Personal values are central to how we live and are expressed accurately in behaviour, often inadvertently. Catholics.

Much is written and spoken about Catholic social value (or Catholics Social Teaching) but we seem to hear little about Catholic personal values which are just as important.

Living by both is the heart and soul of being Christian.

Becoming better persons

As social values are aimed at making the world a better place, personal values are geared towards making ourselves better persons.

Traditionally this was described as holiness or being holy. Now it resonates more as wholeness or fullness of life.

Building authentic character

Celebrating our faith and relationships with our Creator, Jesus and the Spirit are important but we must not overlook the values that make our faith and relationships real and provide reasons for celebration.

With quality personal values in our kitbag, we become authentic persons interiorly.

Faith, hope and love are primary.

Other such values include integrity, being responsible, intelligent and reasonable, courage (parrhesia) and personal freedom (cf. Galatians).

With such features defining our spirituality we can have confidence in who we are before God and the world.

Values for community

Personal values are complemented by social values, the stuff of relationships, that characterise the communities and society we dream of: the value of every human, the common good, participation, option for the poor, solidarity, subsidiarity and care for the natural environment.

We are not aimless, purposeless drifters on the face of the Earth.

With the Spirit of God in our hearts, we say, ‘Let’s kindle the fire of love and together we will renew the world.’

Everyday spirituality counts

The everyday commitment to living these values is often overlooked in a rush to celebrate and a disproportionate focus on the details of how we do so.

The everyday spirituality of being people of integrity and creating a better world for all is too often shrouded in a mist of forgetfulness while archaic traditions that have long since lost their meaning are reenacted with fine precision.

In these changing times, we need to remember that life comes from life.

Everyday spirituality is the fertile soil from which a bountiful harvest will be gathered in.

Jesus was revolutionary and dynamic in his vision and thinking: when he said ‘Remember me’ he surely hoped for his followers to be equally creative.

• Kevin Liston has a lifelong engagement with spiritual interests and church issues. He is committed to working for a mutually enriching conversation between Christianity and the 21st century world. He is also an active member of the St Vincent de Paul Society in South Australia.