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But I think we\u2019re a little bit scared of spirituality. If my hunch is right, then there are some good reasons for it. Over the last fifty years of the revolution in the Catholic Church \u2018spirituality\u2019 has developed a bad reputation. Catechesis which should have focused on doctrine focused on \u2018relationships\u2019 instead. People substituted sentimentality for spiritual direction and relativity for true religion.<\/p>\n

Sister Sandals and Father Folkmass wanted to make the faith \u2018relevant\u2019 and so they began to explore Buddhism<\/a> and labyrinths and \u2018earth religions\u2019 and \u2018feminist spiritualities\u2019. Spurred on by spurious psychologies they were all about \u2018self discovery\u2019 and their favorite mantra became, \u201cThe kingdom of God is within you\u201d which they interpreted as \u201cYou are the kingdom of God\u201d or \u201cWhatever turns you on baby. That is the kingdom of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

OK. This was swingback. They were probably reacting to a pre-Vatican II Catholic religion that they had experienced as legalistic, sometimes harsh and rigid. They were reacting against a religion that seemed to be over sacramentalized and under evangelized. They were reacting against a religion that was highly institutionalized and formally structured. They wanted something good. They wanted their faith to be real and they wanted people to \u2018have an encounter with Christ.\u2019 They wanted the faith to \u2018come alive\u2019!<\/p>\n

The problem is that they were not properly grounded and rooted in real Catholicism. They \u00a0went off on some New Age tangent and cut themselves off from the riches of the church. In their attempt to affirm they couldn\u2019t resist denying. They couldn\u2019t be content to snoop through other religions and spiritual traditions and perhaps glean something from them or allow the other perspective to lighten their way a little. In their enthusiasm they had to throw out what they had, and adopt something totally alien to the Catholic faith.<\/p>\n

Consequently those who want to be faithful Catholics have swung back the other way. \u2018Spirituality\u2019 is now associated with nuns dressed in overalls and priests in jeans either conducting workshops on \u2018Channelling your Spirit Guide\u2019 or \u2018the Wild Man\u2019s Journey \u2018 which means getting naked and howling at the moon in a sweat lodge.<\/p>\n

At the same time the \u2018renewal movement\u2019 took Catholics in yet another direction\u2013one which was also subjective, sentimental and suspiciously un-Catholic. Catholics who were not taken over by New Age Nuns and Flakey Friars were captivated by \u2018gifts in the Spirit\u2019 and \u2018healing ministries\u2019 and \u2018signs and wonders\u2019. <\/p>\n

Still others substituted social activism for spirituality. It was all about justice and peace and making the world a better place. The spirituality of social struggle became their prayer.
No wonder ordinary Catholic became suspicious, and for \u2018spirituality\u2019 the conservative Catholic is more likely to resort to the tried and true classic Catholic spiritual writers and devotional practices.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong. I\u2019m not down on St Francis de Sales or St Louis de Montfort. I\u2019m all for novenas and scapulars and all that good stuff. However, there is also room for a more creative spirituality\u2013a truly Catholic spirituality that is rooted in Scripture, the magisterium and the lives of the saints, and yet is also creative, positive and which connects with ordinary people alive in our world today.<\/p>\n

The religious climate being what it is, I suspect that anything new and \u2018creative\u2019 will be met with suspicion by \u2018conservative Catholics.\u2019 That\u2019s okay. But at the same time, we do need to be open to the Holy Spirit and seek new ways to share not only the apologetical arguments and doctrinal and moral teachings of the church, but also a spirituality that touches people\u2019s lives and deepens their commitment to Christ and his church.<\/p>\n

The faith does need to come alive and there\u2019s nothing wrong with seeking \u2018the encounter with Christ\u2019. The tragedy is, the more conservative Catholics retreat from this sort of religion and remain suspicious of it, the more we will find ordinary Catholics tootling off to find what they are searching for elsewhere. Therefore we must help the faithful find that \u2018real religion\u2019 by digging deep and discovering all the riches of the church\u2013the riches of theology, liturgy, art and architecture, literature, prayer and poetry, meditation, contemplation and a life truly alive in Christ.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"