Having Spirituality

When I was a kid growing up in downtown Trenton, of course I went to Catholic school. There was never a question about it. That also meant going to mass every morning at 8 a.m. Monday thru Friday, mass on Sundays and Holy Days like Ash Wednesday, Easter, Christmas etc. A lot of masses over my eight year sentence in catholic schools. (I guess at least 400 masses.) A lot of Sunday sermons and passing the fund basket around. I was an alter boy and in the choir. I was Godfather to my Boy Scout leader.   Include weekly confessions to the priest and regular communion, and that was quite enough spirituality for me.

I had learned my catechism. I knew who God and Christ were, and the Blessed Mother, Joseph, all the bible stories,and all the saints. My brother was named after Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. I was named after the apostle Phillip in my 6th grade confirmation ordeal. How much closer to spirituality can one get?

Almost all of that was like a willowy wisp of a memory once I started attending public school in my freshman year, except for Sundays with the family and church. But gradually I stopped going to Sunday church as well when I hit fifteen. Luckily, my parents didn't protest too much, at least not enough to make me feel guilty. And I'm sure you've heard of the famous catholic guilt? Well I didn't feel it. 

And until I met my future spouse Janet in my twelfth year at Ewing Public High School, I was a lost, bad, soul. Four years of robberies, lying, bad behavior, fist fists, bisexual encounters, juvenile hall and jail, drinking, drugs etc., all of it. And I didn't feel any of the remorse or consequences after those things either, nor guilt. I had no conscience. But luckily my future wife Janet brought mine back. That was when I began my path to true spirituality, for me.

The next year was spent learning how to love and care about someone else, Janet. Also learning the Tao, and interpreting I Ching hexagrams. Its called the Book of Changes for a reason. And gradually I changed. I opened up to new friends, new ideas, new questions. For once I cared about other things and people besides myself.

And that brings me to my point.

A few days ago I was listening to a Krista Tippett interview of Laurence Krause on NPR (4/14/13). Lawrence Maxwell Krauss (born 1954) is a Canadian-American theoretical physicist and cosmologist well grounded in science (in my opinion). At the end of the show, he gave Krista and the listeners a statement which I had to write down after pulling over. Simply put, he said, "Having spirituality is asking questions and being open to the answers." I just love that and agree completely.

I'm still searching for Truth, as I believe every person is. If not The Truth, then at least Reality, whatever that means. I've been lucky, and with Janet, a 39-year successful work career with the State of New Jersey, my Baha'i Faith etc., I've found reality: family and friends whom all keep me stable.

I thank God for his blessings as often as I can remember to be grateful.