Not Just Spiritual: My Journey From Personal Religion to the Catholic Faith by Christine Flynn

Like many young women of her generation, Christine Flynn never had much use for “organized religion.” But she sure was spiritual. In fact, she considered herself spiritually advanced. Unlike her peers who sat in church pews on Sunday, blindly following man-made rules and rites, she was in tune with the powers of the Universe. Her personal spirituality—revealed through the stars, in her dreams, by meditation and self-actualization—made her feel wise, strong . . . and special. But it never brought her peace. Soon, the life choices that had made sense in her homemade ethical system were bringing her only mounting misery. And when her world started to spiral out of control, she discovered that her faith in inner divinity offered her no guidance or consolation—just the emptiness of self-absorption. It was there, in the darkness of sin and sickness and poisoned relationships, that the still, small voice of Christ began calling to her. And then comforting her, healing her, and leading her from the illusory world of personal spirituality to fullness of truth and life—body, mind, and spirit—in the Catholic Church. Read more