What does “spiritual” mean?

What does “spiritual” mean?

In the third millennium, isn’t this adjective a bit anachronistic?

What is the “spirit“? Is it synonymous with “soul“? Is it something real?

Does this word still make sense after the entire human genome has been mapped?

Isn’t it a bit naive as a term in a world where psychiatry, psychology, psychoanalysis, and psychotherapy exist?

Wouldn’t it be appropriate to stop using the adjective “spiritual” once and for all and replace it with “psychological“?

Or perhaps, on the contrary, should we reclaim a word that denotes something real but is different from the psyche?

1 • Spirit, Soul, and Body

In his first letter to the Christian community in Thessalonica (modern-day Thessaloniki), Paul of Tarsus wrote:

When referring to personal sanctification, Paul speaks of three aspects:

• The spirit: from the Greek πνεῦμα, pneuma (if this Greek word sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve discussed it before);
• The soul: from the Greek ψυχὴ, psychē (from which words like “psyichology” and related terms are derived);
• The body: from the Greek σῶμα, soma (which, for example, gives us the term “somatic”).

For much of my life, this division seemed like a trivial matter to me.

Don’t get me wrong: “body” and “soul” always seemed like two different things to me… but I always used the words “spirit” and “soul” as if they were synonyms.

However, recently I realized that I was mistaken (the main instigator of this change in perspective was Marko Ivan Rupnik; in particular, I refer you to the spiritual exercises he conducted in Loreto from February 28 to March 4, 2011: you can find all ten audio files on YouTube, and here is the link to the first one).

(*) (“L’anima de li mejo mortacci tua!” is a wonderfully colorful and deeply Roman way of cursing someone. Literally it means something like “the soul of your finest damned dead relatives!” — which sounds fierce, but in Rome expressions like this aren’t always meant as genuine insults. In Roman slang, “mortacci tua” (from morti, “the dead”) is used to vent emotion — anger, surprise, affection, or disbelief — and can be playful or explosive depending on tone. For example, “Te sei ringiovanito, mortacci tua!” means “You look younger, damn you!”, while “Mortacci!” is roughly “Damn!”, “No way!”, or “Holy crap!”. So, while “L’anima de li mejo mortacci tua!” technically invokes someone’s ancestors, it works more as an emotional flourish than a literal curse: it can mean anything from a harsh “Damn you!” to a weary “Oh, for heaven’s sake!”. Coming back to the cartoon’s gag, in this idiom “anima” (soul) and “spirito” (spirit) are not interchangeable. The Roman curse targets the anima — visceral and embodied — while spirito sounds too abstract and ethereal to carry the same streetwise bite)

Saint Paul could spend whole pages distinguishing soul and spirit; Romans managed the difference with a curse.

2 • The Psycho-Somatic Human

The human being is made of flesh. Meat. Matter. Atoms…

…these-things-here are what Paul calls the “body.”

However, humans are also made of intellect. Will. Reason. Thoughts. Desires. Feelings. Ideas.

Now, without delving into the question of whether psychological movements are only material (i.e., electrical impulses) or have something intangible…

…these-other-things-here are what Paul, in Greek, calls “psychē.” That is, “soul.” Or “psyche,” if you prefer.

From the union of these two elements – body and soul – arises the psycho-somatic human.

Who is the psycho-somatic human?

Teachers, doctors, architects, plumbers, scientists, chefs, researchers, YouTubers…

…your neighbor from the landing, the old cat lady from the courtyard…

…men and women, young and old, rich and poor…

The psycho-somatic human:

• seeks pleasure;
• avoids pain;
• is in love with their own ego;
• fears death;
• is flattered by the attention of others;
• detests being neglected;
• hates being questioned;
• does good to those who do good to them;
• forms affectionate relationships in a possessive manner;
• fills their Instagram feed with selfies;
• cannot stand making sacrifices;
• etc…

The psycho-somatic human is the everyday person, wounded by original sin.

The psycho-somatic human is you.

And it’s me.

3 • …and the spirit?

We’ve talked about the body and the soul. That is, the psycho-somatic human.

…but what is spiritual life?

…and therefore:

(If anyone has questions about this elusive Third Person of the Trinity, I refer them to the page a few weeks ago where I wondered who the Holy Spirit is)

I know it sounds absurd, but I have met many priests who couldn’t give me a definition of the word “spiritual”…

There is another passage from a letter by Paul – which in English has been translated like crap – that emphasizes this difference; in the first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle says:

… but in the original version of the text, that is, in Greek, it speaks of a “psychic body” (σῶμα ψυχικόν, sòma psychikòn) and a “spiritual body” ([σῶμα] πνευματικόν, [sòma] pneumatikòn)… so, if it were up to me, I would have translated it like this:

Psychological life is different from spiritual life.

Psychological life – I repeat – is “the natural capacity for introspection and self-awareness of one’s emotions, feelings, and thoughts” (Ibid.).

Spiritual life, on the other hand, is not an inner monologue. It is the pursuit of a dialogue with God.

Di-a-logue. that is, something that involves two.

How does this dialogue happen?

In various ways… one of them is through prayer:

What does it mean to pray?

4 • Psychological Motions and Spiritual Motions

So that’s the “million-dollar question“: how do you understand the difference between a psychological movement (something of mine) and a spiritual movement (something that comes from God)?

To understand the difference between psychological motions and spiritual motions, there is no “trick“…

…instead, there is an approach to take and a series of concrete things to do:

• Carve out moments of silence;
• Be consistent in prayer;
• Be patient;
• Do not let yourself be influenced by a moment of euphoria (which could arise from a thousand other reasons totally unrelated to prayer) or discouragement;
• Be perseverant;
• Be humble enough to consult with someone who is further along in the journey (the slang term for the person-further-along-in-the-journey is a “spiritual father“; sooner or later I’ll talk about this mysterious figure here on the blog… but I’ll tell you right away that it’s not a “guru,” nor a “mental coach,” nor the Kung Fu Panda‘s master Shifu);
• Approach the sacraments.

5 • “Christians” (or self-proclaimed ones) not spiritual

As I have delved into the mysterious (and unknown to me) realm of spirituality in recent months, I have noticed something quite sad.

Most of the “Christians” (excuse the quotes) I know are not spiritual people.

They go to Mass to punch the clock, try to be good, make an effort, become catechists, animate in the oratory, volunteer at the soup kitchen for poors… but in a totally psycho-somatic way.

In other words – as I mentioned above – they are in a continuous search for gratification for their own ego, pleased by the compliments of others (“But all their works they do to be seen by men,” Mt 23:5), satisfied with the roles they play in the parish, proud of the many things they know, eager to share on Instagram photos where they help those in need in the outskirts of the world (” But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,,” Mt 6:3), and so on…

A few years ago, Marko Ivan Rupnik wrote these lines on the danger of living a “sensual Christianity“:

Conclusion

After the lengthy discourse, I hope no one got the impression that “spiritual” is synonymous with “abstract” or the opposite of “concrete.”

Far from it!

Cultivating what Christians call life in the Spirit doesn’t mean distancing oneself from reality or daily life…

…On the contrary, it means having deep roots immersed in that One Person who gives meaning to everything (cf. John 1:3).

It means drinking from the one source that quenches (cf. John 4:13-14).

It means living in “his peace” (cf. John 14:27), having foundations that withstand everything, despite it all (cf. Matthew 7:24-27).

…

When one lives all this, it is discovered that every action can be done in a “spiritual” way (that is, “rooted in Christ”):

• Facing the unexpected you hoped wouldn’t happen;
• Enduring an unbearable job;
• Getting up at night to nurse your crying baby;
• Helping your elderly father to wash himself;
• Assisting your sick husband in bed;
• Taking your child to the park to play;
• Going on vacation with the whole family;
• Taking a walk hand in hand with your wife;
• Making love to your husband.

Living “spiritually” doesn’t mean disconnecting from reality—even from problems or crosses.

It means being in it, without relying on oneself, one’s own strength, or one’s ego but solely on the grace of God (cf. John 15:5).

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(Spring 2021)