Recently I read an article with which I had much resonance. It was an article about spirituality more than religion. I know sometimes that distinction can be vague, but let’s use these words from Celine Reinoso, writer of the article, to pursue the difference in meaning. She wrote an attractive essay entitled, “Straying from the church and grounding my faith in nature.” Her essay is one that I think a huge number of students in my college classes would relate to.
Basically her story is a story of pilgrimage---spiritual pilgrimage. She grew up in a fairly traditional Roman Catholic Church and that tradition is part of her very being. Clearly to me, she has a desire in her heart for the promise of God and the church. I can relate to that. Although I have never been a card-carrying member of the Catholic Church, I feel like I understand it pretty well. Once a Catholic, always a Catholic, people have quipped. And at one level, it is true. Even Catholics will laugh at this in a knowing kind of way.
Reinoso’s pilgrimage led to her involvement in campus ministry. I am sure this seemed like a natural move to her. She gives us a sense for her journey when she shares these words. “When I was in college, I experienced my first shift in my spirituality that actually brought me closer to the Christian God and Scripture. Learning about stories of Jesus and how he was an advocate for the poor helped me in my decision to apply for a service program.” It was in a service context that things began to shift a bit.
She volunteered to become involved in a program at the US-Mexico border. There she began to notice the shift. The shift was away from the biblical tradition and doctrine. She does not deny those, but at the same time realized the life-giving power was coming from another source. As she puts it, “Instead, I have found faith through my relationships with people, often in nonreligious or non-Catholic settings. I feel a connection to a higher power and a sense of purpose because of humanity and people's capacity for good, not necessarily because of a book written thousands of years ago.” This is the part with which I resonated.
As she declares, she has new forms of revelation and relating to God. Here it is in her words. “Those forms, for me, are through people and nature.” Like Reinoso, I find God working through people. Some folks seem to be instruments of the Divine speaking and action. I am not thinking at the high level, like the saints of the church. I am think about rather ordinary people doing some extraordinary things. And sometimes those folks are actually doing some pretty routine things, but doing them in a remarkable way.
And nature is a time-honored way to get closer to the Holy One. We certainly live much of our lives in somewhat artificial, controlled ways. Houses and cars are now heated and air-conditioned, so that we rarely open either up to the world around us. People cannot exercise without music in their ear. And so the modern life can be described. Open yourself to other folks and to nature.
These do not replace the Bible and doctrine. But they might seem newer, fresher. They may be much more alive for some of us. Once more, I found Reinoso’s way of articulating it to be refreshing. She laments, “I realized I was unable to explore my personal faith in isolation.” Some of us do find God in a book in a library. I had plenty of those experiences. But Reinoso also notes a truth for me. It is in community that revelation also happens.
What we get from this communal source is what Reinoso calls “lived experiences.” Hear her describe it: “Through human connection and witnessing lived experiences, I learned of different interpretations of life and human purpose, which I struggled to find in the Bible.” I am not surprised I was drawn to her reference to human connection and purpose. Those are my continual quests. Like her, “I now find myself eager to listen to people's personal understanding and expressions of faith to lead me to my own.” Their life stories help me look at and understand my own life story. When they share, it is as if they invite me along on their spiritual journey.
It is precisely in this sense of journey where Reinoso and I join as co-travelers. She confesses, “My renewed spiritual journey entails a discovery of my soul and transcendent purpose. I find support on this journey in my community, friends, mentors and even strangers. And sometimes, I find answers to my questions on my sunset walks admiring the mountains.” I connect with that notion of a journey to discover my soul and transcendent purpose. If I can do that before I die, I will have deeply satisfied my quest for the truth of my life.
I will continue to read the Bible. And surely as a historian of the church, I value what history, tradition and doctrine can teach. But I am also sufficiently Quaker enough to know that it all starts with experience. It is as much heart work as it is head work. For sure, I am going to need fellow pilgrims. Some come in the form of essay, like Reinoso’s, and others will be real life companions literally on the journey with me. Community is crucial to my spirituality.
.
Basically her story is a story of pilgrimage---spiritual pilgrimage. She grew up in a fairly traditional Roman Catholic Church and that tradition is part of her very being. Clearly to me, she has a desire in her heart for the promise of God and the church. I can relate to that. Although I have never been a card-carrying member of the Catholic Church, I feel like I understand it pretty well. Once a Catholic, always a Catholic, people have quipped. And at one level, it is true. Even Catholics will laugh at this in a knowing kind of way.
Reinoso’s pilgrimage led to her involvement in campus ministry. I am sure this seemed like a natural move to her. She gives us a sense for her journey when she shares these words. “When I was in college, I experienced my first shift in my spirituality that actually brought me closer to the Christian God and Scripture. Learning about stories of Jesus and how he was an advocate for the poor helped me in my decision to apply for a service program.” It was in a service context that things began to shift a bit.
She volunteered to become involved in a program at the US-Mexico border. There she began to notice the shift. The shift was away from the biblical tradition and doctrine. She does not deny those, but at the same time realized the life-giving power was coming from another source. As she puts it, “Instead, I have found faith through my relationships with people, often in nonreligious or non-Catholic settings. I feel a connection to a higher power and a sense of purpose because of humanity and people's capacity for good, not necessarily because of a book written thousands of years ago.” This is the part with which I resonated.
As she declares, she has new forms of revelation and relating to God. Here it is in her words. “Those forms, for me, are through people and nature.” Like Reinoso, I find God working through people. Some folks seem to be instruments of the Divine speaking and action. I am not thinking at the high level, like the saints of the church. I am think about rather ordinary people doing some extraordinary things. And sometimes those folks are actually doing some pretty routine things, but doing them in a remarkable way.
And nature is a time-honored way to get closer to the Holy One. We certainly live much of our lives in somewhat artificial, controlled ways. Houses and cars are now heated and air-conditioned, so that we rarely open either up to the world around us. People cannot exercise without music in their ear. And so the modern life can be described. Open yourself to other folks and to nature.
These do not replace the Bible and doctrine. But they might seem newer, fresher. They may be much more alive for some of us. Once more, I found Reinoso’s way of articulating it to be refreshing. She laments, “I realized I was unable to explore my personal faith in isolation.” Some of us do find God in a book in a library. I had plenty of those experiences. But Reinoso also notes a truth for me. It is in community that revelation also happens.
What we get from this communal source is what Reinoso calls “lived experiences.” Hear her describe it: “Through human connection and witnessing lived experiences, I learned of different interpretations of life and human purpose, which I struggled to find in the Bible.” I am not surprised I was drawn to her reference to human connection and purpose. Those are my continual quests. Like her, “I now find myself eager to listen to people's personal understanding and expressions of faith to lead me to my own.” Their life stories help me look at and understand my own life story. When they share, it is as if they invite me along on their spiritual journey.
It is precisely in this sense of journey where Reinoso and I join as co-travelers. She confesses, “My renewed spiritual journey entails a discovery of my soul and transcendent purpose. I find support on this journey in my community, friends, mentors and even strangers. And sometimes, I find answers to my questions on my sunset walks admiring the mountains.” I connect with that notion of a journey to discover my soul and transcendent purpose. If I can do that before I die, I will have deeply satisfied my quest for the truth of my life.
I will continue to read the Bible. And surely as a historian of the church, I value what history, tradition and doctrine can teach. But I am also sufficiently Quaker enough to know that it all starts with experience. It is as much heart work as it is head work. For sure, I am going to need fellow pilgrims. Some come in the form of essay, like Reinoso’s, and others will be real life companions literally on the journey with me. Community is crucial to my spirituality.
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