You’d probably think it odd if you met me on the street and I greeted you with a hearty, ‘Happy New Year!?
Yet, for the past 20-some years of raising school aged children, Sept. 1 always seems more like the new year to me than in January.
If you are raising children, now or in the past, you can probably relate to my feeling. And so, in these remaining August days, I find myself preparing for the new year by organizing schedules, purchasing supplies, making last minute appointments before the school year gets underway, and coordinating carpools.
All this activity is performed in the hope that when Sept. 1 arrives, my family and I will be well prepared to take on the new school year. After years of this cycle repeating itself, I’ve come to understand the importance of this fresh start and how easily it translates to our spiritual lives as well.
We all tend to get comfortable with our lives as they are, for better or for worse. We eat, sleep and check off our ‘to do? lists, but have you ever found yourself still feeling a little restless, as if something is missing from the list?
St. Augustine, a fourth-century Father of the Church, recognized this feeling as part of the human condition.
He wrote, ‘You have made us for yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.?
I think Augustine was on to something. We see all around in our American culture signs of spiritual hunger.
In fact, spirituality is a buzzword these days!
In a recent study at Boston College, undergraduates were asked to describe themselves. 40 percent of those polled described themselves as ‘non-religious?, and yet 81 percent of these same undergraduates described themselves as ‘spiritual.?
In their four-year college experience, church attendance decreased by 38 percent, but their self-perceptions as ‘spiritual? increased by 105 percent, and the time they spent praying increased by 53 percent!
Even if we make an accommodation for youthfulness, these young people are telling us something important. While being religious is significant, it is spirituality that is essential to understanding what it means to be human.
We are all spiritual beings.
So, where do you stand? Would you place yourself in one or both of these categories? Religious, spiritual, or both? Have you ever even considered them separately?
Chances are, if you are reading this article you have a vested interest in your faith. You know enough to understand that spiritual growth never stops and that, like physical growth, it needs nourishment. In an ideal world, religious and spiritual would mean the same thing.
We have a wonderful tradition of religious faith in our community. Our churches provide much spiritual sustenance for their members, many of whom feel strengthened to go out and proclaim the good news of the Gospel, provide for the hungry, visit the imprisoned, and shelter the homeless.
I encourage you to take advantage of the many studies, programs, and other opportunities for personal spiritual growth that your church provides. And if you don’t have a church to call your home, perhaps now is the time to consider finding one. We all have this need for nourishment, and the new year is a great time to reflect on our own needs.
Start your ‘new year? off right, and resolve to feed your spiritual hunger!
Cheryl Smith is director of Adult Faith Formation at St. Daniel Catholic Church.