What is Catholic spirituality? 7 fundamental pillars

What is Catholic spirituality ? That is the question millions of men have been asking for many years. In simple words, it is the perfect balance between what we preach and what we practice. If you want to learn more about this topic, continue reading this article.

What is Catholic spirituality?

What is Catholic spirituality ? We already mentioned that it is coherence between the word of God and how much we apply of it in our lives, although it is also the relationship between apostolate and contemplation for religious.

It would be interesting to clarify then before delving into what is Catholic spirituality ? Define first what is spirituality?

Spirituality is nothing more than that branch of theology that studies the influence of the spirit in our life, analyzing how it develops, grows and forms over time and moves us towards the pursuit of our own holiness.

We could say then that Catholic spirituality is the divine call of God for each one of his children so that we heed his call, hear our fiat from our lips, just as our beloved mother, the Virgin Mary, pronounced it.

What is Catholic spirituality ? It is that passion, that joy, that divine energy with which we joyfully manifest to our brothers the wonders that God has done with us, how his word and example have transformed us and today we are new men and women.

It is not enough just to know the word, to know each prayer by heart, to have each verse recorded in our minds, the facts, they are also important for God, he wants us to show him with thoughts, words and deeds our love, devotion, faith and glory. to him.

If we are not consistent in what we profess and practice then we are not true devotees, that is nothing more than a simple rational spirituality, empty, colorless and tasteless, without even a touch of passion.

What is Catholic spirituality ? God always gives us answers and he does it through his word; Now, if we only live experiences that are related to our Christian faith but without expressing the doctrine of God in words, then our supposed spirituality would be nothing more than an arbitrary subjectivism.

In turn, this subjectivism would be exposed to letting us be seduced by fashions, other cultures, and even pagan gods and they would commit sin, we disobey God the Father and this would only fill him with pain and sadness.

So when you ask yourself again, what is Catholic spirituality ? Remember, that it is the balance between the Doctrine, the principles that we practice in our lives, and of course, our own experience.

If it is still difficult for us to see, perceive or understand, what is Catholic spirituality ? Let us see then the example that Saint Teresa of Ávila gave us:

In words, he expressed on a certain occasion that what he had not experienced enough to attest to it would not leave his lips (life 18,7; path, prologue 3).

Her knowledge or doctrine: she did nothing to make her give a wrong image, that is, to expose her publicly as illiterate (life 36.5).

And he said: That beyond his knowledge of the word of God he should also demonstrate an ardent devotion, not lukewarm or “foolish devotions” (life 13,16).

Are there one or several spiritualities?

When we find ourselves in a process of searching for that path that leads us to a genuine and authentic spirituality, getting lost or getting carried away by other paths is quite seductive.

What is Catholic spirituality ? Are there different types of spirituality ? The answer is no. Let’s explain this in more detail.

If we consider Catholic spirituality as a “substance”, yes, it is only one, however, if we refer to the modes of holiness, it is another story, since these are multiple, therefore, spirituality, or rather , the way of living it or experiencing it are extremely diverse.

The aspiration of our holiness, Catholic spirituality and how we live it, including how we feed our soul: with prayer, sacrifices to please God, receiving our sacraments, through the liturgy or performing charitable acts determines if our spirituality is whole or rational.

The Second Vatican Council tells us that all those who allow God’s Spirit and love to guide them will then practice, express and cultivate a single spirituality (Lumen Gentium 41a).

And he continues, expressing that all his devotees are called to practice charity, serving others to serve God (40b), being blessed because they will have the privilege of enjoying eternal life with God the Father.

We return then to What is Catholic spirituality ? As we mentioned before, spirituality can be experienced in different ways, both in a more primitive and more modern way.

Also, we can experience it from a state of life, that is, as a religious, as a lay person or as a priest.

According to the main dedications, that is, we can be missionaries, volunteers, influence our family, assist others… or according to school characteristics, for example, Franciscan, Ignatian, Benedictine school, among others.

The seven pillars of Catholic spirituality

One of the ways to be clear about what is Catholic spirituality ? It is by understanding each of the seven (7) pillars of Catholic spirituality.

Confession

Confession is asking the Father through his representative here on earth to forgive us for our sins.

When we are baptized, God forgives our original sin, frees us from it and gives us a transparent, kind, merciful heart, without any type of evil, however, as it grows it hardens, so we must constantly confess.

In addition to confession, it is important to fulfill our penance, as it is the way to show our Father God that we are truly sorry from the heart. Confession is a reconciliation with our beloved Father.

Prayer

Prayer can be an easy act or quite difficult, it all depends on your personal perspective. Talking with God is simple, he is always willing to listen to us and open his divine heart for us to take refuge in him.

The real challenge is to be disciplined, not to miss a day in taking a moment to comment on our day, ask for forgiveness or thank him for everything he offers us.

In moments of happiness, it is common to say Thank you my God! The question is, do we remember him in difficult moments? Do we understand the message or the lesson that you want to convey to us or do we just close ourselves off and claim it?

Eucharist

Receive God, his body and his blood in a sacred act that he himself taught us, through his disciples when he shared with his disciples and told them to eat and drink from him as much as they wish, because he is the way to eternal life It is the truth and the life.

Participating in the Eucharist is not only an act that our Lord requires of us, but by receiving him, he constantly renews our hearts, feeds our soul, strengthens our spirit, our faith and our devotion, let us be grateful for it and dedicate a few minutes each day to thank you.

scriptures

We have already mentioned it before and we will emphasize it again, when we ask ourselves: What is Catholic spirituality ? Let us then remember the word of God, his gospel, that wonderful guide that he has left us through his disciples.

Every time you feel weak, pray and read the bible; every time you feel abandoned, pray and read the bible; every time you feel like you can’t take it anymore, pray and read the bible. God never abandons us, but if one day you forget, remember it through prayer and the Bible.

Although there are thousands of religious books or readings, none compares to the Holy Bible, to that book so rich and so complete that it has invaluable information. Let’s dedicate the time it deserves and analyze what it wants to tell us through it.

Fast

Fasting is a small sacrifice compared to Jesus who gave his life for us, if he loved us so much and so deeply, why can’t we do the same? Let us show our love and devotion to our lord.

Practicing fasting only deprives us of food for a few hours, can you imagine having to offer your life for the salvation of others? What a great responsibility! So let us please him by being humble, by sacrificing ourselves, just a little bit.

When we fast, we are also showing our repentance for all our sins, for all the times we have offended and disobeyed him.

rosary beads

Praying the rosary has power, so much so that many people have been forgiven and freed from their sins through praying it, and even their lives have taken a turn of one hundred and eighty degrees (180º).

When we pray the rosary and dedicate it to Mary, we are pleasing our Mother, we are dedicating a moment just for her, to strengthen our relationship and to thank her for her shelter, for her love, her mercy and her intercession with our Father, every time we offend him.

Our Mother Mary is also a divine connection, which floods our hearts with tenderness, with unconditional love, with that infinite and special love that only a Mother can offer us.

spiritual reading

Just as we feed our body, we must also feed our soul and there is no more beautiful way than through religious readings, and of course, the Eucharist.

The more we read consciously, the more we strengthen our soul, exercise it, keep it renewed and overflowing with love and joy.