02_20_2025

What’s In Your Array Of Spiritual Practices

I am re-committing myself to post what I hope our hopeful thoughts and resources each week to help us sustain ourselves through the challenging times we are living in now.

Where to begin? Following the disastrous fires and resulting damage and losses experienced by those living in the Los Angeles area this Fall was a sobering experience. While I live on the East Coast and am not in danger myself, the event awakened my fears of experiencing such an event.

Shortly thereafter, we witnessed the collision and crashing near Washington, D.C. of the American Airlines flight and the Black Hawk helicopter  where everyone involved was killed.

Every morning when I check in on the news I read about areas in the country that are experiencing damaging weather conditions, e.g., floods, high winds, etc.

We’re also bearing witness to actions that are stripping people of their jobs, medical and food assistance, along with other actions that are putting us all at risk.

For the first time in my life, I am not hearing words of condolence and offers to help coming from the top. Instead, we’re subjected to disinformation, unfounded accusations of blame and neglect.

I’m left with asking myself, How did we lose our humanity? What makes all of this worse is witnessing those who are committing these harmful acts appear to have no shame about their behavior.

To get through this dark period of our history, I’ve concluded that I need to amp up my array of spiritual practices. I hope to address the options available to us in future blogs, but in today’s entry, I want to spend time sharing thoughts – my own and others – exploring the essence of spiritual experiences.

Father Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I,  writing in The Holy Longing tells us that “few words are as misunderstood in the contemporary English language as the word ‘spirituality.’

He goes on to say that “Spiritual practices help guide the choices we make in life, the disciplines, and habits we choose to live by. Our choices and the resources we turn to in an effort to support us will either lead to a greater integration or disintegration within our bodies, minds, and souls, and to a greater integration or disintegration in the way we are related to God, others, and the cosmic world.” 

I have been intrigued by the concept of developing a rich spiritual life since I was a young girl. I went to Catholic schools from K-12, and we had opportunities to sit quietly in a church or a smaller chapel. I experienced those times as soothing. For me, there is something soothing about sitting quietly and pondering the deeper meaning of my life. Taking time to meditate or just simply reflect, having quiet conversations with myself as I explore what’s happening in my life. Early on I mostly thought about spiritual practice as saying prayers, but as I’ve aged and become more comfortable exploring this topic, I’ve learned there are abundant experiences available to us to deepen our inner or spiritual life.

Having been part of many conversations with others, I’ve learned that spirituality has many different meanings. It may include religious rituals or unique practices that we deem spiritual.

Being an introvert, I am drawn to contemplative, quiet practices that allow me to reflect and explore what I am experiencing, thinking, and feeling. I need quiet in order to go deeper in exploring practices that help me live a purposeful, compassionate life of service. I frequently return to writings or experiences that enable me to gain greater clarity about what I mean by “God” and how to explore and experience a relationship with this Divine Source.

If we are going to make it through the ordinary challenges in life along with the add-ons of this dark period in our history, we need well developed and nurtured spiritual resources. I want to be open to living with joy and awe, even in challenging times. I remind myself that life is a gift, and I don’t want to waste it or miss what it has to offer.

While we can exert some control over what we experience in life, we don’t have full control. I have control over how I react and respond. To guide our responses, we benefit from attending to developing a greater self-awareness, investing in self-care, becoming comfortable claiming our unique gifts, and choosing how we can share those  gifts in such a way that they benefit others.

In closing, I share insightful words from Henry Nouwen:

“The spiritual life is not a life before, after, or beyond our everyday existence. No, the spiritual life can 

only be real when it is lived in the midst of the pain and joys of the here and now.”