Author: philipmcparland@hotmail.com

“Among all my patients in the second half of life—that is to say, over thirty-five—there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life. It is safe to say that every one of them fell ill because he had lost what the living religions of every age have given their followers, and none of them has been really healed who did not regain his religious outlook.”

These are the words of the renowned psychiatrist, Carl Jung. His experience of those in crisis was significant. When the crisis comes, and it will, we either find a spiritual path or we get stuck in depression and/or addictive behaviour. Finding a spiritual path requires us to surrender; self-sufficiency keeps us in a cycle of attachments and addictions.

There are many different spiritual paths available to us.  Some are highly structured and require a lot of discipline; others involve a commitment to the practice of a few core values.  A spiritual path gives us a sense of meaning and purpose.  It provides us with a way of dealing with painful experiences like hurt, abuse, rejection and negative feelings like anger, resentment, jealousy.  It also helps us feel connected to the divine presence in our lives.  For many this connection with the divine presence is an experience of unconditional love, forgiveness and protection that they have never felt before.

A spiritual path needs to have three elements.  These are prayer, companionship and service.  Prayer builds our relationship with the divine. Companionship is the experience of affirmation, support and soulful conversation. Service is the essential movement beyond ourselves in response to the needs of others.  If our spiritual path does not have these three elements it lacks balance and perhaps authenticity. It is important to remember that every spiritual path is not an end in itself but a means to an end.  There is always the danger that we will make an idol of our spiritual path.  If we become too attached to our spiritual path we are putting the path itself in the place of God.  The ultimate purpose of every spiritual path is to help us surrender to God who loves us unconditionally and who wants us to come home with empty hands.  “You have made us for yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you” (Saint Augustine).

With the publication of ‘Laudato Si’ Pope Francis has certainly brought spirituality down to earth! The earth is God’s good creation and our common home and we have a responsibility to look after it.  Care for the earth is both a political imperative and a personal one.  We may not have much of a say in influencing political decisions but we can make personal decisions that will create a difference.

There is no doubting the fact that our consumerist lifestyle is having a huge impact on our environment and on climate change.  Why do we need to consume so much?  Why do we find it difficult to say, ‘We have enough?’ It is true that material possessions are a source of comfort and satisfaction.  But there is a deeper reason why we consume.  It has to do with a misguided search for happiness.  Consumerism has us look for happiness in the wrong place, in things outside us.  The love we long for can only be found within. Unless we fill the hole we have inside with the right kind of love we will continue to indulge ourselves.  

Care for the earth also involves the choices we make around the use of energy.  Of course we need sources of energy in our homes, our places of work, our rural and urban environments and indeed for transportation. But do we need to be so wasteful with them.  Why drive half a mile to the local shop if we can walk?  Why leave our computers on if we are not using them or our televisions beaming if we are not watching them?  Why keep our central heating systems pitched high while we walk around our homes and offices in shirts or blouses?  These questions may sound a bit petty but they point to unnecessary waste.  If we do not stop exploiting the resources of the earth we will leave little for future generations.  Needless to say a decision to stop wasting requires personal discipline, something that doesn’t come easy to human nature.

Then there is our use of materials like plastic, paper and cardboard to mention a few. The production of these materials in such volumes is putting pressure on our natural resources and is polluting our waters and our countryside. We could be described as a disposable generation.  But the convenience of disposables comes at a cost.  Do we really want an earth whose beauty is contaminated and whose natural rhythms are quickly becoming imbalanced and out of tune?  What would the Creator say about our treatment of his creation?

Of course caring for the earth is about caring for the poor of the earth.  It always seems to be the poor who suffer most.  They are certainly suffering from the consequences of a ‘western’ lifestyle that cannot get enough, that is consuming and wasting to an alarming degree.  Climate change is affecting the poorer regions of the world much more than it is affecting the wealthier regions.  Famines caused by droughts and homelessness caused by flooding are more common in Africa and in Asia.  This is an undeniable fact.  A capitalism and consumerism that seeks to put the interests of the so called ‘first world’ first creates a hostile environment for those who are struggling to make ends meet. Ultimately care for the earth is about the practice of justice and a pathway to peace.