4 Questions about Catholic Spirituality

[Guest Julia]

Hi, 

Just wondering if someone would be willing to answer a few questions...

How can Catholics connect with the spiritual?
Is there a difference between spirituality and being religious?
Are they important? Do people need either?
Do secular types of spirituality practices mean as much as religious? I.e. Yoga (Secular) compared to taking the Eucharist (religious)

Thank you very much

[Luigi]

How can Catholics connect with the spiritual?

By praying. By reading the Bible. By receiving the sacraments. By performing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy

Is there a difference between spirituality and being religious?

religious practices are supposed to induce spiritual experiences; however, there is always the danger that religious practices can become rote, and therefore rather meaningless, and therefore not induce spiritual experiences. But that same danger applies to any kind of practice, including yoga, meditation, etc.

Are they important? Do people need either?

I'd say the differences are important. I'd say that people need religious experiences which lead them to God - a specific God - the one, true God - rather than spiritual experiences which are generic, vague feel-good, but which have an undefined focus/object, or worse, a focus/object which is not the one, true God.   

Do secular types of spirituality practices mean as much as religious? I.e. Yoga (Secular) compared to taking the Eucharist (religious)

I have no clue what your first quest here means. I guess it depends on what kind of meaning you're seeking. Or something.

Yoga and the Eucharist (or any other sacrament, for that matter) have exactly nothing in common. They are as different as elephants and cake (this is not an analogy - it's just two very different things that I can think of).

If I'm inferring correctly, I get the impression that you're kind of asking, sub-text, if religious practices make one feel good in an OHHMMMM sort of a way. In my experience, the answer is no, But That's not the point of them, either.

[Didacus]

God gave us free thinking - the devil offered us to mi-use it!

God gave us freedom - the devil offered opportunity to abuse it.  

God gave us virtues, the devil seduces to leave these virtues and thus lead us to an evil state per his own fate.  

The statement is a twist of half-truth and outright lies: a fantasy at best.    

[MarysLittleFlower]

Hi Julia, I'll try too. Catholics connect with the spirtual when we connect with God. The main way we connect with God is by Him acting in our lives through grace. There is actual grace which is like help and encouragement, and sanctifying grace which makes us share in God's own life when our sins are forgiven through Baptism/Confession and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Though God is present in all things, He is not present in the same way. It is possible for Him to indwell our souls in a special way though we remain fully human and free.

For Catholics there is not such a huge difference of being religious or spiritual because our religion is what God uses to come to us and let us experience Him. Keep in mind that we don't see our religion as some man made thing but based on revelation from God, ultimately in Christ who is not just a messenger but the Message too. So when I as a Catholic do religious things, I am coming to God and doing spiritual things too. However, it is possible to do them mechanically and without love which is not what God wishes.

as for importance yes they are important because this is what God has given us for our salvation. He can work in other ways for example if a person is totally ignorant of the truth through no fault,but responds to what he does know - but the ways to come to Him that He has given through the Church are the ordinary ways to be saved.

Regarding your last question, no I don't think they are the same at all. Those secular ways as you call them are more human made attempts while what we have in the Church is what God made. The human made attempts are filled with errors and not according to God's Will because they are not based on a true understanding of God and were not given by Him. He has already given us all that we need. He wants us to be with Him, in union, not trying to live in such a separation.

Things like yoga are actually not secular but come from the Hindu religion - Hatha Yoga was made as a way to prepare the mind for meditation in more advanced yoga... Even though people in the West today have tried making a fitness program out of it. But in any case it does not compare to the Eucharist. The Holy Eucharist is a Sacrament instituted by God where we physically receive Him into ourselves (Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity - the whole Christ, living and loving us there). He comes with limitless graces but our reception of them depends on our disposition. We need to receive after having gone to Confession for any mortal sins, having fasted, and prepared the heart.

Non Catholic religions or spirituality are fallible human attempts to seek something spiritual, sometimes referencing God, sometimes not even going that far. The faith from Christ and His Catholic Church that He built in Peter, are His ways to come and reach down to us. Of course His attempts would be effective and fruitful  we have free will for our response but of course God desires for us to choose Him, especially after He gave His own life for us. God bless you!