Spiritual AND religious

I just got back from the chariot procession which was part of the celebration of the feast of Mother Mary, in Besant Nagar. If you were anywhere near the area, you would have been stalled this evening definitely. Devotees, pilgrims, tourists and hawkers clogged the roads in the hope of catching a glimpse of the famous statue of Jesus’ mother. Today’s was the penultimate ritual and it all culminates in her birthday celebrations tomorrow, September 8.

I am constantly surprised at how much faith people have in her. A sea of devotees in orange clothes – the colour people usually wear when they make a pilgrimage to Velankanni Church here, or to the main one in Nagapattinam – engulfed and swept me along to the beach where thousands waited patiently for the festivities to begin. I tend to sometimes take the ‘shrine status’ of my parish church for granted; I have been going there for two decades after all. Which is why, days like today give me a tangible reminder of the awe Mother Mary inspires. I see grown men reduced to tears in front of her statue and I am humbled by the level to which people surrender their cares and sorrows in her hands. Which got me thinking about the entire spirituality-and-religion debate that makes the rounds every time two people get to know each other.

“Are you religious?”

“No, but I am spiritual”

I have never understood that personally. For me, spirituality stems from religion. If it were not for a life-changing spiritual retreat that I attended a couple of years back, my existence would have been a sordid, complicated mess. It showed me the way I should live my life and yes, religion is a big part of the trail mix. Don’t get me wrong; I am not judging people who say that they are spiritual but not religious. But I can never understand how it happens and how it is watered and grown into something beautiful.

Spirituality to me is a search for something that this world cannot give. It is a calm acceptance of designs that transcend your temporal canvas. It is a simple acknowledgement of a being beyond your understanding, and religion helps me understand just as much as my human mind can. Yes, people in the name of religion have done unspeakable things; heinous crimes have been committed where religion takes the blame. But really, if you think about it, are the people to be held responsible or the religion they use as an excuse to see their agendas through?

Yes, religion can be a nuisance to some. The beach today, for instance, was unusable because of the procession. But is the unavailability of a public space just one day a year that bad a thing? I don’t think so. To see the tears of happiness on the many devotees standing with reverence is worth giving up the sand and sea for a night. To know that simple – not blind – faith woke them up this morning and made them walk all the way from wherever they lived in the city, singing hymns while fingering the beads of a rosary instills a much deeper attachment to spirituality through religion for me. The graceful face of Mother Mary’s statue sailing past thousands bathed me in a warm glow, right in time for an important day in my life.  

Religion can move you. Don’t write it off too quickly.