A God of Relationships: Chapters 2 and 3

We may note a theme in chapters 2 and 3 that Ignatius asserted a form of spirituality that finds God within human and divine relationships. This is different than a spirituality that sees God as an impersonal force or spirit. Examples are given in chapter 3 that early novices had tough experiences such as working in hospitals or going on long pilgrimages without resources (pg 21) in order to develop this trust and openness to God. What are your own reactions to this form of spirituality? What are the benefits and dangers of discerning God's presence within a broken world and at times difficult relationships? Feel free to pull from our own experiences or examples from the book that demonstrate your thinking.

Spirituality: Introduction to CONTEMPLATIVES IN ACTION

Our book opens with a discussion of what "spirituality" means. Our authors note that there are a variety of spiritual practices both within and beyond the Roman Catholic and Christian traditions. While the focus of this book will be an examination of Jesuit spirituality, I would be interested in reading your thoughts on what spirituality means to you.

Our authors note that spirituality can mean "the concrete ways that a person or group relates to life's ultimate questions" or more simply, spirituality can be "a pathway to God." (pgs 2) Newsweek did an interesting poll (August 29 - September 5, 2005: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9024914/site/newsweek/) that showed a high number of Americans willing to define themselves as "spiritual," not necessarily "religious." How would you answer if asked to define yourself? What are the differences between "spiritual" and "religious?" Any other reactions to the introduction or other aspects of the book?

Welcome!

This blog stems from students at Saint Joseph's University (Phildelphia, PA) who are taking a first level theology course entitled, "Introduction to the Christian Tradition."
Our discussions will be centered around our reading of Contemplatives in Action: The Jesuit Way by William Barry, SJ and Robert Doherty, SJ. However, we hope to encourage dialogue in this space from a number of people who are interested and invested in the history, theology, politics, and meaning(s) of Jesuit spirituality and education.