Spirituality
Spirituality is for Everyone - Because every person has a relationship with their Creator, everyone has spirituality We are spiritual beings having a physical experience not physical beings searching for a spirituality experience. We may not share the same measure of faith or have faith in exactly the same things but all people have faith in something. We all rely on things being a certain way when we wake up in the morning. We are not surprised to see the sun rise in the east. We presume to have daylight until the sun sets again in the west. We trust such things with our lives. Our trust in this natural order extends to our own behavior. We expect most people to follow the same rules when we get in our cars and drive down the road. While there are exceptions, most people have a shared view and response to life. The consistent way we view and respond to life constitutes one's spirituality.
Whenever there is a disaster, we are reminded of our spiritual DNA. We know that we are all connected and what befalls one befalls us all.As beings created in the image of God we are all imprinted with a basic DNA of conscience, hope and empathy for one another. This shared approach to life constitutes a basic human spirituality. We are spiritual beings having a human experience, not human beings seeking a spiritual experience. In sharing this, we share a spirituality.
Christians realize that the key to the fullness of life is evident in the life of Christ. As St. Paul once wrote, 'It is no longer I who lives but it is Christ who lives in me.' Christians see in the paschal mystery the template for life. We do not expect fairness. We know that we can never earn grace. Furthermore, we do not want to be treated with mathematical justice. Few would earn fair treatment before God in a 'quid pro quo' spirituality. Catholics celebrate God's grace each and every time we gather around the table for Eucharist. We go forth from the table in gratitude as ambassadors of God's mercy.
We know that the life of Jesus is the template for our lives no matter how long or how short our time on earth. We seek happiness in doing what God has given each of us to do, in every situation and circumstance. We find peace in being true to the best in ourselves - our convictions and hopes, in word and deed. It is the grace that we derive from the love God bestows so freely on us that gives us the will to change what is wrong in our lives.
No matter how talented or righteous our lives, we will make mistakes. God is not finished with us yet. And neither is the world complete nor society fair. Those who commit themselves to a life of conviction and compassion expect to suffer for it. We will fail, and ultimately we all will die. Through his passion, Jesus split the veil of death to reveal a passage to life eternal. Jesus proved that we can trust God no matter how broken or uncertain we feel. Jesus freed us from self absorption and taught us to seek him in the face of the least, the last and the lost among us. He assures us that in their midst we will find him (Mt. 25: 36-41).
Christians are hope-filled but not naive. We do not expect everyone to care for others before themselves. We do not presume that society will be dedicated to the welfare of the poor and vulnerable unless we make it so. We should expect to suffer along with Christ for God's people. Even if we are despised for it, walking the paschal path will lead us to the only true peace that this life has to offer. It is in abandoning the idolatry of our E.G.O. (Edging God Out), that we live for God and can rejoice in an eternity with our Lord. And so we hope and pray that God will use us in his plan of completion and fulfillment of creation.
Whenever there is a disaster, we are reminded of our spiritual DNA. We know that we are all connected and what befalls one befalls us all.As beings created in the image of God we are all imprinted with a basic DNA of conscience, hope and empathy for one another. This shared approach to life constitutes a basic human spirituality. We are spiritual beings having a human experience, not human beings seeking a spiritual experience. In sharing this, we share a spirituality.
Christians realize that the key to the fullness of life is evident in the life of Christ. As St. Paul once wrote, 'It is no longer I who lives but it is Christ who lives in me.' Christians see in the paschal mystery the template for life. We do not expect fairness. We know that we can never earn grace. Furthermore, we do not want to be treated with mathematical justice. Few would earn fair treatment before God in a 'quid pro quo' spirituality. Catholics celebrate God's grace each and every time we gather around the table for Eucharist. We go forth from the table in gratitude as ambassadors of God's mercy.
We know that the life of Jesus is the template for our lives no matter how long or how short our time on earth. We seek happiness in doing what God has given each of us to do, in every situation and circumstance. We find peace in being true to the best in ourselves - our convictions and hopes, in word and deed. It is the grace that we derive from the love God bestows so freely on us that gives us the will to change what is wrong in our lives.
No matter how talented or righteous our lives, we will make mistakes. God is not finished with us yet. And neither is the world complete nor society fair. Those who commit themselves to a life of conviction and compassion expect to suffer for it. We will fail, and ultimately we all will die. Through his passion, Jesus split the veil of death to reveal a passage to life eternal. Jesus proved that we can trust God no matter how broken or uncertain we feel. Jesus freed us from self absorption and taught us to seek him in the face of the least, the last and the lost among us. He assures us that in their midst we will find him (Mt. 25: 36-41).
Christians are hope-filled but not naive. We do not expect everyone to care for others before themselves. We do not presume that society will be dedicated to the welfare of the poor and vulnerable unless we make it so. We should expect to suffer along with Christ for God's people. Even if we are despised for it, walking the paschal path will lead us to the only true peace that this life has to offer. It is in abandoning the idolatry of our E.G.O. (Edging God Out), that we live for God and can rejoice in an eternity with our Lord. And so we hope and pray that God will use us in his plan of completion and fulfillment of creation.
Pray in Poverty - consider your prayer as a person who is unemployed, hungry, lacking healthcare, homeless, without savings, or a parent with debts. How might poverty affect your prayer, after "playing" poor for a few minutes www.playspent.org.
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