If we're not joining an order, do we have to pick just one spirituality?

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Tis_Bearself

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So if I were joining the Jesuits I’d be learning Ignatian spirituality. If I were joining the Carmelites I’d be practicing Carmelite Spirituality.

Circumstances in my life are making it highly unlikely I’ll ever join any order though.

Assuming I never join an order, do I have to pick a particular spirituality?
Can I do some of each?
Is this a stupid question?
 
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It all sounds over-complicated to me. Anything that draws you closer to God is good … prayers, charity etc… I can’t pretend to know about either order though tbh.
 
I see no reason why you should be restricted to just one particular method of spirituality. All of them are good so it can’t hurt to do some of each.
 
sudy said:
It all sounds over-complicated to me
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Me too. I can kind of understand when you form an order, you need to have a mission statement and processes for how you do things. Different orders are like different work teams doing different things.
But if you are just doing stuff on your own then why not explore different spiritualities?
 
I don´t think this is a stupid question! Rather one that goes deeper than on the first glance. Some thoughts on this:
Sometimes I wonder if deciding for one particular way of spirituality is (bad comparison, I know) like training a certain sport. Of course we could go running thursday, boxing wednesday and dancing friday, and we will see many interesting different things, learn from different trainers. But we maybe won´t become masters in one discipline. Maybe because we don´t train the needed muscles often enough or gain enough experience like someone commited to one thing. Maybe it´s a thought also on spirituality.
Picking one also could help against the natural human tendence to go the easiest way, as we maybe could miss the point when we skip a spiritual training because of feeling stuck rather than because of healthy curiosity.
For me, I would decide where my weak points lay - skipping to early or being sometimes too close-minded.
For you, you appear to me as deeply connected with the faith and aware of jesus no matter which way you chose or how eclectically you live your catholic spirituality. So, please don´t take this as offending 🙂
 
Mother Teresa’s role in the world always appealed to me most. Apparently she’d spend an hour daily before the Blessed Sacrament and then go out into the world, see those in need and do what she could to help them… recognising Our Lord in those people. Doing what we all should be doing, really. Remarkable woman.

You could formulate your own mission. Take ideas that you can work with from the orders you’re reading about. Some people work well out in the world and some are better suited to a more contemplative life.
 
I think it’s an interesting question…actually one I’ve thought of before myself. But I really don’t know very much at all about the different spiritualities. I’m still stuck on trying to do just the basics each day and don’t have a lot of extra time for exploring the differences. But I think it’s fascinating that the Church even has all these different spiritualities and disciplines.

I am assuming that after exploring them, one would appeal most to you. On the other hand, I would say there seems no harm at all in incorporating the elements of any of them that appeal to you.

But I think Alice raised some interesting and valid points. There is a lot of truth in the statement that you can either go a mile-wide and an inch deep, or an inch-wide but a mile deep. It really depends on you and your circumstances and what you hope to achieve. And of course, this can change over the years as well.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
Assuming I never join an order, do I have to pick a particular spirituality?
Can I do some of each?
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I think it’s possible to appreciate facets of different spiritualities. But I think that appreciation is probably on the surface. If you want to go deeper, then I think you will ultimately find one spirituality that fits and nourishes you.
 
That’s wonderful. I think I read that story some years ago but forgot the saint’s name and always thought of St. Seraphim as the bear saint. I won’t be eating any mules though.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
… do I have to pick a particular spirituality?
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Maybe you already have a particular spirituality and just need to explore just which it is. When picking out a confirmation name, an older lady in the parish said my given names are saints name and they have already been influencing me. I read up on my saint names. Wow. She was right. I also have an affinity for saints who were Franciscan; St. Jean Vianney, St. Padre Pio, St. Didacus of Alcala, and St. Junipero Serra.

Read up on your favorite saints, and find out through them why they influence you.
 
Secular, lay spirituality may draw from all forms, according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Our faith is a blessed cornucopia of devotion. For example, if you tend too much toward the material, look at the Franciscans. If you focus on the passion of Christ, look into the Passionists. If you evangelize, consider Dominican spirituality. The horizon is wide open.

It’s like having that box of chocolates, but you already know what you will get.
 
It is not a stupid question.

If you don’t take the third order route, you can follow any spirituality you wish. It is less confusing to choose one, but you can do anything that works for you.

You can probably do the same thing if you do join a religious order. I am friendly with my parish Sacristan who is a nun. Like me, she has developed an affinity to the Holy Spirit. She questioned it to me. My advice as a layperson was that anyone can have a hobby. You can live your charism, but in your spare time, there is nothing wrong with doing a Holy Spirit rosary or praying specifically to Him.

I have been open during my discernment that the Holy Spirit has been very influential to me on this new path I am on. So far, it hasn’t been a problem as long as I can fully commit to their charism.

I think few things are cut and dry in the spiritual realm. It seems like everyone I am talking to has done the Spiritual Exercises and does a daily Examine of Conscience. None are Jesuits.
 
Good question, and thank you for asking it. I’m drawn to Ignatian, Dominican, and Augustinian spirituality. I always wondered if I had to pick just one.
 
Even if you do join an Order, you don’t always need to pick a spirituality. My own encourages us to develop our own in the way which draws us closer to God. We see each spirituality as contributing to the good of the Order, even if historically there has been a prevalence of a hodgepodge of Augustinian and Carmelite spirituality. We simply bring our spirituality together in the enactment of that spirituality in the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Personally, I am a blend of Trappist, Ignatian and Franciscan spirituality. (An odd blend, I know, but it works for me.)

God bless,
Br. Ben, CRM
 
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I like this idea of reading up on saints. Unfortunately, of the handful of saints I could call patrons, most of them didn’t have an order because they were from the very early centuries of the Church or else lived a secular life. I have one favorite saint who’s a Jesuit and a couple who were Carmelites.
 
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