We hear this a lot these days- but what does it mean? This question was posed during this morning’s homily and it reminded me how often I hear people say this. Don’t get me wrong, being spiritual- as in seeking to be guided by The Spirit of God, is something we all need to be. But the disclaimer of not being “religious” raises a few questions:
- In being “spiritual”, how much time do you spend in prayer?
- In being “spiritual”, how often do you ask – what does God want me to do, rather than what do I want to do?
- In disregarding religion, by whose guidance are you living your life, and if it is your own, how is being “spiritual” different from “doing what I want to do”?
My observation is that people usually steer clear of organized religion, because they object to a higher authority. I think what most would say is that they are fine with God being the authority (in a vague and general sense), but that religion is “man made” and so why should they be subject to “arbitrary” and likely outdated rules?
This to me raises the question of what is religion? Religion is a codifying of the laws that God has given us. I have heard people say that if God wanted us to live a certain way, why wouldn’t he just tell us. The answer is, of course, that He has- in so many ways! He has given us his Word in the Bible. He has given us His Church in the One Holy and Apostolic Catholic Church. He has given us Saints to help guide us here on earth. He has given us the revelation of His Creation in which we can see the miracles of His Hand every single day. In some ways, we can ask how could we miss Him in all of these signs? It reminds me a bit of the Jim Carey movie “Bruce Almighty”, when Bruce is driving in his car, praying and asking God for a “sign”- and a truck filled with signs pulls in front of him at that moment- and all of the signs are saying some variant of “Wrong Way!” – but Bruce can’t see that this was a direct response to his prayer.
For all of you who are “spiritual but not religious” I would encourage you to consider that God has made you in His image and likeness, and He loves you very, very much. All of us who are believers are imperfect sinners- so the exhortation to come and join us in “religion” is not a message of “I am better than you”- rather it is an invitation that comes from a place of love saying, I have found a Healer, a Savior, a Love- and I know that He loves you especially and wants you to find rest in Him too. Our Church is Universal and made by God to be a place of rest for everyone- but He gets to make the rules, not us!