Many think of God as merely a concept instead of a Being (Being Itself) with a personality. As Christians, we believe that God has personhood. Reducing God from a "Who" to a "What" makes it impossible to know Him. When we ask, “What is God?” instead of “Who is God?” we shift how we perceive and relate to Him.

Defining God as a "what" makes God a concept or force of nature, removing the personal, relational dimension central to the Judeo-Christian understanding of God. In Scripture, God reveals Himself as "I AM" (Exodus 3:14) and as a Father who seeks a covenantal relationship with His people. To reduce God to a "what" undermines this relational dynamic, turning Him into an impersonal principle rather than a loving, self-revealing Being.

If God is merely a "what," the intimate connection between Creator and creation is lost. Prayer becomes less about communion with a personal God and more about contemplating an abstract ideal. This alienates humanity from the very relationship that defines and fulfills our existence. God has personhood. God is a “Who” and not a “What.”

The disconnect between the sacraments, liturgical worship, and spirituality raises the important issue of the need for balance on our journey of faith. Religion and spirituality are not at odds but are two aspects of the same reality: we are journeying toward God. Emphasizing one of these realities at the expense of the other risks losing sight of the fullness of what it means to love God and be loved by Him.

In conversations with those who try to separate the two, it might be helpful to point out how the Church’s rituals, community, and teachings deepen and enrich one’s spiritual journey, providing direction and sustenance. Invite them to see love not just as an emotion but as a transformative encounter with God’s self-giving love. It calls us to give of ourselves through our liturgical worship, the sacraments, and our works of charity. Religion and spirituality are not separate; they are two aspects of the same reality.

The Catholic understanding of God is that His love is infinite, unchanging, and self-giving. This love is not abstract or passive; it is dynamic and relational, inviting us into the very life of the Trinity. To know God is to encounter this love fully, which transforms us and calls us to live in the same self-giving way.

Knowing God's love also means recognizing the necessity of community, humility, and obedience—not in a servile sense but to align ourselves with God's will. Liturgical worship and the sacraments help guide us in this alignment, offering wisdom and practices proven over hundreds of centuries. God is love, and this is the love of the Creator for His creation. Love is embodied and experienced within a community and is passed down from generation to generation.

The claim that "religion is false; I’m just trying to be spiritual" reflects a common sentiment in modern culture. Many seek the fruits of spirituality—peace, love, transcendence—but resist the structures and disciplines that religion offers. They overlook the importance of the sacraments and liturgical worship. This approach misses a key truth: religion is not a human construct but a divinely revealed means by which God draws us into communion with Him and each other. 
Religion, particularly the Catholic faith, provides the "ladder" for an encounter with God. It offers a framework of prayer, sacraments, moral guidance, and a community that sustains us on our spiritual journey. These are not barriers to spirituality but essential supports. Without them, the pursuit of spirituality becomes self-referential, untethered, and susceptible to distortion.
 
The sacraments, for example, are tangible signs of God's love and grace. They anchor our spirituality in concrete, lived experience and connect us to the mystery of Christ's incarnation. By rejecting religion, one risks severing themselves from these profound sources of grace. Religion is essential for “spirituality” and spirituality is essential for religion.

From a Catholic perspective, love (or caritas, often translated as "charity") is far more than a fleeting emotional response. Love is an act of the will, a choice to seek the good of another, even when it costs us something. It is rooted in self-gift and self-sacrifice, as exemplified by Christ's passion and death on the cross. Emotions can accompany love, but they are not its essence. St. Thomas Aquinas described love as "willing the good of the other," which implies intentionality, commitment, and a deeper, spiritual dimension.
 
When someone equates love with emotion, they risk reducing it to something transient and self-centered, tied only to how one feels at a given moment. Authentic love, by contrast, involves a deliberate, ongoing decision to act for the good of others, even when it is challenging or inconvenient. Love is not simply an emotion; it is an act of the will.