In a complete reversal from the 20th century, more people today identify themselves as "spiritual but not religious." An increasing group of people, especially young people, are rejecting traditional religious institutions and opting for a more personalized approach to theism. Is this something we should be concerned about? Absolutely. If people separate themselves from the Church not only do they lose access to the sacraments, but they also lack the tools they need to improve their character. While setting off on your own customized spiritual journey may sound like a good idea at first, it's really like choosing a life raft instead of a cruise ship.
First, I'd like to dispute the premise that "spiritual but not religious" implies. It sounds like people have two choices; you can either be spiritual or religious, but not both. We've attached a negative connotation to the term religious, which makes it undesirable for people who claim to be free thinkers to identify with. "Religious" often brings to mind rules, regulations, and no room for negotiation. While there are dogmas, doctrines, and, yes, rules to be followed, they don't hinder members of the Church from having inherently spiritual experiences. In fact, I'll argue that the rules allow for spiritual experiences to happen. Our rules and teachings allow the sacraments to take place, and if you've ever witnessed adults coming into the Church, a husband and wife marrying each other, or students being Confirmed, you'll know that Church is something much more than a set of rules to follow. Our ceremonies and sacraments are brimming with emotion, passion, and desire for our Lord. Just because we come together to worship as a community under a set of established practices doesn't mean that we don't have a personal, spiritual encounter with Jesus Christ. As Catholics, every time we go to Mass we personally encounter Christ. We have the opportunity to put His very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity inside our bodies. Tell me, what is more personal? What could inspire a deeper stirring of the spirit than that?
Now that I've established it is possible to have a spiritual experience within a religious institution, let's talk about what people are missing out on if they reject the Church. First, the Church gives us a community of believers all journeying towards the same goal. While free spirits may think that the presence of others hinders their ability to express themselves and connect spiritually, being surrounded by other Christ centered people is imperative for the salvation of our souls. When we look at ourselves only by ourselves, it is so easy to excuse our shortcomings and failings. We don't like to be hard on ourselves. We are more likely to make up excuses or blame others for our own sins. If we are in a community, we have others who hold us to a standard. We can healthily compare our actions to the actions of other holy people. It is easier to see when our actions don't fit the Christian way of life. The community that we find in a Church encourages us to grow and develop. We can actually make progress in our spiritual lives when we are with other people. In the Catholic Church, not only do we have the living people around us, but we also have the examples of the saints. The saints are people who are in heaven. They've made it. They're in. They lived an earthly life so holy that God now works miracles through their intercessions. We can hold our own actions up to theirs, and see if we are making holy choices. If we worry about something, someone else has overcome the problem already. If we set out on our own, we miss out on the examples of the saints and the companionship of our community. The loner might have an internal disposition that is spiritually abundant, but it is our external behavior that actually makes us holy people. We don't change on our own. We need help. We were made for community, so our Church is a community.
The second thing we miss out on if we skip Church is the Sacraments. The Sacraments are dynamic. They are expressions of God's love to us here on earth. They make us holy and bring us salvation. And the only way we can get them is through the Church. The Church is not some dormant rule book; it is a living, breathing organism. The Sacraments are the life giving food of the Church. If you really want to change your life, go to the Sacraments. Our spiritual but not religious friends are cut off from this life giving, life changing food. They miss out on physical and spiritual manifestations of God. Jesus Himself instituted each and every one of our Sacraments; if we want to get close to Him, then we should receive the gifts He left us. Setting out on your own only gets you so far. You need the help of Jesus and His Church to get you the rest of the way. Like I said earlier, being spiritual but not religious is like floating on a life boat; you've got maybe a few provisions, but you're going to run out soon, and then you're stranded in the middle of the ocean with no help in sight. The Church is like a cruise ship; it's full of activities to do with your community and it's complete with the all-you-can-eat buffet of the Sacraments.
Fortunately, our cruise ship likes to pick up the stranded. If you've been searching for a deeper purpose to your life, and you're just not quite there on your own, come to the Church. We welcome you and we are here to help you. God desires for us to make the world Catholic, so please come in and encounter Him. If you are already on board, look for the people floating on their life rafts. Invite them in. Of course, we won't force anyone on board. If they insist on clinging to the shredded remains of what they made themselves, then we offer them our prayers and wait for them eagerly.
The Church is dynamic. It's alive. And, yeah, it's spiritual. We need a community of believers to make us better, and we need the Sacraments to encounter God. If we really want to make the world a better place, then let's stop trying to do it all on our own. Let's get together, and let's get Church.
First, I'd like to dispute the premise that "spiritual but not religious" implies. It sounds like people have two choices; you can either be spiritual or religious, but not both. We've attached a negative connotation to the term religious, which makes it undesirable for people who claim to be free thinkers to identify with. "Religious" often brings to mind rules, regulations, and no room for negotiation. While there are dogmas, doctrines, and, yes, rules to be followed, they don't hinder members of the Church from having inherently spiritual experiences. In fact, I'll argue that the rules allow for spiritual experiences to happen. Our rules and teachings allow the sacraments to take place, and if you've ever witnessed adults coming into the Church, a husband and wife marrying each other, or students being Confirmed, you'll know that Church is something much more than a set of rules to follow. Our ceremonies and sacraments are brimming with emotion, passion, and desire for our Lord. Just because we come together to worship as a community under a set of established practices doesn't mean that we don't have a personal, spiritual encounter with Jesus Christ. As Catholics, every time we go to Mass we personally encounter Christ. We have the opportunity to put His very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity inside our bodies. Tell me, what is more personal? What could inspire a deeper stirring of the spirit than that?
Now that I've established it is possible to have a spiritual experience within a religious institution, let's talk about what people are missing out on if they reject the Church. First, the Church gives us a community of believers all journeying towards the same goal. While free spirits may think that the presence of others hinders their ability to express themselves and connect spiritually, being surrounded by other Christ centered people is imperative for the salvation of our souls. When we look at ourselves only by ourselves, it is so easy to excuse our shortcomings and failings. We don't like to be hard on ourselves. We are more likely to make up excuses or blame others for our own sins. If we are in a community, we have others who hold us to a standard. We can healthily compare our actions to the actions of other holy people. It is easier to see when our actions don't fit the Christian way of life. The community that we find in a Church encourages us to grow and develop. We can actually make progress in our spiritual lives when we are with other people. In the Catholic Church, not only do we have the living people around us, but we also have the examples of the saints. The saints are people who are in heaven. They've made it. They're in. They lived an earthly life so holy that God now works miracles through their intercessions. We can hold our own actions up to theirs, and see if we are making holy choices. If we worry about something, someone else has overcome the problem already. If we set out on our own, we miss out on the examples of the saints and the companionship of our community. The loner might have an internal disposition that is spiritually abundant, but it is our external behavior that actually makes us holy people. We don't change on our own. We need help. We were made for community, so our Church is a community.
The second thing we miss out on if we skip Church is the Sacraments. The Sacraments are dynamic. They are expressions of God's love to us here on earth. They make us holy and bring us salvation. And the only way we can get them is through the Church. The Church is not some dormant rule book; it is a living, breathing organism. The Sacraments are the life giving food of the Church. If you really want to change your life, go to the Sacraments. Our spiritual but not religious friends are cut off from this life giving, life changing food. They miss out on physical and spiritual manifestations of God. Jesus Himself instituted each and every one of our Sacraments; if we want to get close to Him, then we should receive the gifts He left us. Setting out on your own only gets you so far. You need the help of Jesus and His Church to get you the rest of the way. Like I said earlier, being spiritual but not religious is like floating on a life boat; you've got maybe a few provisions, but you're going to run out soon, and then you're stranded in the middle of the ocean with no help in sight. The Church is like a cruise ship; it's full of activities to do with your community and it's complete with the all-you-can-eat buffet of the Sacraments.
Fortunately, our cruise ship likes to pick up the stranded. If you've been searching for a deeper purpose to your life, and you're just not quite there on your own, come to the Church. We welcome you and we are here to help you. God desires for us to make the world Catholic, so please come in and encounter Him. If you are already on board, look for the people floating on their life rafts. Invite them in. Of course, we won't force anyone on board. If they insist on clinging to the shredded remains of what they made themselves, then we offer them our prayers and wait for them eagerly.
The Church is dynamic. It's alive. And, yeah, it's spiritual. We need a community of believers to make us better, and we need the Sacraments to encounter God. If we really want to make the world a better place, then let's stop trying to do it all on our own. Let's get together, and let's get Church.
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