SPIRITUAL POINTS

SPIRITUAL POINTS 

Spirituality, in fact, is a unique experience that is deeply rooted in the reality of the spiritual aspect of our being. My major interest here shall be on Christian spirituality. What is Christian spirituality? To this one question many answers can be giving. The unique thing about Christian spirituality is that it is centered on Christ; it is a human journey in the spirit of Christ. Remove Christ from it and it is no longer Christian spirituality, but a human mode of thinking. Today when the word spirituality is mentioned people usually think in terms of prayer, fasting, spiritual gifts, miracles etc. But are all these that there is to Christian spirituality? Christian spirituality is indeed more than what many people today think it is. In the lines that follow, I shall try to highlight some key aspects of Christian spirituality with strong biblical foundation. I hope at the end you may come to discover too that Christian spirituality is more than what most think and envision.

CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY: AN INVITATION: Christian spirituality begins with an invitation. Christ does not force, he invites. He does not break closed doors, he knocks. He says to us: “open the door of your life that I may come in- give me a chance to live in you”. Here what we have is a divine invitation and not a spiritual destination. It is not the wish of Christ that we remain spiritual invitees forever. Those who choose to remain at this point face a serious danger. Divine invitation mostly comes through an instrument. It could be through a minister, a neighbour or through a spiritual book. This is where the danger lies; we can become more familiar with these instruments and less familiar with Christ. In Luke 3:3-7, Christ extended his invitation to a crowd through John: “Turn away from your sins and be baptized and God will forgive you your sins”. They responded to this invitation but remained at that point. It is one thing to know great men of God, and another thing to be a great man of God. The mark of true spirituality does not rest on knowing great men of God but in being a great man of God.

PARTICIPATION: Spiritual participation is another point in Christian spirituality. Here, we participate in almost all the spiritual activities carried out in the body of Christ, which is actually a good thing to do. But again, this is not, and should not be, an end point. Those who approach this spiritual point with an endpoint mentality end up participating in the things of Christ without understanding the person of Christ. In John 6, when Christ multiplied five loaves and two fish, the crowd participated in this mysterious banquet. In verse 25, the same crowd came looking for Jesus, but he said to them, “you are looking for me because you ate the bread and had all you wanted, not because you understood the miracle”. They participated but they never understood. One can participate in the activities of Christ without participating in the life of Christ. True Christian spirituality is not all about participating in the things of Christ but participating in the life of Christ through an intimate knowledge of the person of Christ.

ADMIRATION: Everything about Christ is admirable! As we grow spiritually, we come to that point where this truth becomes for us an unavoidable reality. At this point we admire almost everything about Christ: his words, miracles and actions. This indeed is a beautiful spiritual point. It is good to admire the person of Christ. Nonetheless, our relationship with Christ must go beyond mere admiration. Christ is not merely an object of admiration. In Luke 4:1-30, Christ entered a synagogue and the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. After reading from it and speaking to the people, “they were all impressed with him and marvelled at the eloquent words that he spoke. They said, isn't he the son of Joseph?” They were impressed, they marvelled, they admired his words and eloquence. But that was all! They never welcomed him. It is not the passionate admiration of the word of God or the person of Christ that defines true Christian spirituality but a sincere adherence to the living word of God.

IDENTIFICATION: Identifying with Christ is another spiritual point in Christian spirituality. At this point we associate with Christ in such a way that people see and relate with us in relation to Christ. They address and treat us not just as men but as men of God. The beauty of this spiritual point is obvious. It is a wonderful thing to identify and be identified with Him who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The greatest enemy of this wonderful spiritual point however is “intention”. Judas identified and was identified with Christ. In Luke 6:12-16, he was among the twelve that was labelled “Apostles of Christ”, but his intention was evil. He lived around Christ but he never lived in Christ. He walked about with Christ but he never worked for Christ. A truly spiritual person is not just one who identifies with Christ or someone who the world identifies him with Christ but one who is identified by Christ.

 IMITATION: The point of imitating Christ is a necessary point in Christian spirituality. At this point we try to do the things Christ did; act the way Christ would act; speak the way he would speak and live the way he lived. No doubt, this is a high spiritual point. In fact, there was a time when I used to think it was the ultimate in Christian spirituality. But “Imitation” certainly is not intimacy. Christ is not just a model to be copied; he is a life to be lived. You can imitate someone without the person knowing who you are. In Mathew 7:21-23, we read “… many will say… we drove out demons and performed many miracles. Then I will say to them I never knew you.” These people imitated Christ in many ways; they drove out demons and performed miracles just as he did, yet he never knew them. The mark of true spirituality does not lie in doing the things Christ did alone but in being the person he wants you to be as well.

DIVINE FORMATION: THIS IS THE ULTIMATE SPIRITUAL POINT: So far we have looked at the spiritual points of Invitation, Participation, Admiration, Identification and Imitation. No doubt, these are beautiful spiritual points but they are not our ultimate destination. They all lead to an end which is divine formation and union. This was Paul's ultimate desire for the Galatians, “my dear children, once again, just like a mother in childbirth, I feel the same kind of pain for you until Christ nature is formed in you” [4:19]. It was also his heartfelt prayer for the people of Ephesus: “… may you come to know his love… and so be completely filled with the very nature of God” [3:19]. Divine formation is our ultimate destination. This may seem mysterious but it is real; it is possible; it is the ultimate. In John 6:56, Christ himself assures us, “those who eat my flesh and drink my blood live in me and I live in them”. In chapter 15:4, he admonishes us, “remain in me as I in you”. True Christian spirituality is all about living in Christ and allowing Christ to live in us. . When we arrive at this point we don't just participate in the things of Christ, we participate in the very life of Christ; we do not merely admire, identify or imitate Christ, we become another “Christ”. One of the major differences between the spiritual points we have discussed earlier and the spiritual point of divine formation is that in the former we struggle in the flesh to do good but in the latter we just accept and live out the goodness of Christ in us; in the former, therefore, goodness is occasional but in the latter it is habitual.

What does it take to get to the ultimate point of divine formation? The answer to this question may be simple, but the journey to this point is not easy. Spirituality is a beautiful journey but it is not an easy one. The secret to the ultimate point lies in growth and surrender. As long as one has a strong desire to grow up spiritually and a sincere spirit of surrender to God's workings in his life, God will never let one down. Whichever point you may be right now, all you need do is to keep going, keep growing, keep making progress and keep surrendering to God until you find yourself at that ultimate point where you can confidently say like Saint Paul: “It is no longer I who live but Christ that lives in me”.    

This article was written by Julius Onuoha, who is presently studying for the Priesthood in the Augustinian Order in Nigeria.