Catholic Transcript Online

There is a common misperception in the Christian life, and in the secular world in general, that separates spirituality from the moral life. Simply put, this false division leads the well-intentioned Catholic to separate his or her discipleship in Christ from the natural moral law that is central to the Church’s tradition. One can hear it said: I put my faith in Jesus, but disagree with the Church’s teaching regarding marriage and family planning, options for the poor, euthanasia, capital punishment, abortion, etc.

Those who separate their spiritual life from their moral beliefs will find that they define what is “right” and “wrong” for them on their own journey. In other words, the individual defines what truth is for himself or herself. This misunderstanding can be especially prevalent in our modern American society: You’ll have the right to define what you believe as long as it doesn’t impinge on anyone else’s rights. You’ll have your spirituality and I’ll have mine. This self-defined truth is very different from Jesus Christ’s declaration that he is the way, the truth and the life.

As Christians, we properly define spirituality as the believer’s response to the Holy Spirit through the example of Jesus Christ. Thus, a Catholic’s spirituality is always rooted in the revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived, died and rose for us. Our joys and trials are all joined intimately with Christ. Christian spirituality finds the varied experiences of life enriched by the grace of the Gospel.

When spirituality is separated from the moral law of Christ and the Church, the individual can’t perceive the call to holiness that is so fundamental to the Gospel. You don’t have to go far to realize that it is difficult for the average Catholic teenager or engaged couple to realize that they are called to live holy lives, making moral choices that are just and authentically rooted in moral truth. This lack of perception regarding holiness was addressed by Mother Teresa of Calcutta when a reporter asked whether or not she was a living saint. Mother responded: “Holiness is nothing extraordinary. Holiness is for all of us, for you and for me. We are all called to live holy lives.”

The Second Vatican Council found it important to reaffirm that the call to holiness is central and essential to Christian discipleship (Lumen Gentium, 41). If it is difficult to perceive the call to holiness, the Christian will inevitably stumble in his or her spiritual development. Saint Paul understood this when he addressed immoral sexual conduct: “This is the will of God, your holiness: that you refrain from immorality, that each of you knows how to acquire a wife for himself in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion as do the Gentiles who do not know God ... God did not call us to impurity but to holiness. Therefore, whoever disregards this, disregards not a human being but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you” (1 Thes 4:3-8).

If we are able to understand the Christian life as a call to holiness, we can avoid the pitfall of divorcing the spiritual life from the moral law and Tradition of the Church. The Council Fathers provided a concise definition of Christian holiness that can help with the concern we have for the unity and vitality of one’s spirituality and moral life. They simply stated that Christian holiness is union with and assimilation into Christ in charity (LG, 35). This definition is much like the familiar refrain: “WWJD: What would Jesus do?” To be Christian is to live in accordance with Christ. Living as a disciple entails making moral choices according to the example of Jesus. Thus, approaching the Christian life from the call to holiness provides an opportunity to reconnect the subjective experience of spirituality with the moral teaching of the Church.

In discussion with a legal expert on the Mosaic Law, Jesus makes it clear that eternal life comes to those who love God with all that they are and their neighbors as themselves. “You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Lk 10:27). Hearing these words, the Christian (as I have heard often in preparing couples for marriage) could wrongfully conclude: “The central teaching of Jesus is to be a loving person.” This is often followed by the refrain: “I’m basically a good person.” Such a Catholic, wavering in a fog with few moral bearings, fails to appreciate the inner connection between discipleship and moral rectitude.

Jesus is clear in his teaching regarding the Ten Commandments; they are a requirement for the Christian life and salvation. They are not electives with their validity dependent on our subjective feelings or opinion. Jesus’ exchange with the rich young man is point-blank: “If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Mt 19:17). To live the Christian life and grow in holiness, we must live the commandments; without them the spiritual life would fail to be Christian.

While the desire for God is written in the human heart and calls humans to holiness, a person can forget God or choose to reject God (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 30). Being Christian isn’t guaranteed to be easy or convenient. It’s embarrassing to return a stolen article to a store. It’s expensive for a cohabiting couple to separate and live apart. Free time is sacrificed if you volunteer at a convalescent home.

The Catholic who dismisses the moral law because he or she finds it too old-fashioned or unrealistic could be tempted to form the false belief that salvation is guaranteed because God loves me even if I choose not to follow the moral tradition of the Church. To embrace Christ is holiness, and it entails embracing Christ’s teaching and the Church. “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of his holy angels” (Lk 9:26).

Centered in the call to holiness, the Christian must assimilate Christ into the particulars of his or her life. Spiritually and morally, the Christian needs to stand firm in holiness in opposition to non-Catholic peers, the great forces of the mass media and the popular secular culture. Both the spiritual and moral dimensions of the Christian life develop harmoniously when the human person seeks happiness and God through the call to holiness. No one is spiritual whose actions are immoral. No Catholic is a true Christian without embracing Jesus Christ and the Church’s moral authority. In the end, spirituality and morality are the two faces of the same coin ... holiness.

Father Hinkley is a parish priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford.