St. Edward on the Lake, Lakeport, MI | DOWNLOAD AUDIO
May 25, 2014
Acts 8:5-8, 14-17; 1 Pet 3:15-18; Jn 14:15-21
It’s a popular thing today for people to say, “I’m spiritual, but not religious”. But what do people mean when they say that? Well by spiritual, people usually mean that they believe in a higher power, a power that is greater than them, and that there’s more to life and this world than what we see. People naturally seek this “higher power”, they seek what is “sacred”, and that’s what is often defined as “spirituality” – the search for a higher and more meaningful existence.
When people use the word “religion”, they often think of institutions, rituals, doctrine, rules, sermons on sin and judgment, and that sort of thing. For many people, “religion” is confining, rigid, and is therefore often thought of as a bad word even opposed to spirituality. So when people call themselves “spiritual, but not religious”, they do so because they recognize the search for the sacred (because it is natural), but they don’t want to be bound or tied to anything formal.
So what’s wrong with that? Much of the problem with that has to do with commitment, or rather being non-committal. This is a culture that by and large does not like to commit to things. We are allergic to commitment. The truth is that this is a cultural problem…and it is a big problem.
This is more than just our own unfinished or half-completed projects at home. In this age of multitasking, we take on so much that we leave much of it unfinished. It runs on a much wider scale than that. It is reflected in the world of social media (which I commented on a little last week). In the virtual world of social networking, I can friend you and unfriend you at will. I can even unfriend you without you even knowing. Social networking has in many ways distorted our concept of friendship. Real friends are those you commit to.
But you can also see the commitment issue unfold in how few weddings there are these days. People are simply not getting married anymore or are getting married at a much later age. On the rise, however, are things such as cohabitation and “hook-ups” neither of which requires any sort of commitment. And then of course, you see it in how membership in churches has declined over the past several years.
But the ability to make commitments to another is important in becoming a responsible and even successful person. Whether it’s in business or sports or school, commitment leads to success. It allows one to focus one’s efforts toward something in order for it to flourish. The same is true with relationships. The ability to commit to someone either on a friendship level or romantic level allows that relationship to grow.
And the same is true with our relationship with God. When I commit to Him, I focus my efforts on growing closer to Him. “Spiritual, but not religious,” however, is another way of saying, “I love God, but I don’t want to commit to Him”. I want all of the benefits of a relationship with Him without any obligation toward Him. Which in the end is like cohabitation – it’s a very selfish way to express one’s love. Because the reality is that love that is true is not selfish at all. True love binds itself to the one that it loves. That’s why religion is an important part of being a… human. The word “religion” means, “to bind”. Religion is how we bind ourselves – or commit ourselves – to God. Religion is how we – not just individuals but also as a Church – express and profess our commitment to God. It’s not enough to say that we believe in God or even that we love God. That’s easy. It requires nothing of ourselves to say that we love God. It doesn’t cost us anything. It doesn’t require any investment on our part to say that we love God. But do you love God enough to bind yourself to Him? Or do you want a quick and easy out, you know, just in case.
So how do we bind ourselves to God? Jesus says simply by proving our love for Him by following what He says. Mother Angelica used to say, “Love is proved by obedience”. Jesus Himself in the Gospel today says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments”. Pretty simple, right? Don’t just tell me that you love me. Prove it. Keep my commandments. Those who are “spiritual, but not religious” say that they don’t like the rules. The truth is that they do follow rules and doctrine; they simply have rules and doctrine that fit their own desires that turn Jesus into someone who is in their own image and likeness.
But it’s Jesus who forms us, not the other way around. Religion binds us to God on His terms, not ours. And that’s good because we are not the authors of life; God is. We do not have the words to eternal life; Peter reminds us that Christ does. We do not know the way to complete happiness; God does. And when we bind ourselves to Him on His terms, He carries us there.
People today simply don’t like religion because it makes demands on them. It challenges us. Catholicism in particular makes some very hard demands, unpopular demands, which is why the world hates the Catholic Church. Yes, He demands a lot from us – just like any good parent, any good coach, any good teacher. But because we trust in the One who makes these demands, they will lead us to what is best for us. “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
Why are we afraid to commit ourselves to God? Do we think that if we surrender ourselves into His care, we’re going to get burned? Jesus says, “I will not leave you orphans”. No one who has ever surrendered him or herself to Jesus has ended up disappointed. May each of us learn how to trust Jesus with our hearts and our lives, so that He might bring us to eternal joy.
