The Development of Christian Spirituality - Assignment Example

The Development of Christian Spirituality LESSON 4: THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO HOLINESS A theological reflection on the definition of the universal call to holiness. Very beautifully indeed, in Mark’s Gospel, the term ‘holiness’ is described as wholeness (Neyrey, “The Idea of Purity in Marks Gospel”). While theologically, this ‘wholeness’ was more centric to physical completeness according to Mark, other theological expressions to the form ascribed how humans could relate with God, follow God and be into His discipleship. In Baptism, for instance, holiness is described in a three-fold dimension – the Priestly dimension, the Prophetic dimension and the Royal dimension. Concentrating on the Priestly dimension, holiness is described by the way of giving or sacrificing one’s personal interests and personal benefits in order to follow Christ. As Fr, Barron explains, holiness is to fulfill one’s mission through the purpose and the design laid out by Christ (Barron, “Additional commentary from Fr. Barron on Extreme Demand, Extreme Mercy”). To do so is certainly not the task of any given man, but it is the saintly personality and the heroic virtue that ensure a man to be able to sacrifice in the name of God and to be termed as holy. While on the Prophetic dimension, holiness refers to the belief that God controls humans and life everywhere, and thus, it is one’s duty and honor to follow the purpose of God by following His son, the Christ. Thus, the Prophetic dimension of holiness exemplifies how a holy person witnesses God. In scriptures, the illustration of Matrimony has often been used to describe the prophetic nature of the Church and that of all Christians. As the illustration details according to the Vatican Council, Christian spouses “partake of the mystery of that unity and fruitful love which exists between Christ and His Church” gifting holiness to each other throughout their life (Vatican Council, “Dogmatic Constitution On The Church: Lumen Gentium”). Therefore, holiness is also described as the virtue of prophecy to take part in the purpose of God by sacrificing for the mission of Christ and that of His Church. The third dimension of holiness, as per the scriptures of Christianity reflects Royalty or Kingship wherein the task of all Baptized is to ‘build the reign of God’. This dimension of Christianity emphasizes Christ’s control on the living bodies and all that is material in the universe. It is thus that holiness comes when people follow Christ as their king and likewise, be on the path designed by God in building His kingdom. According to the Vatican Council, such a benevolent stewardship rewards royalty to the follower of Christ and therefore, makes him holy. However, such Royalty comes not only by preaching the principles of Christianity but also by incorporating the values of charity, realization of personal gifts received from God and the duties bestowed therewith to take part in building the kingdom of the Church (Hagstrom 100-101). In The Book of Leviticus, the narration explains, “the LORD is holy; his sanctuary is holy’ its vessels are holy; the garments of the priests are holy; the sacrifices are most holy to the LORD; an all who approach him whose name is “Holy” – whether the priests who minister or the people who worship – must themselves be holy” (Ross 4). This particular testament signifies all the three-fold dimensions of holiness in Christianity. It justifies that Christ is holy and that God Himself dwells in His Son’s soul as He had sacrificed His life for the mission of God. It was Christ’s Martyrdom that led him to be holy and so near and dear to God. Accounts of martyrdom that leads to the path of holiness can also be identified through the narratives of Orsuto describing the biography of Perpetua, who kept firm with her identity as a Christian even at prison with her newborn when her family and her prosecutors had been relentlessly trying to shake her from her resolution. Going through painful experiences, Perpetua had then proved her loyalty to the supreme, which signified her to be holy. This also accounts her being priestly and prophetic (Orsuto 54). According to Orsuto, sacraments or sacrifices indicate one’s selfless giving for the good of God’s kingdom. In the narration, the author described that it was the death and the resurrection of Christ that gave life to many in return, which is often illustrated through the ancient Christian arts where a stream of water is shown flowing through the Cross and serving the animals to quench their thirst. It is thus that in the Old Testament, resurrection of Christ is considered as most holy (Orsuto 115). Based on these scriptures and narratives, Church’s universal call to holiness can be referred as the awakening call for all those who believe to be Christians and are Baptized, to follow the principles of God and connect with the Holy Spirit in their way of obtaining eternal peace. LESSON 5: HOLINESS THROUGH THE CENTURIES The origin of a particular form of holiness. During the Apostolic Age, holiness was defined in respect with the thought of communion with the God through peace, solitude and self-giving or sacrifice. It was believed to have the power to transform one’s heart, mitigate the dark and establish truth that shall help a man or a woman better relate with the Supreme. Indeed, call for holiness was believed as rooted to the sacrifice of Jesus signifying Martyrdom. Hence, was the birth of martyrdom as a model of holiness. As mentioned in Hebrews 5:8, “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Reiber, “Jesus, The Cross, A Thief, and Forgiveness”). Salvation that Jesus had undergone was voiced as a symbol of his martyrdom and thus, a call for holiness. This era also witnessed many changes as it was first when women also started being recognized as helpers to man in Churches and thus, helpers to the God. Sacrificing the common life, St. Mary and Lazarus’ sisters and a few other women were allowed to the Christ’s fellowship and ministry. Steadily through this age, Christianity began honoring women and their involvement in the religious proceedings by the Church. It was during the same period that unification between man and woman, through marriage, became symbolized as holiness, as it reflected the communion between Christ and Church and the God and the community. A worthy example of such symbolization of holiness was the marriage of Aquila and Priscilla, who lived in Church helping St. Paul in ministry. For women and men both, virginity was also claimed as an indication to their martyrdom that was also considered as holy (Suscopts, “Christian Life During The Apostolic Age”). However, comparatively, it was the life in solitude, which was considered as the most apparent sign of holiness, wherein man had to sacrifice their communal life, belongings and the comfort of social life. Illustratively, in a scripture by St. Athanasius, Antony, the protagonist, chose a life of solitude in the Egyptian desert to gain holiness. During this era, it was also believed that those who achieved holiness were eligible for spiritual gifts in different forms, which for Antony came in the form of his chance to communize with the God in heaven (Orsuto 59-61). The notion however gradually became more diversified, taking the form of a worldview during the Middle Ages. Things were much different in the Middle Ages as compared to the Apostolic Age of Christianity. During the Middle Ages, government started to be formed where political units were treated separate from religious units and Churches had but limited influence on political or economic activities of a region. These alterations in the community led to the formation of patriarchy in the Christian community. Holiness, nevertheless, found its existence even in this period when political invasions and wars and other forms of anarchy again began taking pace. The best example to this alteration can be obtained from the life of St. Alexander Nevsky. During the Middle Ages, orthodoxy of the Churches was somewhat more rationale and simpler in defining holiness through sacrifice or martyrdom. Illustratively, St. Alexander Nevsky, a prince in Russia sacrificed by accepting the conditions of Mongols in war, to ensure that his men and those innocent of his enemy’s army could survive in exchange of his acceptance to the Mongol King’s favor as well as confidence (Byfield 256). The alterations taking place during this period also gave rise to the stream of Dominican beliefs among Christians, which asserted that holiness comes through mendicant orders, literally referring to begging. The story of Francis is an example to the Dominican approach of Churches in calling for holiness. Francis had the blessings of God, as he could heal the poor and the needy with his touch. But with the fear that his power will bring him wealth and celebrity style respect that could distract him from his way to connect with the God, Francis gave up his rich and accepted poverty. This poverty not only came in the form of wealth and nakedness, wherein he withdrew the idea of covering himself with clothes as a sign of his unshakable followership only to the God, but his poverty was also in the form of his humility, which abounded his characteristics to keep the good for others first scarifying ego. Francis believed that it was a way to relate better to the self and with the God finally, which defined holiness. This signified mendicant order to get imbibed in the call for holiness by churches in the Middle Ages, replicating the Dominican era. The same also followed Gospel’s teachings that to attain holiness by leading a simple life, denoted through praxis, solidarity and suffering (Ho, Mulvaney and Downey 188-192). In the renaissance and the reformation periods much change was however not witnessed in the call for holiness. Rather, the developed models of holiness in the form of simplicity in living, solidarity, unification with the God through marriage between man and woman, suffering, martyrdom and mendicant order were much stressed by the Churches in this era. A major challenge to the call for holiness during this era was the rise of anti-Christ movements. Nevertheless, to ground their call for holiness more firmly, Churches began relating holiness to the freedom of one’s soul and one’s only pathway to heavenly peace. A story much noted in the then scriptures was that of the Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc was a soldier, who had confirmed her theological virginity and purity and had sacrificed her life for her land, although taking many blames that unsocialized her and finally led to her death sentence. However, even after 25 years of her death, her contribution to the development of art and architectures through which common public could connect with the divine and certainly, her self-less attitude towards her land rewarded her, the title of a Saint (History, “Joan Of Arc”). These incidents gradually led to the Reformation Age. It was with the rise of Pope Pius V that holiness received yet another definition, that is, to live for the good of many but not the few. In his writings, Pope Pius V asserts, “For I know that God will not call me to account for suppressing a feast for the wealthy, but he may punish me severely if I neglect His poor” (Dominicans Interactive, “Pope St Pius V”). Thus, the thought that Priests were bestowed with the responsibilities to take care of the poor but not serve the rich, became more prominent and thereafter, led to the belief that not only Priests who were perfect in their gesture to the Supreme power were holy but all those who served the needy following the teachings of the Gospels were holy that sufficed the third dimension of holiness - Royalty. By the modern era, that is of the 20th century, these proclamations became gradually more apparent. Certainly, the call for holiness in the 20th century was more challenging. As Orsuto argues, the emphasis to holiness of the blood of martyrs became prominent during this era. The other models of holiness also remained inherent to the notion. For example, Nicholas II, who was neither considered to have an astounding heroic ability nor did he confirmed his kingship even though he belonged to the Royal family. Rather he was credited for his humility and merciful nature towards others. Hence, his simplistic life, his merciful nature and a self-sacrificing nature signified his holiness (Orsuto 52-53). Spiritual Master. I would like to select St. Teresa of Avila as my Spiritual Master. Correspondingly, I will emphasize her work Teresa of Avila (1980). I have selected her as my spiritual master considering the apparent portrayal of the thought of holiness. The most intriguing fact in her works that I found was the similarity or parity in her teachings and that of her religious views. In her spiritual treatise, which is a renowned literary work of the 16th century, her emphasis was to highlight her experiences and that of every soul to connect with God. The narration described her sufferings, her martyrdom and her humility through which, a soul can become holy. A similar thought can also be observed in her other writings. It is thus that I believe to be able to relate more closely with the writings of St. Teresa of Avila when it comes to the definition of holiness and Church’s call to holiness. LESSON 6: The influence of the sacraments on the daily life of the Catholic. Sacraments can, in the simplistic manner, be affirmed as the apparent sign of God’s grace on a soul. Another major characteristic of sacrament is that it is instituted by Christ Himself. As already mentioned, the prime objective of sacrament is to give grace to the soul and bring the person to communion with God. To be precise, through sacraments, God treats persons as humans with grace that is reflected through various forms, which might range from the perfection in the physical self of the person, mental calmness of the devotee and similar others. These symbols are often material and can be identified in the form of particular things, gestures or in words. Correspondingly, by saying that sacraments are instituted by the Christ Himself, it is meant that because humans are incapable to identify and relate their inward grace with the outward grace rewarded by the God, they need symbolization or a directive motivation to do so. This comes through sacraments in the seven forms, as was noted by Christ. To these seven sacraments, Churches also lack abilities to add or omit any of those. These seven forms of sacraments are denoted as - Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. It is indeed of high significance that sacraments also indicate the power gained by a person, through the grace received by the God, to give grace to others of the community. Hence, sacraments agree to the practices of holiness in a symbolic form, wherein people can easily relate with their followership and the Spiritual gifts they obtain thereafter (Orsuto 113-130). For common Catholics, who wish to respond to the call for holiness, sacraments thus hold considerable significance. For instance, Baptism, which is one of the forms of sacraments instituted by Jesus, symbolizes the soul’s sanctity. This sanctification helps in the communion with God, which indicates the purity of the soul, its virginity and above all, its holiness. It is through this mechanism that Baptized soul is considered to receive grace from the God, which further makes the man or the woman eligible to give grace to others, leading to the holiness of those souls as well. Hence, Baptism can be reflected as a series of graces that continues from one Baptized person to others in the community. In a wider context, this chain of graces also symbolizes the Royal dimension of holiness, wherein the graced soul or the blessed soul takes active participation in building the kingdom of God. Furthermore, Baptism also symbolizes the significance of faith, related with charity and hope (Tetlow SJ 34-35). These aspects are observed to have profound impact on the life of Catholics, giving shape to their idealism to relate with God and to relate with their community in a more responsible manner. The other form of sacrament is Confirmation. Confirmation is nowhere less significant as compared to the other graces as it attempts to fundamentalise the series of graces, certainly the sacramental graces and sanctification – which again relates to the Prophetic dimension of holiness. It is with the belief that God is actually controlling the life of humans and all that exists in the universe, Catholics are able to relate with the Supreme more easily. This union in turn reflects through their confidence to continue with the series of grace and act in a Priestly and Royal manner, making their Christian life more productive for the overall community. It is also this belief that bestows heroic strength upon the Catholics to accept death with buoyancy. This further leads to the third sacrament – Anointing of the Sick. Through this sacrament, it is believed that Catholics receive the comfort and confidence to undergo sufferings and accept their death with grace. Hence, the same indicates the Christian belief that death is the ultimate way to relate with the Supreme and the Eternal power of God (Orsuto 113-130). Generating a positive feel amid the Catholics, this sacrament thus ensures that their belief on God is unconditional and will lead them to holiness. Besides these three sacraments, The Holy Eucharist also indicates towards the active and productive participation of Catholics in the formation of communal life, not only with the God but also with the neighbors. Through this sacrament, Catholics are encouraged to witness supernatural charity in the form of love for the God and for their neighbors. Hence, through this sacrament, Catholics are also able to have their continuation in the Holy Communion of God to build His kingdom. Subsequently, Reconciliation helps Catholics direct common Catholics to restrain themselves from sin and from temptation that might mislead them from their path to attaining holiness. It is undoubtedly helpful in building one’s character to be self-motivated and be at the service of the pure and worthy, thus able to withdraw them from committing crime or offences. While the previously noted sacraments cover a directive approach to holiness, the remaining two concentrate on the essence of spiritual gifts that one can receive through their practices. It is based on this principle that the sacraments of Holy Orders and Marriage are practiced, which affirm that the sacrifice made by the Catholics do not go for waste but are eligible for the Spiritual Gift of completeness and perfection (Catholic Faith, “Catholic Sacraments: Vehicles of Grace”). The distinctive character of Catholic spirituality within the Christian tradition. In Christianity, the words Spirituality, is commonly related with the terms and conditions one follow to live as per the alignment built with God. In other words, spirituality indicates to the communion of a soul with the God in every sphere of life. Catholic belief with regard to the same presumes that it is somewhat unnatural and impossible for humans to attain holiness without God’s grace, which indicates the notion of Catholic spirituality in the Christian tradition. Relating the notion with the call for holiness in Christianity, it becomes apparent that spirituality for Catholic churches stress on the union of God with man and woman. Correspondingly, Catholic belief to spirituality symbolizes perfection through unity and sanctification through sacraments. It refers to self-giving, martyrdom and all other forms of holiness. Above all, in Catholic scriptures, it is believed that spirituality of a person depends on how they define holiness and act likewise to relate with God. Illustrative on this account, St. Teresa of Avila defined spirituality in the form of her commitment, dedication, faith and martyrdom when following Christ’s principles and dictations. Consequently, she asserts – “since you have so pressed me to give some account of the graces which our Lord bestowed upon me in prayer—if it he consistent with the truths of our holy Catholic faith; if it be not, your reverence must burn it at once—for I give my consent” (St. Teresa of Avila 72). In her quote, it is apparent that she nurtures the belief that it is only the God’s grace that a human is capable to sacrificing. It is only through God’s grace that allows a human to accept mendicant order and other forms of being holy and at the service of Him. Nevertheless, prayers form a crucial aspect or practice that bring a human closer to the Spiritual and worthy of God’s grace. On a wider realm, these practices do signify the Apostolic belief that man and woman must first obtain God’s grace that will take them to the path of holiness. Holiness hence comes through God’s grace that further defines Catholic spirituality. This grace of God gives the power to a man or a woman to make sacrifices for the greater good, accept suffering in the name of God and in any situation, follow the principles of Christ. These notions and beliefs frame the structure of Catholic spirituality. In the words of St. Teresa of Avila, “What I am saying—namely, let them not rise if God does not raise them—is the language of spirituality. He will understand me who has had any experience; and I know not how to explain it, if what I have said does not make it plain” (St. Teresa of Avila 79). It is also believed by Catholics that spirituality helps in increasing the strengths of a person to remain holy and restrain self from being inflicted by the Satan. These inherent beliefs to Catholic spirituality often reflect through the Christian life of the devotees to implement their Baptismal promises and thereby obey the sacramental order of God those were instituted by Christ. This discussion hence makes it apparent that Catholic spirituality is specific in nature and tends to offer firm guidance to the people with its purpose of calling for holiness. Works Cited Barron, Fr. Robert. “Additional commentary from Fr. Barron on Extreme Demand, Extreme Mercy.” Standard YouTube Licence, 2014. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. Byfield, Ted. A Glorious Disaster: A.D. 1100 to 1300: The Crusades: Blood, Valor, Iniquity, Reason, Faith. Canada: Christian History Project, 2008. Print. “Pope St Pius V.” Dominicans Interactive, 2015. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. Ho, Cynthia, Beth A. Mulvaney and John K. Downey. Finding Saint Francis in Literature and Art. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Print. Hagstrom, Aurelie A. The Emerging Laity: Vocation, Mission, and Spirituality. New Jersey: Paulist Press, 2010. Print. “Joan of Arc.” History, 2015. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. Orsuto, Donna. Holiness. Chula Vista: New Century Theology, 2007. Print. Neyrey, Jerome H. “The Idea of Purity in Marks Gospel.” University of Notre Dame, 1983. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. Reiber, Ney. “Jesus, The Cross, A Thief, and Forgiveness.” Bible, 1997. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. Ross, Allen P. Holiness to the Lord: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus. United States of America: Baker Academic; Pbk. Ed edition, 2006. Print. “Christian Life During The Apostolic Age.” Suscopts, n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. St. Teresa of Avila. The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus of The Order of Our Lady of Carmel. New York: Benziger Bros, 1904. Print. Tetlow SJ, Joseph A. Making Choices in Christ: The Foundations of Ignatian Spirituality. Chicago: Loyola Press. Print. “Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: Lumen Gentium.” Vatican Council, 1964. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. Read More