If we have the merit badge notion of faith, we can find ourselves feeling a little arrogant and even jealous of folks who have not followed the same path that we have. We can even see ourselves as the privileged few who have a corner on the faith and fully process it."

God is willing to accept anyone who follows Him, regardless of the timing. If you care for and love someone, the focus doesn’t lie on what you will get from them in return or the benefits received.

“If relationships were based upon productivity, they would lack authentic love," the message said. "We invest too much self-interest in our prayer and neglect to see it as an opportunity to pursue our Lover and deepen the intimate love we have for God.”