CHRISTIAN SPIRITUAL PRACTICES in
CLINICAL CONTEXT
 

 

IT is possible to characterize Christian spiritual practices according to their emphasis on either:

KATAPHATIC (complexity/light/affirmation) or

APOPHATIC (simplicity/darkness/denial) spiritual experience:

THE KATAPHATIC TRADITION

(The Way of Affirmation)

[COMPLEX VARIETY; MULTIPLE IMAGES; LIGHT; LITERATURE; POETRY; HYMNODY]

 

PUBLIC WORSHIP

Sacramental & Scriptural Focus

Vernacular Psalmody

    Liturgy of the Hours

Ritual Chant

   Taizé, Gregor.Chant

 

PRIVATE DEVOTION

Icon-Meditation; Litanies

Stations of the Cross; The Rosary

 

DISCURSIVE MEDITATION

Ignatian, Sulpician, Salesian

 

DISCERNMENT RETREAT

Ignatian Spirituality

 

THE APOPHATIC TRADITION

(The Way of Negation)

[SIMPLICITY, ABSENCE of IMAGES; DARKNESS; WORDLESS INTUITION; HUMILITY]

 

MONOLOGISTIC (Private-) PRAYER

 

The Jesus Prayer (Hesychasm)

 

The prayer of the Cloud of Unknowing

 

“Centering Prayer”

 

“Christian Mantra”

 

“Christian Zen”

“ABANDONMENT to
    DIVINE PROVIDENCE”
           (? Mindfulness ?)

 

 

LECTIO DIVINA

(Contemplative praying of the Scriptures)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE KATAPHATIC TRADITION

(The Way of Affirmation)

[COMPLEX VARIETY; MULTIPLE IMAGES; LIGHT; LITERATURE; POETRY; HYMNODY]

 

PUBLIC WORSHIP

Sacramental & Scriptural Focus

Vernacular Psalmody

    Liturgy of the Hours

Ritual Chant

   Taizé, Gregor.Chant

 

PRIVATE DEVOTION

Icon-Meditation; Litanies

Stations of the Cross; The Rosary

 

DISCURSIVE MEDITATION

Ignatian Sulpician, Salesian

 

DISCERNMENT RETREAT

Ignatian Spirituality

 

THE APOPHATIC TRADITION

(The Way of Negation)

[SIMPLICITY, ABSENCE of IMAGES; DARKNESS; WORDLESS INTUITION; HUMILITY]

 

MONOLOGISTIC (Private-) PRAYER

 

The Jesus Prayer (Hesychasm)
   Eastern Christian
      (Byzantine, Orthodox)

 

The prayer of the Cloud of Unknowing

 

“Centering Prayer”
      (Basil Pennington
       Thomas Keating)

 

“Christian Mantra”
(John Main,
   Lawrence Freeman)

 

“Christian Zen”

“ABANDONMENT to
    DIVINE PROVIDENCE”
           (? Mindfulness ?)

 

 

LECTIO DIVINA

(Contemplative praying of the Scriptures)

 

 

 

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