Yesterday marked the beginning of Advent. There's something about the Advent-Christmas and Lent-Easter seasons that, like facing a life-threatening crisis, instills a desire to take ones relationship with God a bit more seriously. People will show an openness to and try to incorporate into their lives spiritual practice and discipline and acts of piety. They'll read more from the Bible, pray more often or longer, meditate, contemplate and reflect and some may even participate in acts of charity and service. Then just as surely as the seasons come and go, interest and enthusiasm will fade after the holidays are over and folks will return to their former, less committed selves.
Why do you suppose people in general tend to be so non-committal about addressing the spiritual side of life and being? Do you suppose it's because we have such a hard time with commitment in general, with commitment of any kind? Do you think it reflects a failure on the part of organized religion to offer meaningful rites and rituals that touch the spirit and soul? Or do you think it has anything to do with the disrespect that seems to characterize one religion's openness toward all others, one denomination's openness toward all other denominations and one path's openness toward all other paths? Does it have anything to do with the aggressiveness with which some religions evangelize to the world or the judgmental character that colors such efforts? Does it wind up just being the hypocrisy that runs rampant over the religious landscape?
Think about it, none of the great spiritual masters to date (Old Testament Patriarchs, priests, prophets and kings, Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, etc.) has captured the collective imagination of humanity. Do you think the human race will ever experience a spiritual renaissance and, if so, what do you think it would take to bring such an era about?
© Copyright 2005 gentlefootprint. All Rights Reserved.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment