Connectedness 

A spirituality that recognises connectedness and interrelatedness needs to be grounded and practical. Among practical consequences of a connected spirituality are the following: 

• Spirituality is to be relational - seeking to build positive relationships among people. 

• A connected spirituality is concerned with building communities that recognise the dignity of all, are supportive and caring and strive for a deeper oneness - a unity of belief, values, purpose and action beyond the differences that can often divide and fragment. 

• A spirituality of interrelatedness moves beyond human relationship in recognising a relationship with and responsibility for, the whole of God’s creation and for life in all its created forms. 

• Finally, and most crucially, a spirituality of interrelatedness and connectedness seeks prayerful relationship and communion with God, the creator of all. 

As humans grow and mature, they look for development in their capacity to become an authentic loving person, able to relate with others, respect others, forgive others, be reconciled with others and care for and support others. Maturing for a human person involves movement from self-centred attitudes and ways of acting to other-centred attitudes and actions. Such maturing involves struggling with one’s selfishness in order to become more unselfish. This is the work of a lifetime and in Christian understanding requires the grace of God, ongoing prayer and the asceticism of Christian living. For Christians, the faith community of the Church with its communal life, sacraments and prayer provides support for the spiritual journey of the individual. 

Individuals within and beyond the Christian community are potential sources of example and inspiration in the living of a life that is responsive to all that is true, authentic, selfless and admirable in human living. Individuals can find support for such a life through the cultivating of friendships that are true, real and enduring. Good friends stand with a person in the joys, sorrows, successes and failures of life. They provide encouragement and hope when an individual may feel discouraged and in despair. Real friends want what is truly best for their friends. Real friends provide a sense of well-being and security as well as a challenge to grow and mature. Real friends are prepared to tell the truth but with love and concern. In the Gospel, there are many examples of the ways in which Jesus was a real friend to people. He journeyed with his inner circle of disciples, encouraging and supporting them but also challenging them. Jesus befriended the poor and marginalised and shared table fellowship with them. Jesus forgave and reconciled sinners embodying for them God’s unconditional forgiving and reconciling love while at the same time challenging them to amend their lives and sin no more. 

Meaning and values 

Meaning and values are interrelated. What an individual or a group regard as meaningful will powerfully determine values held, commitments made and activities undertaken. On the other hand, the values of individuals and groups influence the quality of and the meaning derived from, commitments made and activities undertaken. Meaning and values mutually influence and reinforce each other. 

Searching for and finding meaning and value is an integral dimension of the spiritual and religious quest. The Christian tradition and other faith traditions provide inspiration and structure for the spiritual quest of individuals. The stories, sayings and teachings of sacred scripture and the ethical codes, seasonal celebrations, rituals and spiritual exemplars from faith traditions provide a rich source from which individuals may draw in nurturing their own quest for meaning. 

Faith traditions have developed over many centuries and in diverse historical and cultural contexts. Faith traditions contain wisdom about meaning and values that is perennial in every age and across every culture. This does not mean that the spiritual quest for meaning and value consists in simply consulting a faith tradition for ready-made answers. The context, life experience and spiritual quest of the individual are in a dynamic relationship with the wisdom of a faith tradition. Individuals need to be open in faith to what a religious tradition has to offer in relation to their spiritual journeys. Such openness in Christian understanding is the work of the grace, a gift of God.