How do you know your spirituality?

[toknowservelove]

This is something I’ve been pondering for some time. I can’t seem to quite pin mine down. I asked my spiritual director and she asked me what my prayer life was like. It was our first time meeting and I gave her an answer, but now I’m pondering it more.

I’m also discerning, so I’m wondering if figuring this out might help me to narrow my search for an order, or if this is all just part of our journey towards God–a constant searching for what spirituality means, with the Church giving us many options to choose from for different times in our lives.

So, do you know your spirituality? Does it change? How did you discover it?

 

[BarbaraTherese]

This is something I’ve been pondering for some time. I can’t seem to quite pin mine down. I asked my spiritual director and she asked me what my prayer life was like. It was our first time meeting and I gave her an answer, but now I’m pondering it more.

I’m also discerning, so I’m wondering if figuring this out might help me to narrow my search for an order, or if this is all just part of our journey towards God–a constant searching for what spirituality means, with the Church giving us many options to choose from for different times in our lives.

So, do you know your spirituality? Does it change? How did you discover it?

Hi there TKSL!..This can depend on what your definition of spirituality may be.
Certainly with myself, I was drawn in my teen years to the great classics of spiritual literature…much of which I could not understand but as the years rolled on (I am now 62yrs) experience gave me insight and continues to do so.
Spiritually I am drawn to a more quiet and contemplative life by temperament and by attraction and though this road can be very hard at times, the underlying attraction remains and so Grace building on nature keeps me in a more contemplative style of living despite any difficulties on this road…I am a lay person under private vows with direction incidentally.

with the Church giving us many options to choose from for different times in our

I am not too sure what you may mean by this.
The concepts presented in the great classical works of spirituality have never changed and I am sure never will. Some can find it very hard to impossible to translate these concepts into modern day life. I tend to think this is a personal problem rather than any problem with these great works of spiritual literature.
If I was asked to sum up my type of spirituality … then I dont think I can other than to say I have a natural leaning towards contemplative type living, and I dont think that it is necessary to do so (define one’s spirituality). I must admit I tend to think of types of spirituality as: Benedictine, Carmelite, Dominican, Franciscan etc. …(Benedictine/hospitality - Carmelite/Contemplative Prayer - Dominican/learning - Franciscan/joyful brotherly love)… probably at some point I share in each of their particular charisms without total emphasis on any one. And I also think that though these Orders have their particular charism, they also share in all charisms. The other thing I would think of in connection to spirituality would be active or contemplative…and again at times I am one and at times the other. Although I think that contemplative living - the fruits of contemplation - is the ‘fire’ or fuel to active living.

Blessings this Easter…Barb

 

[BarbaraTherese]

It has just occured to me since I am in the Vocations Forum that you may be seeking to define your type of spirituality re the discernment of vocation and which Order to enter. And re reading your Post, you obviously are!!! Your director should be able to help you in this probably better than any other…the other option nowadays with the internet is to investigate the lifestyles of the various Orders looking for one that seems to ‘fit’ or ‘sit right’ - one that attracts you. Strictly speaking, it is not necessary to be able to define your spirituality with any sort of precision to start the early stages of discernment. You may have a leaning already to either monastic living or a more active lifestyle and the type of ministry that draws you. You could then discuss this with your director, as well as make contact with the actual Order to find out more and answer any questions and perhaps look at discernment which also involves the religious order/community in question.
The journey of spirituality is in actuality the journey of our relationship with and to God - and you are quite correct, it is a lifetime of striving - and it can have many twists and turns and it is probably in these that our director is of most help to us, while when the ‘running is smooth’ he/she can also get insight into our hearts and souls and hence know how to direct us if the going should get tough in some way.
Our goal is Heaven.
Never be afraid to question your director until you are sure of what the response actually is…and never be afraid to ‘put your director on the spot’ insisting on an answer if you really need one.

You have only had one visit with your director and you will probably need to give him/her time to get to know you and certainly asking about your prayer life is like the pulse of your spirituality…or where you are in your spiritual journey. Broadly speaking, the great classics have divided the journey into stages and each of the classics may give different terms for the same stage or stages, or perhaps give great attention to some particular stage.
Your prayer life can be indicative to your director of where you may actually be in this journey.
…Blessings - Barb