Fr. Robert J. Spitzer S.J. - Five Pillars of the Spiritual Life: A Practical Guide to Prayer for Active People

FIVE PILLARS OF THE
SPIRITUAL LIFE

ROBERT J. SPITZER, S.J., Ph.D.

Five Pillars of the
Spiritual Life

A Practical Guide to Prayer
for Active People

IGNATIUS PRESS SAN FRANCISCO

Unless otherwise indicated, the Scripture extracts contained in this book are adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Old Testament 1952; Apocrypha 1957; Catholic Edition of the Old Testament, incorporating the Apocrypha, 1966; New Testament, 1965, Catholic Edition of the New Testament, 1966, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

Cover photograph from istockphoto.com
Cover design by Riz Boncan Marsella
2008 Ignatius Press, San Francisco
All rights reserved
ISBN 978-1-58617-201-5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2007928635
Printed in the United States of America

In loving memory of my mother,
whose faith inspired my spiritual life;
and to my novice master,
Father Gordon Moreland, S.J.,
who prepared me well for the journey.

Acknowledgements

I give thanks to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Whose inspiration and love have guided me steadily on the way to true Home in Them.

I am most grateful, once again, to Camille De Blasi Pauley, who not only transformed these thoughts into writing, but also provided excellent pedagogical and spiritual insight. Her tireless dedication and hours of work have made this volume, as well as so many others, into a publishable reality.

I would also like to thank the Society of Jesus for its patient instruction in the spiritual life, for thirty-two years of spiritual direction, and for providing me with the time to pray.

I am also grateful to Tim Busch and the Magis Institute for organizing the Los Angeles prayer breakfast, which provided the impetus for this book.

Contents

I.
II.
III.
IV. I.
II.
III.
IV. I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
I. A.
B.
C. II. A.
B.
C. III.
IV. I.
II.
A.
B. III.
I.
II.
III.
IV. I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII. I.
II.

Introduction

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, espoused the ideal of becoming contemplatives in action. He was convinced that contemplation (the deep awareness and appropriation of the unconditional Love of God) should affect our actions, and that our actions need to be brought back to contemplation. I believe that there are five essential means through which this ideal can be attained, particularly for busy people: (1) the Holy Eucharist, (2) spontaneous prayer, (3) the Beatitudes, (4) partnership with the Holy Spirit, and (5) the contemplative life itself.

These five dimensions of the spiritual life generally do not develop simultaneously or even in parallel ways. Some develop very quickly, but do not achieve significant depth, while others develop quite slowly, but seem to be almost unending in the depth of wisdom, trust, hope, virtue, and love they engender. All of them can become habits (second nature), and all are complementary to the others. Hence, even in the midst of sporadic and lopsided development, mutual and habitual reinforcement occurs. The best way of explaining this is to look at each of the pillars individually.

Before doing this, however, it is indispensable for each of us to acknowledge (at least intellectually) the fundamental basis for Christian contemplation, namely, the unconditional Love of God. Jesus taught us to address God as Abba (affectionate, caring, supporting parentliterally, my [loving] Father or even Daddy). This address was, for the people of His time, too familiar for God, too presumptuous for the Master of the Universe, and so Jesus seems to be the first to have uttered it. Yet, when He did so, He made it the center of His theology and the basis for His identity as Beloved Son.

The prodigal son parable explains who this Abba is and how He acts toward His beloved children. The younger son essentially violates every imaginable law and custom in first century Judaism. He betrays and shames his father and his family (by essentially saying that the father is as good as dead to him, so give me my share of the estate). He betrays his country and his covenant by going to a foreign land (the Gentiles) to spend the money. He betrays and shames the Torah (the Law) by dissolute living and is in a profound state of ritual impurity by living with the pigs (a ritually impure animal). When he returns, his father (who for Jesus represents God the Father) does not disown him (as would be the fathers right), but instead he runs out to meet him, throws his arms around him, kisses him, gives him a cloak and sandals, then gives him a ring (probably an heirloom indicating his full and renewed membership in the family), and then throws him a celebration feast. If this is Abba , then Abba is Unconditional Love.

If God really is Abba ; if His love is like the father of the prodigal son; if Jesus Passion and Eucharist are confirmations of that unconditional Love; if God really did so love the world that He sent His only begotten Son into the world not to condemn us, but to save us and bring us to eternal life (see Jn 3:16-19); if nothing really can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:31-39); and if God really has prepared us to grasp fully with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that [we] may be filled with all the fulness of God (Eph 3:18-20, emphasis added), then Gods love is unconditional, and it is, therefore, the foundation for unconditional trust and unconditional hope. It is the full expression of the purpose of our lives, and therefore the goal of our lives. The confirmation and understanding of this truth about God is one of the main fruits of the spiritual life, indeed, of my spiritual life. There can be nothing more important than contemplating, affirming, appropriating, and living in this Unconditional Love. This is the purpose of contemplation, indeed, the purpose of the spiritual life itself.

Chapter One

First Pillar: The Holy Eucharist

Introduction

The Eucharist is the center of Catholic spiritual life. It is Christs unconditionally loving presence healing us, transforming us, unifying us, and granting us peace. The preciousness of this gift cannot be underestimated. There are three facets of the Eucharist that require discussion:

1. The institution and grace of the Eucharist
2. The Eucharist as universal prayer
3. The Eucharist in its relationship to the liturgy and other sacraments

1. The Institution and Grace of the Eucharist

Jesus set His face resolutely toward Jerusalem in the midst of His disciples warning about impending persecution because He had a plana plan to give away His unconditionally healing and reconciling love to the world for all generations. His plan is best expressed in considering His Eucharistic words. When He said, This is my Body which will be given up for you, the Greek word used to translate His Hebrew ( zeh baari ) or Aramaic ( den bisri ) was sma instead of sarx . Sarx means flesh and would certainly refer to Jesus corporeal body given on the Cross, while soma is much broader and refers to the whole person (mind, soul, will, as well as corporeal body). Thus, soma is much like the word body in everybody or somebody in English. It might, therefore, be roughly translated as person or self. If we substitute the word self for body in the Eucharistic words, we obtain, This is my whole self given up for you. This is remarkably close to Jesus definition of love (gift of selfgreater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends [Jn 15:13]). Thus, in the Eucharist, Jesus is not only giving us His whole selfHis whole personHe is also giving us His love, indeed, His unconditional Lovethat is, a love that cannot be exceeded.

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