Week 6: 490

I have to say this might have been my favorite class all semester. We looked at religion and spirituality in respect to health; the pros and cons of too much or too little. When we discussed these topics, professor brought up two questions which were, “Can you be spiritual without being religious?” and “Can you be religious without being spiritual?” Thinking about these questions, I tried to find a category to put myself in. I attend mass regularly, for the most part, and have a certain sense of spirituality in my life, but I felt like I hadn’t quite found the answer I was looking for. That is when professor gave us the blog topic and I slowly began to realize where I stood in respect to religion and spirituality.
The topic for this blog focuses on the power of prayer. When I heard him say these three words, I had a rush of feeling come over my body. It was a mix of comfort, confidence, and faith. I couldn’t believe that I got that certain feeling from a homework assignment. I realized how much prayer really does play a role in my life, whether it is at mass or on my own. One experience in particular is during mass when there is anointing of the sick. When the priest goes from person to person, I watch the congregation reach their hands out to touch the person being anointed. The prayer and support that is transferred at that moment brings tears to my eyes and I know that something special is happening. The reading for this section actually provides evidence that many people depend on religion and spirituality when they cope with physical health and stress of surgery.
The power of prayer cannot be measured by any means. It provides people with different feelings and emotions and contains endless possibilities. I find prayer not only to be an outlet, but also a way in. It is an outlet from the world, where you can find a personal sense of peace and comfort. At the same time, it allows you to get involved in the lives of others, whether they know it or not. God’s presence through prayer is unexplainable, but it’s there. Prayer is public, private, spiritual, and faith-filled, and will never cease to amaze me.