We are living members of the Body of Christ who need community
“I am part of something so much bigger than myself.”
This thought came to me on the car ride home from a night of praise and worship with several area youth groups. There were probably 150 kids in the St. Catherine Laboure Parish gym for worship and adoration. This was the first of a series of graces that helped me realize that being Catholic meant I was part of the universal Church. It is a blessing to be a member of the Body of Christ.
In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius wrote “Rules for Thinking with the Church.” These aren’t so much rules as nuggets of inspiration to embrace the Church in love. A majority of them are simply encouragements to praise the good gifts God has given us in Catholic life. He praises everything from the sacraments to votive candles. He even says we should praise “long prayers.” Sorry to everyone who loves a short Mass!
Another gift St. Ignatius praises is how the Catholic Church helps us discern and pray. Embracing life in the community of the Church and the authority of her leaders is key to discerning God’s presence. This particular encouragement is a great antidote to the poison of spiritual isolation, which is typical of modern life. We need one another, and that is a good thing.
When someone considers themselves “spiritual but not religious,” they are often reacting against the hypocrisies of the Church. The reality is this worldview allows the sins of others to further separate us from one another. Religion — that is, being part of the Church — fulfills the desire of the human heart to be spiritual together. And when humans gather, it is better to be organized than chaotic.
Unfortunately, those of us within the Church can be just as prone to the “spiritual but not religious” pitfall. Without formally rejecting the Church’s authority, we can isolate ourselves from one another by allowing hurt and mistrust to fester. This, in turn, actually affects our ability to discern God’s presence and call.
We should push against this tendency by embracing being part of the entire people of God. We should seek connection with fellow parishioners, small faith-sharing groups, pastors and yes, the pope and bishops. As Catholics, we put particular trust in prelates to lead and organize the Church. If we discern in a silo or a vacuum, we risk becoming a disconnected spiritual guru rather than a living member of the Body of Christ.
Father Mitchell Baer is associate pastor at Immaculate Conception in Dardenne Prairie.
Spiritual discernment according to St. Ignatius
This is the sixth in a series of six articles exploring the art of spiritual discernment according to St. Ignatius of Loyola. Previous parts of the series included:
1. The art of spiritual discernment involves knowing where we are spiritually so we might know God’s plan and the peace that comes from Him.
2. Asking for God’s grace is one of the keys to growing in spiritual awareness.
3. Learning how the different aspects of the spiritual plan work in our lives.
4. Remaining steadfast in prayer even when on a spiritual roller coaster.
5. Sharing burdens with trusted spiritual guides brings relief and freedom
Read the previous parts at stlreview.com/4b2yWHS .
To learn more about Ignatian discernment, read “The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living,” by Father Timothy Gallagher, OMV.
