Religion, Spirituality, Hell & the Crazy Father

Last week I heard a striking comparison:

“Religion is for people who don’t want to go to hell; spirituality is for people who have been there and don’t want to go back.”

The statement captures a valid and important insight – but I was reluctant to post it. People attach so many different meanings to the words, religion, spirituality that the statement is subject to misinterpretation. Posting it, I thought, would get me into comment hell.
The readings from last Sunday changed my mind. They proceed from the same insight. Let’s see how:

In the first reading, Ex 32:7-14, the Israelites have forgotten that Yahweh brought them out of Egypt and have turned to the worship of idols. In the second, Tim 1:12-17, Paul writes

…I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man…

Clearly, Paul regrets his previous life and is grateful for his escape

I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

In the Gospel, Luke 15:1-32, we read the story of the prodigal son. (Which, I contend, should be called the parable of the crazy Father.) Here we have three characters: the younger son, who takes his inheritance and spends it on wine, women and song only to find that he is living, as a figure of speech, in hell. We have the father, who was driven crazy with grief over his lost son and is now crazy with joy at his return. The father doesn’t care about his son’s past, but is overjoyed to have him back. Third, we have the older brother, who has been acting according to his father’s wishes and is resentful at the lavish treatment given to his younger brother.

The older brother was practicing religion, thinking that by keeping the law he deserved his father's love and affection. By keeping to his father's wishes he was practicing religion, thinking that he could stay out of hell- but suffering resentment and finding no joy in his brothers return. The younger brother was practicing spirituality, he came back acknowledging that he had done wrong and experiencing his father’s love and joy. For him, the practice of spirituality is found in the responsorial psalm for today, Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.

Luke doesn’t tell us what happened to the older brother. I hope that he didn’t life a life simmering with resentment. Then he would have his religion and still live a life in a hell called resentment.
It's easy for church people take up residence there.