Title: What is Spirituality?
What is spirituality?
Text/ Genesis 1:1, Romans 11:36, Ephesians 4:6
1. Introduction
God created the universe and the world, and gave only man (homo sapiens) the ability to think (I don't know if he created such life on other planets, but that means so far). By the way, the human mind has three functions. (1) The function of sensing, recognizing, arranging, and remembering external objects or objects with eyes-ears-nose-tongue-skin. (2) The creative function of relating memories and creating new combinations. (3) It is the function of realizing and deciding on the relationship between things that exist beyond human sense (as Kant said, the stars shining in the vast night sky, the conscience in each person’s heart, and the mystery of life and death, freedom, faith, Hope, love...etc). This very function (3) is what we call spirituality.
Recently, “International Work Group on Death, Dying, and Bereavement, modern educators, and ecologists have been working on the right character education and helping with death issues such as hospice movement. It emphasizes that the spiritual aspect is more important than the medical-psychological-social requirements. References: Kenneth J. Doca, John D. Morgan, Jae-Young Kim, Understanding Death Studies - Death, Spirituality, and Human Love.
2. Bible verses that testify to the basic foundation of spirituality
*In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1) *Says the LORD. Am I near God and not far away God? Am I only a God nearby and not a God far away? Do not I fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD. Jeremiah 23:23-24 you are not there (He is not far from each one of us. For in him, we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:22-31) and return to God. All things are from him and through him and to him, To him be the glory foreever Amen (Romans 11:36) You are united in all things (one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all Ephesians 4:6) and so on.
It is clear that these words testify. It says that Jehovah God is the source of me and you and the whole universe, the heavens, the earth, all things, all things, and all things. therefore
天地萬物與我同根(Cheonji, all things, girls and young children) - All things have the same root as mine.
天地萬物與我一 (All the girls in heaven and earth) - All things are me and my brother and sister.
3. The triple structure of the spiritual life
first. The starting point of our spiritual life is the love of God. Above all else, God's love can only be shown through my own spiritual training. First of all, I myself believe in the Trinity (Father-Son-Holy Spirit), receive and serve God. Living with God requires some personal spiritual training.
These are the Word training, meditation training, solitude training, silence training, poverty training, humility training, and community training. I have meditated on 354 and 363-370.
What does it mean? Love of God and love of neighbor are “one, not two” = “two sides of the same coin”. In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus made it clear, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these you did for me, and whatever you did not do for one of the least, you did not do it for me (Matthew 25:31-46).
third. Spiritual life is nature = environment = love of the earth. We see the words and deeds of Jesus in the Bible (one hundred