Posted by Johnboy on October 29, 1998 at 12:23:45:
In Reply to: Enlightenment and Contemplation posted by Phil on October 28, 1998 at 08:17:12:
spiritual transformative processes are gifted by grace to those who open their hearts to truth, beauty and goodness, east or west
i, too, believe that it is worthwhile to draw a distinction between the natural and the supernatural, the ontological and the theological, the personal/relational and the impersonal/nonrelational, the psychic and the spiritual
at the same time, we look through another lens and see ourselves as human and divine, animal and spirit, temporal and eternal beings
this addresses the very same issue as raised in the Arraj article regarding Centering Prayer and Contemplation
these are questions that deserve much thought and prayer and to which there are no easy answers; whether contemplation is infused or is active or is passive, whether glossolalia can have both active and passive "movements", whether the awakened or enlightened are experiencing psychic or spiritual reformations, transformations or "upheavals" can lead to some very interesting conversation
fortunately, the Christological perspective cuts to the chase: LOVE is the measure. Teresa suggests that we desire and occupy ourselves in prayer not so as to enjoy the consolations but so as to gain the strength to serve. We depart the Eucharist with: Go in peace to love and serve. Then, there is Galations 5. also, Ignatius and John of the Cross, at times, seem to downplay any focus on consolations and desolations, almost as if they were mere epiphenomena, and point us in the direction of "using" such primarliy for purposes of discerning God's will.
what we don't lose sight of is our original encounter with truth, beauty, justice and love and the efficacies which flow therefrom in service to others
i'd guess that there are those among the "enlightened" who have an ontological and existential "grasp" or intuition but who lack a personal, theological articulation of their encounter with Ultimate Reality
there are those of us who were formed in a spirituality that is profoundly theological and personal/relational, who, when more fully individuated, "lose" our "articulations" even as we experience a more intuitive, ontological and existential relationship with Ultimate Reality
perhaps we are most fully alive when yin and yang, east and west, enlightenment and contemplation, merge within those individuals who are most fully individuated
this is precisely why St. Romain's experiences are so important for the future of east-west dialogue and for a better understanding of spiritual transformative processes as they impinge on our psyches and physiologies. conversely, we know that we may better pre-dispose ourselves for infused gifts by properly nurturing our psyches and physiologies through holistic health regimens and meditative prayer practices. which comes first, the human or the divine? the ontological or the theological? maybe those questions are wrong!