Assistant Editor
"It's very important to cultivate the spiritual life before we try to undertake some ministry in the Church or some social transformation of the world," says Dolores Leckey.
Mrs. Leckey, a popular author and senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center in Washington, D.C., will explain how to begin one's spiritual journey at St. Bernard's Institute's fall lecture, "Some Essentials for the Spiritual Journey," Sept. 8. St. Bernard's Institute (SBI) is the Albany Diocese's graduate school of theology and ministry. (She will also be the keynoter at this year's Parish Convening, "Prophetic Leadership: Swimming Upstream," at LaSalle Institute in Troy, Oct. 30; see article in the August 26 issue.)
A frequent columnist for "Faith Alive," a weekly feature in The Evangelist, Mrs. Leckey is also the former executive director of the Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and Youth for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. Her two latest books are "Seven Essentials for the Spiritual Journey" and "Blessings All Around Us."
On the way
The metaphor of a "spiritual journey" has been used for centuries in all of the major religions, she noted. The book of Exodus tells of the Jews' spiritual journey; many of those who follow the traditions of Islam journey to Mecca. Such a spiritual journey usually leads one to a threshold of change.
"Pilgrims take a journey and then come home," said Mrs. Leckey. "The point is to be changed. That means everything changes: When you change one part of an equation, everything around you changes."
In her talk, she plans to use five of the seven ideas from her book on spiritual journeys as guides for those interested in spiritual growth:
1. People should look to trustworthy guides. When a person takes a physical journey, said Mrs. Leckey, they ask others who've been to the same destination about their experiences. Spiritual "journeyers" should also have people in their lives who have traveled the same path.
Mentors could be all around. "Every tradition has its saints, but in Catholic life, where we are centered in the parish, it pays to open our eyes and look around," Mrs. Leckey noted. She believes that pastors, religious education directors or wise parishioners could be a good fit as spiritual guides.
2. Provisions should be made for the journey: namely, solitude and silence. "We live in a noise-drenched world," the author explained. "Everything talks: computers playing music, people walking around with headphones, 24-hour news. It can be very hard to hear inside oneself."
But religious tradition, she said, is rich with figures who found God in solitude: for instance, Moses, who went up Mount Horeb to receive the Ten Commandments; Mohammed, who spent years as a solitary shepherd; and Jesus, who spent 40 days in the desert before beginning His public ministry. Artists also find their creative pursuits furthered by time alone.
"Silence and solitude are essentials for the public life," Mrs. Leckey concluded. "In this time in history, we are in need of as much creative energy as we can get."
3. A lens to see the sacred in the ordinary is another essential. The ordinary circumstances of life, the author said, are revelations of God -- if we look for God there.
4. Those on a spiritual journey should have something that brings to mind their Christian origins. Mrs. Leckey prefers two common prayers: the Nicene Creed, which "is about God, not us;" and the Confiteor, which "is about us -- how we mess things up, basically." (The Confiteor is the prayer said during Mass that begins, "I confess to almighty God....") That prayer, said Mrs. Leckey, emphasizes taking responsibility for our actions.
5. Having a sense of humor throughout one's spiritual journey is vital. "That's very prominent in Christian Scriptures," the author noted, citing Jesus' encounter with Zaccheus, who was so short he had to climb a tree to see Jesus over the crowd.
"It's a common question: Did Jesus laugh?" Mrs. Leckey remarked. "If He was fully human, of course He laughed." In her talk, she plans to explain the power of laughter and its uses in different cultures.
The bottom line for anyone who wants to grow spiritually is to "listen to God and align ourselves with that," the author stated. "Listen to what we are uniquely called to do and then act. The world is filled with people who are full of insights and no follow-through."
That follow-through may involve peace and justice work, she said, since the Bible says to work toward those ends.
"The journey to spiritual growth is not just to make us feel better," she stated. "There are social implications."
(Dolores Leckey's talk, "Some Essentials for the Spiritual Journey," is Sept. 8, 7:30 p.m., at the Church of St. Vincent de Paul, Albany. For information, call SBI at 453-6760. The Parish Convening, on Oct. 30 at LaSalle Institute in Troy, begins with registration at 8:15 a.m., followed by a 9 a.m. prayer service and Mrs. Leckey's keynote address. To register, call 453-6661.)