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Spirituality
- A Definition
Christian
spirituality has as its starting point the Incarnation
and Pentecost. It begins with the understanding that
God is deep in the flesh of humankind. To say that we
are spiritual is to suggest that our spirits are capable
of receiving the indwelling spirit of God.
Spirituality
is a continual attentiveness to God's self-disclosure
through prayer, worship, and study. It is discovering
ways we can love God through service to humankind. Through
the attentiveness of spirituality, a person's life is
made vibrant, vigorous, and compassionate. It is a holy
life created by God.
Spirituality
is a process of transformation. It is growth in holiness.
It is evidenced by an ever-deepening love of God, self,
and neighbor. It is the metamorphosis of the whole person
-- head, heart, and will. St. Paul describes it
as a transformation of the mind whereby the
mind becomes capable of discerning God's will (Roman's
12:2). He reminds us that it is a continuing creation
of a new heart: "God's love has been poured
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been
given to us" (5:5). He proclaims in bold letters
that the spiritual person is a "new creation" (Galatians
6:15). He holds out the promise of a new life in which
our old ways die and Christ is formed and lives in us
(2:20 and 4:19). And he declares it to be a holy life
that "lives by the spirit" and is "guided
by the spirit" (5:25).
At
its best, spirituality combines the cognitive and the
experiential, the scholastic and the mystical. We cannot
divorce the head from the heart, feelings from thinking,
or the intellect from personal experience.
Finally,
mature Christian spirituality describes a state in which
the three traditional functions of humankind - the intellect,
the affections, and the will - are in concord with the
intellect, the affections, and the will of God. The Eastern
Church calls this state divinization. The West calls
it sanctification. It is nothing less than a person being
recreated in the image and likeness of God.
The
educational programs of Gloria Dei! are designed so that
the head is challenged and trained, the heart is transformed
by the experience of the indwelling Spirit, and the will
generates a life of love.
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The
Purpose of The Church
The
primary purpose of the congregation is to assist and encourage
people to grow deeper in their faith toward God, to become
more lovingly intimate with God, and as a result to love
God, others, and self more.
The
church's gifts to the world are spiritually alive lay
people empowered to live out their faith, active in love,
where they dwell and work.
The
better the church feeds; educates; fosters love for God,
others, and self; and inspires their members for service,
the more Christians will stimulate the world's people
to serve one another.
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The
Challenge for The Church
The
challenge for the church is to herald a vision of service
that grows out of a person's deep spiritual connectedness
to God and a sense of oneness with humankind. To achieve
this kind of faith, active in love, it is mandatory for
the church to be doctrinally sound, theologically contextual,
liturgically vital, and spiritually active, invigorating,
and refreshing. A poor diet will not do in a sophisticated
world where hungry hearts cry out for greater nourishment
and sustenance.
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Longing
For God
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Built
into the deepest part of the human spirit is
a desire for intimacy with God. The psalmist
says it this way:
As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
(Psalm
42:1-2)
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The
desire, longing, or thirsting for God is both similar
to and different from desire for intimacy and community
with other humans. God saw that "it is not good
for the man to be alone" and made a companion for
him (Genesis 2:18). This text not only illustrates the
creation of family but communicates something much deeper.
Humans have a natural inclination to be in community.
Woven into the created fabric of humankind is the need
to be in relationship with someone greater than our finite
selves. In short, we long for God, the creator.
While
maintaining relationships with other humans is difficult,
at least one can see, smell, touch, and speak to another
person. God does not appear to be so easily accessible.
Even if we are not proficient practitioners of the art
of dialogue, we at least understand how human communication
takes place. How does one communicate with God? Indeed,
many ask an even more basic question: Can we
communicate with God? Certainly God speaks to us through
Scripture, sacraments, sermons, and the person of Jesus.
God also speaks to us through prayer. Prayer is nothing
more than dialogue with God. It involves speaking and
listening. The better we listen for God, the more attentive
we are to God's presence, the greater is our intimacy
with God.
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