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WHY DO CATHOLICS...?
Each week, we update this page with a new question to be answered about our Catholic faith. Questions are archived after they have been posted. If you have a question about the Catholic faith that you would like to submit, email Faith Formation chair, Joyce Hansen, at faithform@abecket.org, Adult Faith Formation Director Laura Broyles at laura.broyles@abecket.org, or leave a note in the Faith Formation box in the Parish Office.

Why does the Catholic Church seem to put so much emphasis on being “religious”? Isn’t it more important to be a “spiritual” person? Or are they the same?

Religion and spirituality are related to one another and should go hand in hand, but they are not identical. Religion is the way in which a group of people express their acknowledgement of God. It is a system of beliefs, morals, and practices related to God that joins its members into a community. Thus, a “religious” person is one who adheres to such a system in the company of fellow believers. Spirituality is the way in which a person seeks an intimate connection with the divine. So a “spiritual” person seeks to deepen their personal relationship with God. Spirituality should always be guided by what is objectively true, lest it become relativistic and detached from reality. Since religion seeks to guide people to what is objectively true, one best engages in the spiritual life in the context of a community of religious faith.

Many people in our culture seek to separate religion and spirituality. They say they dislike religion, but they claim to be very spiritual. The danger is that their spiritual journey, unbalanced by a community of religious faith, may not lead them toward objective truth about God. It is like having some hearty oatmeal to eat. The source of nourishment is there, you are hungry, but did you ever try eating oatmeal without a bowl to put it in. It is not very productive and messy! You need the bowl (religion)!

By the same token, a person can be very immersed in the “religious” external practices and be devoid of deep spirituality, almost as though they just belong to a nice club! Jesus himself took issue with the Pharisees and Sadducees of his time for the same kind of thing. You need both spirituality and religion!

Laura Broyles, Adult Faith Formation Director
laura.broyles@abecket.org

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