SS 161 – Spiritual Theology

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About Course

The Purpose of the Course

The purpose of this course is to provide a systematic understanding of Spirituality from a theological perspective with the desire that the students may integrate their theological studies with their spirituality as well as attain a familiarity with major principles of Catholic Spirituality. Therefore, the course aims to deepen spiritual theology’s theoretical, historical, and practical backgrounds. To lead the students to appreciate the richness of the Christian experience of the incarnation of the Spirit. To recognize the presence of the Living Spirit also in other Christian and religious traditions.

What Will You Learn?

  • The course explores the foundations of Christian Spirituality in the Old and New Testaments.
  • Meaning of Spirituality and Spiritual Theology
  • The root Meaning of Spirituality
  • Ways of Describing Spirituality;
  • The Nature of Spiritual Theology and Spirituality as Spiritual Theology.
  • Biblical Spirituality: The Spirituality of the Old Testament and the Spirituality of the New Testament.
  • The Christian Doctrine of God as Foundation of Christian Spirituality:
  • Nature and Implication of Trinitarian Spirituality and in the Spirit: Pathways toward a Trinitarian experience of God.
  • Church’s teachings about Spirituality and Spiritual Theology: Short history of Spiritual Theology as discipline; the Church as Context for Christian Spirituality and Sacramentality and Christian spirituality.
  • The course will provide an overview of the Christian Spirituality’s heritage;
  • Human Life as Mystery: The Need for Spirituality:
  • The Practice of the Spiritual Life;
  • Spiritual Experience: The Self at the Presence of Mystery and Journey Towards Spiritual Maturity
  • The Art of Spiritual Direction and Discernment: Discerning the Spirit and Problems of Spiritual Life; the Nature of Spiritual Direction and the Director and the Process of Spiritual Direction.
  • Contemporary Spirituality in Church and World Religions: Ecumenical Spirituality within the Journey of the Communities;
  • Christian Spirituality and Theological Ethics in Secular Societies and Christian Spirituality Encountering: Jewish-Muslim Mysticism and Asian Spiritual Traditions.
  • COURSE OUTCOMES
  • Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to make their own definition of Spiritual Theology and substantiate it using Magisterial documents, sources of the Christian Tradition, and thoughts of past and contemporary spiritual writers; to demonstrate how to go towards a mature spirituality, a growth through spiritual experience which makes able the person to be guided accompanied by the Spirit and in processes of discernment.

Course Content

0.0 INTRODUCTION
part will consit of the Introduction to the course, including the course content, course outline, assessment modalities and course requirements

  • 0.1 – Course Outline
    05:31
  • 0.2 – Course Content
    05:31

1.0 LECTURE 1 (Week 1): CHRISTIAN SPIRITUAL THEOLOGY – DEFINITION, SCOPE, AND CRITERIA
Objective: Understand the nature of spiritual theology and its place within Christian theology.

2.0 LECTURE 2 (Week 2) – THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE OF GOD AND THE TRINITARIAN SPIRITUALITY
Objective: Explore the Trinitarian foundation of Christian spirituality; Key Readings: Chan, Chapter 2; Zizioulas, Being as Communion

3.0 LECTURE 3 (Week 3) – SIN AND HUMAN NATURE IN SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Objective: Examine the hindrances to spiritual progress; Key Readings: Chan, Chapter 3; Augustine, Confessions

4.0 LECTURE 4 (Week 4) – GRACE AND SALVATION IN SPIRITUAL THEOLOGY
Objective: Understand the interaction of grace and ascetical theology in salvation; Key Readings: Chan, Chapter 4

5.0 LECTURE 5 Week 5) – Week 5: THE CHURCH AS A SACRAMENTAL COMMUNITY
Objective: Analyze the role of the church in individual and corporate spiritual growth; Key Readings: Chan, Chapter 5

6.0 LECTURE 6 (Week 6) – THE THEOLOGY AND PRACTICE OF PRAYER
Objective: Unpack the theological and practical dimensions of prayer; Key Readings: Chan, Chapter 6; Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home

7.0 LECTURE 7 (Week 7) – SPIRITUAL EXERCISES ON GOD AND SELF-WILL AND CONFORMITY
Objective: Explore spiritual disciplines that emphasize surrender to God’s will; Key Readings: Chan, Chapter 7; Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God; Aumann J., Spritual Theology, Chapter 13.

8.0 LECTURE 8 (Week 8) – READING AND MEDITATION ON THE WORD OF GOD
Objective: Learn to cultivate a scripture-centered spirituality; Key Readings: Chan, Chapter 8; Aumann, Chapter 13; Mulholland, Shaped by the Word.

9.0 LECTURE 9 (Week 9) – SPIRITUAL EXERCISES IN THE WORLD – FRIENDSHIP, SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT
Objective: Examine how spiritual life intersects with social and relational realities; Key Readings: Chan, Chapter 9; Bonhoeffer, Life Together

10.0 LECTURE 10 (Week 10) – RULE OF LIFE AND SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES
Objective: Develop a personal and communal rule of life; Key Readings: Chan, Chapter 10

11.0 LECTURE 11 (Week 11) – DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS AND CHRISTIAN MATURITY
Objective: Learn theological and practical approaches to spiritual discernment; Key Readings: Chan, Chapter 11; Aumann, Chapter 14.

12.0 LECTURE 12 (Week 12) – THE ART AND ROLE OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
Objective: Understand the importance and practice of spiritual direction; Key Readings: Chan, Chapter 12; Guigo II, The Ladder of Monks; Aumann, Chapter 13.

13.0 LECTURE 13 (Week 13) – INTEGRATION – COMBINING THEOLOGY AND PRACTICE
Objective: Synthesize insights from theological principles and spiritual exercises; Key Readings: Selected passages from previous chapters.

14.0 LECTURE 14 (Week 14) – REVIEW AND SYNTHESIS – FINAL REFLECTION AND EXAM PREPARATION
Objective: Recap key themes and prepare for the final assessment; Key Readings: Review previous chapters and class notes.

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