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Today's
Quotation:
But I also see the world of religion.
I see some of my brothers
and sisters
trying to be
religious without being fully human. They seem a little rigid
and narrow at times, wanting
to
be holy, but not human.
They seem to be
winning a place in
heaven, without
realizing or enjoying the beauty of earth. They keep the ten commandments, but their observance
looks so joyless. Such
a world seems small and the air in that world is small.
John Powell (a Jesuit monk)
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Today's
Meditation:
There
is a huge difference between religion and
spirituality. Religions tend to want to categorize
life, to make up rules that will keep people all doing the
same things, believing the same things. Religions rely
on ceremonies and traditions-- as well as the comfort levels
that these things bring people-- to keep people "in
line." Religions somehow tend to be seen as
"what God wants," and people get so caught up in
the trappings of religion that they often completely lose
sight of God, the original purpose of the religion.
We
are human beings, and we are living here on an absolutely
beautiful planet for a very short period of time. We
must take full advantage of both our humanity and our
spirituality and our setting if life is to mean anything to
us. If we get too caught up in ceremonies and rituals
created by people, we can easily lose sight of all of the
wonderful things that are around us all the time.
Our
spirits are unique, individual, and very much alive.
Our relationship with God is just that-- our unique
relationship. If we allow others to tell us what that
relationship should be like, how we should act in it, how we
should act towards God, then our relationship loses all of
its spontaneity, all of its vitality, and we begin to live
what turns out to be a shallow substitute for a healthy
relationship.
Religions
should be about strengthening our personal relationships
with God, whatever we perceive God to be. If they aren't doing that, or if even worse
they're dampening that relationship, then it's time to
re-evaluate our relationship with our religion.
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