‘I’m Not Religious, I’m Just Spiritual’

Beauty attracts — but holiness inspires.

The other day, I was riding the train into New York City from Rye, New York, with a lady who sells cosmetics at Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC.

“I hear ‘I’m not religious’ or ‘I’m just spiritual’ all the time in New York,” said one woman.

After noticing that she had been applying a wide array of creams and lotions to both her face and hands for close to 20 minutes, I asked her, “Just curious, do you really need all of those health care products? Does each one have a particular effect?”

She responded, “Well, Father, I am selling all of these products, so customers need to see the effect it has on me.”

As a man, who am I to analyze this particular topic? But I can make the case that while tremendous time, money, and effort is spent on improving aesthetic beauty, it seems that not nearly enough is spent on spiritual beauty.

In talking to young professionals, I often hear that although they are generally grateful for their religious upbringing, many feel that they have “graduated” from organized religion.

The ethical lessons learned were helpful, but at this stage they have moved beyond religion and into a new autonomous and liberating realm. Unfortunately, many even belittle and attack those who do value their religious principles.

Related: The Day the Rosary Was Her Only Refuge

Chrissy Corredor, CEO of ArtStar in New York City, recently shared this concern with me. “I hear ‘I’m not religious’ or ‘I’m just spiritual’ all the time in New York,” she said. “It’s like my generation has mastered God and intellectualized the idea of Him. Religion is now seen as interesting folklore for the less educated. This kind of egotistical thought is worrisome.”

What will be your legacy? Will they say you were “clever, industrious, very fit and attractive, tenacious and dogged, insightful and creative”? These are all great qualities, to be sure. But how many hearts and minds will you have moved because of your goodness? Do you radiate peace and magnanimity? At least up to now, nobody seems to have beaten death.

Will you consider your death the beginning of something much more beautiful and eternal, a “friend meeting a friend”?

We certainly all need to look our best and develop our human potential. But, more importantly, we need to be in sync with God’s plan, allowing Him to act in us and through us with His divine grace and His divine love.

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC, is a Catholic priest who is the New York chaplain of the Lumen Institute, an association of business and cultural leaders.