SPIRITUALITY & POPE JOHN PAUL II

The concept of ‘spirit’ has been used widely to mean life force which manifests in people’s inspirations and passions. In addition, it forms the basis of people’s belief about who they are and what exists, hence motivating them and linking them with the world. In this regards, spirituality gives people a sense of meaning and their will to exist, it is also the source of people’s values, deepest desires as well as dreams. In essence, spirituality is a fundamental source in people’s life that influences relationships, emotions, work and other things considered meaningful hence it is not extraordinary. Rather, spirituality is completely natural and absolutely ordinary. Spiritual life also impels people towards goodness, beauty and truth and is vital in moving people towards seeking connectedness and fulfilment. William Wordsworth also noted that spiritual life is ‘deeply fused’. Moreover, the world religions also thrived on the concept of spirituality as each faith tends to proclaim that spirituality is based on love. For instance, Christian expression considers that an individual needs love their neighbour as themselves and also love God with their whole self. There are also indications that spirituality comes from ‘spirits which is a Latin word which means ‘breathe’ or ‘wind’. In addition, ‘spirit’ has also been used symbolically to refer to ‘breath of life’. However, it is important to note that the concept of spirituality is understood and defined in different ways by different groups or people. . Nonetheless, it generally concerns devotions to things that are not of this world and includes the belief in a greater power than oneself that resides out of this world. Spirituality can also be understood as a religious belief or attitude that focuses on a person’s inner dimension and forms the ‘deepest centre’ in the individual. Nonetheless, this perspective on the meaning of spirituality largely inclines to individual personality rather than a ‘communal or team spirit’. In social psychology, it is recognised that a person’s inner core can be influenced by the behaviour of a group or social construction. Thus the interaction between group and person is remarked. In addition, another decision can be noted in description, for instance, in psychology, it is recognised that a person’s inner self can be determined by unconscious and subconscious forces. An essential meaning of the concept of spirituality is also provided by other scholars by noting that spirituality does not only relate to a person’s inner self and its transcendent dimension. Rather, it focuses also on opening the transcendent dimension and how that dimension opens up. It is important to recognise that this openness cannot be self-evident, like in the case of materials in the spiritual traditions. The teachings of Pope JP II on spirituality in many aspects brought new insights and understandings into faith. Nonetheless, these new insights did not only result from the theological reflections, but also had roots in Pope JP II’s own life experiences and spirituality. Consequently, the inner spirituality of Pope JP II can be understood by considering the large role played by his native homeland and the life's complexities which influenced his life in general. However, it is vital to acknowledge that different people perceive spirituality differently. According to the writings and letters of Pope JP II, he often associated spirituality as a concept that also concerns the writings and witness of the saints and the accounts of their lives. spirituality can be understood as an appropriation and approach of cultural transcendence experience. This experience in spirituality can be attained through methodical exercise and growing sensibility, which enable a number of reflections, expressions and meditation. What can be understood in this definition of spirituality is that spirituality tends to be a continuous process that involves opening up mainly to transcendent Read more