Someone who claims that they are “spiritual” is, without thinking, is merely telling you that they are alive. I heard that exact phrase from a man who was an altar server in his youth. Just where did God go, and what has happened to Him, one then wonders. I think the authority issues are correct. Indeed, why give event part of one day up to something or Someone whom you no longer believe in - or no longer desire to serve?
Basic requirements, yet is that all? Is that enough? Jesus commanded more from us. We are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). If we keep all of His commands (Matthew 28:20, John 15:1), if we eat His Body and drink His Blood (Matthew 26 and John 6 cannot be excluded), we then remain in Him and He in us (John 15:4). Now, that is personal. A good part of this involves our interrelationship by making His Church into His living, breathing Body on earth - His highest authority on earth (Matthew 18:17). That is clear from scripture. Yet, there is more.
Each part of the body is judged even as the entire body is judged (Matthew 5:29, Mark 9:47). Christ is personal, and there is no such thing as an impersonal relationship with Him. Yet, this obsession with solely the personal aspect of the relationship can cheat the Body, which is included in the entire being. In recent centuries, particularly in America, Jesus’ reality of Church has been greatly dumbed down, resulting in this nebulous and fragmentary concept of a “personal relationship”. Jesus would not have said “Church” if He did not mean the entire body of believers. Paul says we are all parts of Christ’s Body, which is the Church (Ephesians 5:23, Colossians 1:18, 1:24)
So happy for you and your wife!! :extrahappy::dancing::clapping:
I see nothing in the Catholic Church that discourages that relationship, I feel closer in His Church.
OTOH, it can become license to judge traditions as “empty”. We must always be careful not to judge what we do not know. Even if some traditions may seem “empty”, we do not know how it moves in other peoples’ hearts.
Indeed! A relationship, especially a personal one, requires sacrifice. If they are not sacrificing - if they are not denying themselves, taking up their crosses, and only then, following Jesus, it cannot be a relationship at all. It is fandom, and little more. For those who are not even baptized, as C.A.R.M. (and others) teaches, it can be the road to perdition.Some people, who I know, like to tout the “personal relationship” mantra. I believe that we all need a personal relationship with Christ.
The problem starts when “personal relationship” means “you can’t tell me how to do it”. This can become another rejection of authority, rather than a closer walk. Not everyone uses the phrase this way, but I know a couple of people who do.
The other problem that comes from the “me and Jesus” idea, suddenly anything that involves tradition seems to block the “personal” aspect. They may no longer need to seek out others in church, or may reject church traditions altogether. In my parents lives, it became “I don’t need a church to be a Christian”.
I believe that the attitude of " Not dependent on a church, only on Christ" stems from rebellion. We want our own way, so we rationalize our ideas. When we stop trying to submit to Christ, we can fall into many traps that let us have our “own way”. Many people are raised in this “do it your own way” church philosophy, so they are blind to the beauty of the Church and Tradition. This may explain why we see so many “independent churches”. The whole idea of “independent” churches would have seemed ridiculous to the early Christians.
I do not question their sincerity, nor their love of Jesus. I am certain that they are God loving people, just a little misdirected.
Amen!
I used to say I was more spiritual than religious and it had nothing to do with authority. It had to do with who was asking the question.