“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength… and love your neighbor as yourself. And there is no commandment greater than these” (Mark.12:30-31).
“I became a full-time minister, not because of any vision of God or formal theological studies. It was in my attempts to respond to the challenges of social realities around me that I met God and heard God’s call. I have allowed myself to become an instrument for the needs and good of others. It was not my affinity and loyalty to Church that made me spiritual; rather, I experienced spirituality in responding to the needs of the other.” Mar Chrysostom
This saying of the Most Rev. Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Metropolitan, who passed away on 5th May’21, is very apt today for us to ponder upon the spirituality in the church today and as well as our personal spirituality, particularly at this time of the pandemic. However, how do we understand the word “spirituality?” What does it mean to be spiritual? How do we experience spirituality?
We normally use the words spiritual and spirituality for being religious and use religiosity and spirituality interchangeably to mean the same. For example, bishops, pastors, or religious leaders, are also known as spiritual fathers/leaders. A devotee or bhakta is known as being very spiritual in religious terms. Or a person who is very prayerful, regular to thechurch, attends all prayer meetings, conventions, generous in giving donations, etc., and we term this person as being spiritual! Such people are ardent religious rather than spiritual. However, religious persons can be spiritual, but not all religious people are spiritual. Also, not all spiritual people are religious. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Scribes of Jesus’ time were religious people, but they being spiritual and their spirituality is in question.
It is difficult to tell the difference between true religion and spirituality, as they are entwined. Religion is an organized, community-based system of beliefs, that make us a devotee of God. Religion can be followed and be preached by many and is connected solely to God.
Whereas spirituality resides within the individual and what they believe and brings them close, in terms of qualities and wisdom, to the Almighty God. Spirituality is a process of personal transformation, which grows from the inside of a person to become spiritual. It “opens our mind, removes evil from our hearts, and helps us reach the stage, where we no longer hold any attachment, to this material world…” It is a kind of meaningful activity or blissful experience, intuition, creativity, insight, and focused attention.
That’s what the quote of Mar Chrysostom means when he says, “… It was in my attempts to respond to the challenges of social realities around me that I met God and heard God’s call. I have allowed myself to become an instrument for the needs and good of others. It was not my affinity and loyalty to Church that made me spiritual; rather, I experienced spirituality in responding to the needs of the other.”
Spirituality is the realm of awareness, in which we experience the presence of God everywhere and in everything, which helps us to understand the values like truth, goodness, love and compassion, intuition, and so on. In other words, this awareness and experience enable us to know the fundamental principles of life, the true value of love, benevolence, honesty, and to see the brighter side of life and the good in all, and thus godliness which is expressed in our life in all spheres practically and that is spirituality. In fact, “religion and spirituality are both rooted, in trying to understand the meaning of life and . . . how a relationship with a higher power, [the Almighty God,] may influence that meaning…”
However, today’s trend among the youngsters; ‘I am spiritual but not religious,’ by which they intend to say that they no longer want to relate them to any particular religion or religious institutions, or would want to abide by any written rules or traditions to approach God, but rather want to find eccentric paths to inner peace. Perhaps, such feelings and thoughts keep them away from the church or any religious places, and they’d rather prefer to wander around freely, in search of a ‘new life’ and when they fail to find solace anywhere, end up frustrated and dejected. Particularly, in the present context of the pandemic surge, faith and hope reach the abyss. Dejection and dismay, depression, and stress over-rule the mind, and people collapse under the burden they have to cope with. It is too distressing to see the loved ones suffer and die and nowhere to go to find solace.
This is where the spirituality of the church could come in to uphold the young and the old, men and women to transform themselves to grow from inside, to become spiritual, and experience spirituality. Build in them the confidence needed, lead and guide them to experience ‘spirituality,’ where they can engage themselves in meaningful activities, have a blissful experience in self-giving, be aware of themselves and their surroundings, discern the issues and needs of others, be creative and have focused attention. (Matt 25:35-40) This is where one can meet God, hear God’s call, and understand God’s purpose for one’s life. John 21:15-17 “… Feed my Sheep” the command given to Simon Peter in response to loving God, is to tend them, love them, lead them, guide them, and strengthen them spiritually, mentally and physically, that they may experience God’s love. In turn, they express their love to others so as to experience and understand God’s love, flowing for everyone and everywhere in all directions.
Jesus Christ did not preach any religion, rather helped to understand the realm of God that connects us to God and experience the reality of spirituality through self-giving, using his teachings, life, and death on the cross. He identified himself with the downtrodden, the marginalized, the sick and the poor, and the sinners. He laid His life for the sake of others, for the salvation of the people of God. His command, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength… and love your neighbor as yourself. And there is no commandment greater than these” (Mark. 12:30-31). Hence, the spirituality of the church is to extend its spirituality to the people to experience such spirituality – a spirituality of loving others, through responding to the needs and good of others, as of one’s self.
Faith and works should go hand in hand. Faith by itself without works is dead. (James 2:14-17) So is our spiritual life that should always accom pany practical deeds, responding to the social realities and challenges around us. If not, we are no better than the Pharisees and the Scribes
(Matt 23: 3b-7, 13-15, 23-28ff).
Rev. Dr. R. Annie Watson
Professor, KTC
