SPIRITUALITY & RELIGION

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Spirituality and Religion.”

Do you have a minute? Better, “Do you have ten minutes?”

I would like to address an issue that has been appearing in the news more and more. And if it’s appearing in magazines and TV, etc., I assume it’s appearing in your thoughts as well.

So I decided to pull together some first draft comments about “Spirituality and Religion”. Maybe we’re on the same page or maybe you’re somewhere else or what have you.

COMMENTS

You hear things like, “Spirituality is increasing; religion is decreasing.”

Or, “I go to church – but I get my spirituality from nature or music or exercising or reading or Yoga or breathing or Quiet Waters Park.”

Or, “I’m spiritual, not religious.”

Or there is the bumper sticker that Martin Marty, a Lutheran theologian, quotes in an article entitled, “Religion Makes Hospice Calls.” The bumper sticker he spotted said, “Spirituality doesn’t make hospice calls.”* Not true, but there is a tiny hint of something there.

CLEAR OR CONFUSING OR BOTH?

Spirituality and Religion: what are we talking about?

These are two vast topics that take in libraries of books and weeks of workshops and many Ph. D’s. They intermingle, don’t have to be contradictory, but can be confusing or vague at times.

How does one describe religion? How does one describe spirituality?

Can you give me nine minutes?

RELIGIONS

The four big religions of the world are: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Most people belong – at least in name – to one of these four groups. Christianity has about 2.1 billion members, Islam 1.5 billion, Hinduism 900 million, Buddhism, 376 million. There are many other “religions” and each group, as we know has branches and divisions – and there are interconnections.**

I’ve often heard people say, “It’s all the same.”

We are and we aren’t.

I’m tempted to ask, “How do you see Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity as the same?” I don’t ask, because most of the time, it’s neither the time nor the place to talk. It’s a wedding reception and people are drinking or what have you. I assume they are saying, “We all believe in God, gather to pray, and are trying to lead a good life.”

Since we’re here together in church today, I assume we are Christians following Jesus Christ – proclaiming our belief with our creed each Sabbath and each day by our lives.

We are Catholics, but at times there are Methodists, Presbyterians, etc. here at Mass. Welcome to all.

We have all heard people say of the different communities in Christianity: “After all, we’re basically the same.”Yes and no. We Christians have similarities, but we are different.

And we Catholics can be very different – from parish to parish, from Catholic to Catholic, from bishop to bishop, from pope to pope, and sometimes we can be very much the same. At times we hear about the so called, “Catholic Vote”. Is there such a thing?

The stuff of the different religions is the stuff of talk and thinking.

Sometimes we bring up the two “no no’s”: religion and politics. They are two out of the five big topics of conversation – the other three being the weather, sports, and #1, other people.

RELIGION

Let me move the microscope further away from different religions and get back to the topic of religion in general.

There are two definitions of religion in the singular that I like.

First definition: “Religion is recognizing God and acting accordingly.”

Translation. At this moment in my life, do I believe, accept, live, assume that there is a God. If I do, do I act differently than if I didn’t believe in God? Does recognizing God, accepting God, make a difference in my life?

When I say in the Our Father, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done!”, do I really say that with great meaning and significance and does my prayer then play out in my life?

Each person has to ask themselves from time to time:

Am I an atheist – someone who does not believe there is a God?

Am I an agnostic – I used to believe in God, but I don’t know any more?

Am I a drop out?

Am I sleep walking – a feeling I often have?

Am I indifferent?

Am I just going through the motions?

I believe in God, but what are the questions about church or different religions that I have?

If I really believe there is a God, if I recognize God, and this makes a difference in my life, then am I a religious person?

If I join or am part of a group, what group is it?

If I am a member of Christianity, that means I have been baptized and follow Jesus Christ.

If I am a member of a group within Christianity, what group?

If I am a Catholic, am I a member of a parish and go to a parish church, but what impact does it have on my life?


I overheard someone describing our parish this way, “We have 15,000 people plus in this parish.” Then they said there are another 15,000 Catholics in this area who are Catholic, but who don’t come to church – or they are not registered – or they are Easter and Christmas, funeral and wedding Catholics.

So what does it mean to say, “I am part of a religion or I am religious”?

Which religion?

My first point would be to make a decision where I stand with my religion. What do I say if asked at a hospital or if someone is taking a poll and asks me, “Religion? ________”

If I say "Catholic", then further questions arise. Couples getting married here at St. Mary’s and most Catholic parishes, are given a questionnaire and one of the questions is religion. Then comes the question about attendance. "Ordinarily, Sometimes, Seldom, Never."

We could add other questions., "What is a good Catholic?"

Or we could ask questions like, “Agree or disagree? I think that I am a good Christian, but I don’t see myself as a practicing Catholic, etc.”

Second definition: “Religion is what I wrap my life around?”

This definition makes everyone religious, because we all wrap our life around something or someone. The word religion has the root word for “ligaments” in it – cords, bands, fleshy strings that keep the human body together.

This second definition is much broader – vaguer – but it can be very challenging. It asks questions like: "Where do I spend my time? Who is my God? What is my center? What’s important?"

SPIRITUALITY

That’s a few talking points about religion. Here are a few talking points about spirituality. Do you have 4 minutes?

I taught courses on spirituality for 9 years to future Redemptorists. And as every teacher knows, the teacher learns a lot more than the student. And as every teacher knows, it takes the teacher at least 4 to 5 years to figure out and really understand what he or she is teaching. I was blessed to figure out some stuff about spirituality in 5 years – and then I had 4 more years to develop this stuff.

So when folks talk today about spirituality, my ears perk up. When folks says, “I see myself as spiritual. Religious, no.” I am sitting there with my baggage and my background.

I just listen. I know that being spiritual or trying to be spiritual can mean so many things. It could mean they are trying to be good persons, but they just don’t see church as helping them to be good persons or they find in church some deep springs of spirituality.

I told you this stuff can be quite complicated and unclear.

SOME TALKING POINTS ABOUT SPIRITUALITY

Let me give 3 talking points about spirituality.

Do you have 3 minutes?

1) I hold that everyone has a spirituality.

When Jack walks into the room, he walks in with his spirit – his personality – his flavor. It’s the same with Jill. It might be a wonderful spirit, or it might be an ugly spirit. Just mention any person you know – and their spirit comes flying right at you – even if they are in Ocean City right now or in the south of France right this minute. When you hear the name of the priest who has the Mass or when you see a priest walk down the aisle and you didn't know who was on for this Mass, you give that priest a vote, an “Oh good” or an “Oh no” or “We’ll see!” vote. Relax! People don’t just do this for priests. They do it to you as well. So # 1, everyone has a spirit, a spirituality. What is yours like?

2) There are all kinds of “public” or “big” spiritualities.

Each spirituality has specific nuances or “attraits” as they call them. Clings. Specifics.

Let me explain.

For example, there is a spirituality called “Franciscan Spirituality.” If a person is in a Franciscan parish or school or they make a Franciscan retreat, they will hear about some of the stresses of St. Francis of Assisi and his followers. They will hear about the importance of simplicity, don’t get stuffed with stuff, a love for birds and creation, a sense of Jesus as Lord – that God became one of us as a baby and died as one of us on the cross.

For example, there is a spirituality called “Redemptorist Spirituality” and if you listen to us Redemptorists enough, you’ll hear the same songs and same tunes from us through the years: the importance of prayer, the importance of Mary, the Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ, seeing Christ in the Eucharist, etc., being aware of the poorest amongst us. Our founder St. Alphonsus wrote over 100 books and those traits I just mentioned are in his writings and his followers.

There is also Buddhist Spirituality, Hindu Spirituality, Muslim Spirituality, Carmelite Spirituality, Jesuit Spirituality, Native American Spirituality, African Spirituality, Australian Spirituality, Filipino Spirituality, Humanistic Spirituality, Eco spirituality, feminine spirituality, masculine spirituality, and on and on and on and variations and arguments about each. Each would have its stresses, groups, writings, meetings, practices, etc., etc., etc.

3) Each of us is a mixture of all kinds of spiritual influences.

We are the spirit, the attitudes, the outlook, we picked up along the way from parents, friends, school, parishes, experiences, etc. I love the words of Ulysses in the poem by that name from Tennyson, “I am part of all that I have met.” I also like the comment by the Greek poet, George Seferis. When asked, “Who influenced you?” he answered, “Don’t ask who influenced me. Does a lion know what lambs he ate?”

However, I am a lifetime devotee of the examined life. I think it’s very important to figure out who has influenced us, what has influenced us, and pick out the best, and go for more of that. I learned that from the Jesuits! It’s called discernment. And if you listen to my sermons, you’ll hear me say at times. “I have homework for you.”

CONCLUSION

I just talked ten minutes on “Spirituality and Religion.”

Spirituality – developing a healthy and joy filled spirituality is obviously important. Religion – growing in our spiritual roots is obviously very important as well.

Both don’t have to be in conflict with each other. In fact, those who drop their religion with the idea of developing their spirituality might be missing out on the rich treasures of spirituality in religion.

This week, take time to do some home work or heart work to pull together your thoughts on these two realities – and pray to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit to fill your life with their Spirit so you can bring the spirit of their love to all the rooms you enter. Amen. ***
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NOTES:

* The Life of Meaning, Reflections on Faith, Doubt, and Repairing the World, by Bob Abernethy and William Bole, and the Contributors to PBS's Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, pp. 191-193

** Two people asked me after my homily, "What about Judaism?" Type in Google, "World Religions" and then look for statistics in the menu. I just gave the numbers of the 4 highest. There are many more. For example, Sikhism has 23 million, Judaism has 19 million, and Baha'i has 7 million.

*** Reread today's readings. Judaism has given us these rich texts that nourish our religion and our spirituality. Today's first reading is from Zechariah 9:9-10. There is always hope. Christians can see Jesus as King and savior come riding towards us on an ass. What a fascinating vision, what a fascinating and humbling way to arrive at the peace table! Today's second reading from Paul's Letter to the Romans, 8:9, 11-13, voices the challenge to let our spirit be meshed and matched and married to the Spirit of God. And today's gospel presents a great vision from the Christian scriptures - the call from Jesus to "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." For those who see religion as a burden, Jesus is saying, what Christianity is saying is this, "Our religion is not primarily a set of rules and regulations, teachings and warnings, but a relationship with Jesus. Wrap your life around him!"