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What is Spirituality? Generally speaking, spirituality is a way of life. It involves practicing one's faith in a particular life-situation. Thus, there is Buddhist spirituality and there is Jewish spirituality, to cite a few examples. People who follow either of this two spiritualities have a particular set of beliefs that make them act and behave as a Buddhist or as a Jew. Catholic spirituality would also have its own set of beliefs and creeds. Catholics who follow the Catholic spirituality will follow a way of life in accord with the religion's belief systems, moral codes, and worship patterns. Catholics will thus act and behave in a way that make them distinctively Catholics. Classic Catholic Spirituality: What is classic Catholic spirituality? This type of spirituality is what is preserved in the sacramental system of our faith. Whatever state of life, there is a liturgical life that we follow as we celebrate, participate, assist, or help preside in the Eucharistic celebrations. Catholics also know of their obligation as individuals, or as a family to attend the Sunday Eucharist, and to actively participate and assist in the celebration. Others who have more time can even make it a daily devotion, and thus make the Eucharist really a part of their daily life. But what is classic Catholic spirituality? What is it in our faith that is timeless and has continued to be of high quality in terms of following Christ and His Gospel? The best answers to this question can be found in the Gospel itself. For Christ has called us to follow a certain way of life - the Christian life. And this Christian life that our saints and martyrs lived and have handed down to us has been preserved in the Catholic culture we now have. And the classic elements of this Catholic culture are: martyrdom, religious life and the clergy, the 7 sacraments, liturgical traditions, the papal encyclicals, saints and holiness and much more. Catholic Internet Spirituality: If spirituality is a way of life and Catholic spirituality is a way of following Christ through the Catholic tradition, then Catholic internet spirituality is also a way of following Christ by making His person and His Gospel known through the medium of the Internet. If this is what Catholic internet spirituality means, then it can be likened to the monks who copied the Scriptures for future generations - copying all what the evangelists wrote about the person of Christ, His life and teachings. The only difference is that the medium used is not parchment, but an electronic medium - one that is dynamic and interactive. Catholic internet spirituality is really just presenting the gospel in a dynamic form, using the Net as an electronic medium and environment. The Net has been such a part of modern-day living that it also has become also part of Catholic spirituality. Many Catholics now go online if they want to research for anything about the Catechism or any document of the Church. News on the local churches all over the world are also made available by the technology of the Internet. This is a very important tool for all Catholics because unlike before when they did not have as much access to information about the Catholic faith and its spirituality, now, with the availability of the Internet, many are more informed, more aware and become more committed to spread the Catholic faith through this medium. The Primacy of Traditional Catholic Spirituality: Traditional Catholic spirituality is a spirituality that is lived in the physical world where interpersonal relationships are created and built. Catholic internet spirituality on the other hand is lived in the world of cyberspace - where communication is electronic and ephemeral. The Catholic Church, in their documents regarding the Internet, teaches that what is important is interpersonal interaction. And this is very much stressed especially as regards the living, liturgical and sacramental celebration of the Eucharist. Thus, this celebration must take primacy over all forms of interactivity in the Internet. Traditional Catholic spirituality must take primacy over any Catholic internet activity on the Net - even if it involves sending messages of prayers or inspiring people with messages of hope, comfort and strength. This Catholic Net activity is only a support mission and apostolate for Catholics. It is important that those on the Net who are interested in the Catholic faith may be properly shepherded to the living celebration of the sacraments in the physical world. No sacramental grace can be mediated through any electronic medium such as the Internet. Only through the living contact with the liturgical life of the Catholic community can a person receive the sacramental graces. Catholic Spirituality in Two Worlds: At the beginning of this third millenium we are fortunate to have a new forum for proclaiming our faith: the Internet. And because of this new forum, Catholic spirituality has added a new dimension in its way making a presence felt in the world. Catholic spirituality can thus be lived in two worlds now: in the reality of the physical world, and in the reality of the world of cyberspace communication. These two are not opposed to one another. In fact, they complement and supplement each other. Whereas the traditional Catholic spirituality is interpersonally interactive and will remain to be the norm, the electronically interactive capacity of Catholic internet communication can magnify its outreach to extend the gospel to more peoples all over the world. The Net is a great and powerful tool for the Catholic Church to tap for the mission ad gentes. Conclusion Catholic spirituality in the age of technology is a new phenomenon and reality. Just as when the radio and the television first entered the homes of the Catholics, so now in the age of high technology, computers have entered the home of every Catholic. Catholic spirituality before the Internet, is different from Catholic spirituality after the Internet. Whereas before, sharing and communicating your faith to another person on the other side of the globe was unthinkable, now it is possible to do so through the medium of the Internet. This is a great opportunity indeed for Catholics all over the world to bond with each other in the Internet and participate in the Church's mission to proclaim the Gospel to all peoples of all cultures all over the world. Dennis-Emmanuel Cabrera October 21, 2004 [revised: October 7, 2006] |
