Experiência cristã: especificidade e equívocos: a propósito da expressão «viver pelo Espírito» (Gal 5, 25)

The notion of St. Paul «to live by the Spirit», expressed in Gal 5, 25, motivates a reflection on the singularity of the Christian experience. It invites to understand the errors to which this one is subject in our time of spiritual thirst. Such experience confers the primacy to God, who addresses himself to the human being acting according to his sovereign freedom. It is important to have this point settled, before becoming aware of the confusion in which the notion of ‘spiritual’ is immersed today. It designates realities sometimes contradicting one another. In fact, we witness a new wave of searches of meaning usually named as ‘spiritual’, with a considerable social and cultural expression. They claim to be of religious character, even though they contain aspects that contradict such a pretension. They go so far as to mingle with the Christian faith and possibly pervert it with the logic of ‘knowing’ proper to them.