We didn't know where our autistic son Johnny was for 2 hours. It was a horrible feeling of terror and helplessness. Johnny is 17 but he is mentally three.
He is not able to communicate meaningfully. Unsupervised, he can be lost, and the consequence of him ending up in the wrong place,is just unimaginable.
I arrived at Stranahan High School in Fort Lauderdale at 6 PM today. I was supposed to meet Johnny and my wife Judy there. Johnny was to be brought there by the YMCA bus from Taravellah High School for their end of school year party and award ceremony. There were about 60 students and parents gathered, but Johnny was not to be found.
Before I arrived, Judy walked in and around Stranhan High School, frantically calling his name. When I walked into the school, she broke down and began to cry hysterically. "They can't find Johnny" she said,and broke down. She thought that Johnny was snatched by someone. He was in a strange school 22 miles away from home. All kinds of horrible scenarios went through her mind. Four YMCA officials were on the phone frantically calling the bus company, the school and I don't know who else.
I was horrified by their ashen faces. Johnny has not been accounted for since 4 PM and it was now 6.15 PM. In total PANIC, I called 911, a number I never wanted to dial. Watching my wife crying hysterically, I provided the 911 operator, information such as Johnny's age, height, weight, color, hair color and last seen address. It is a horrifying experience that no parent should go through. I am sobbing as I write this.
While I was talking with the 911 operator, word came from Taravellah High School Resource Police Officer that he had found Johnny sitting on the bench in front of the school. He must have been sitting there for an hour and a half, not knowing why every one had left without him and when he is going to be picked up.
I rushed to the school and saw him standing at the door waiting for his mom or dad to pick him up. He was calm and cool as if nothing had happened. I got the feeling that his angels were guarding him and watching over him.
I
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Religious versus Spiritual
During an interview in 1998, Barbara Walters asked Monica Lewinsky: “Are you a religious person? Do you attend any church? She giggled and said: “I am more spiritual than religious.”
“I am more spiritual than religious” has almost become a fashion statement by people who don't want to make the sacrifices necessary to be part of a faith community or attend church. Is being spiritual and religious mutually exclusive? Can a person be religious without being spiritual or spiritual without being religious? Was Jesus religious or spiritual?
First of all let me define terms. Being religious means being part of an organized religion and following its teachings and rituals. Spirituality on the other hand, does not require formal membership in a particular religion. Being spiritual mostly refers to personal piety and private practices such as meditation, contemplation etc.
These days, there is no shortage of religion. Mega churches are everywhere. In my city, there are ten churches in a two mile radius. So, the external symbols of religion are everywhere. Do they make us truly religious or authentically spiritual is another question.
I have a good friend who was a staunch Catholic all his life. Last year, he stopped attending church, because he is “turned off by the hypocrisy of Christians.” He wrote: I could not understand why they would be so vocal against abortion, but not so against the war or the death penalty? I could not understand why they would be such big defenders of capitalism, small government, and survival of the fittest, while ignoring the poor, the widow, and the downtrodden, those Jesus instructed us to care for? I could not understand the way most vocal 'Christian leaders' responded to the events of 9/11 and supported a violent military intervention without asking any serious questions about why they attacked us? I did not see forgiveness and non-violence being taken seriously. In summary, I was turned off by the televangelists and the Heralds of Hate and the conservative talking heads on radio and TV. What I saw was a bunch of extremists, fundamentalists, literalists and radicals, spreading fear and misinformation. This mix of religion and politics really turned me off and unfortunately many people in the Church were embracing those views and so I left the Church.
I think my friend raises many valid points. I also think that he is throwing the baby with the bath water. Yes, organized religion has its flaws and faults. But isolating oneself from a community is not the answer. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to live out our faith in the context of a community. That is why Apostle Paul described Christians as the “body of Christ.” As members of the body of Christ, we have so much to give to others and receive from them. It is in the context of a community that our spirituality is tested, corrected and perfected.
So, it does not have to be an 'either or' position. We don't have to choose between spirituality without church attendance or church attendance without spirituality. We can be both; in fact, we must be both, because, religion without spirituality is empty and spirituality without religion can be self-serving. For many people, when they say “I am spiritual,” it is very often an excuse for not attending church. They don't do much to tend to their spirit at home either.
As disciples of Jesus, we are not meant to be solitary purveyors of individualistic spirituality. We are called to be companions in a journey of faith that is experienced, lived and shared in the context of a community.
“I am more spiritual than religious” has almost become a fashion statement by people who don't want to make the sacrifices necessary to be part of a faith community or attend church. Is being spiritual and religious mutually exclusive? Can a person be religious without being spiritual or spiritual without being religious? Was Jesus religious or spiritual?
First of all let me define terms. Being religious means being part of an organized religion and following its teachings and rituals. Spirituality on the other hand, does not require formal membership in a particular religion. Being spiritual mostly refers to personal piety and private practices such as meditation, contemplation etc.
These days, there is no shortage of religion. Mega churches are everywhere. In my city, there are ten churches in a two mile radius. So, the external symbols of religion are everywhere. Do they make us truly religious or authentically spiritual is another question.
I have a good friend who was a staunch Catholic all his life. Last year, he stopped attending church, because he is “turned off by the hypocrisy of Christians.” He wrote: I could not understand why they would be so vocal against abortion, but not so against the war or the death penalty? I could not understand why they would be such big defenders of capitalism, small government, and survival of the fittest, while ignoring the poor, the widow, and the downtrodden, those Jesus instructed us to care for? I could not understand the way most vocal 'Christian leaders' responded to the events of 9/11 and supported a violent military intervention without asking any serious questions about why they attacked us? I did not see forgiveness and non-violence being taken seriously. In summary, I was turned off by the televangelists and the Heralds of Hate and the conservative talking heads on radio and TV. What I saw was a bunch of extremists, fundamentalists, literalists and radicals, spreading fear and misinformation. This mix of religion and politics really turned me off and unfortunately many people in the Church were embracing those views and so I left the Church.
I think my friend raises many valid points. I also think that he is throwing the baby with the bath water. Yes, organized religion has its flaws and faults. But isolating oneself from a community is not the answer. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to live out our faith in the context of a community. That is why Apostle Paul described Christians as the “body of Christ.” As members of the body of Christ, we have so much to give to others and receive from them. It is in the context of a community that our spirituality is tested, corrected and perfected.
So, it does not have to be an 'either or' position. We don't have to choose between spirituality without church attendance or church attendance without spirituality. We can be both; in fact, we must be both, because, religion without spirituality is empty and spirituality without religion can be self-serving. For many people, when they say “I am spiritual,” it is very often an excuse for not attending church. They don't do much to tend to their spirit at home either.
As disciples of Jesus, we are not meant to be solitary purveyors of individualistic spirituality. We are called to be companions in a journey of faith that is experienced, lived and shared in the context of a community.
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