FINALITÀ
General Objectives:
To offer the doctrinal foundations and the progressive stages
of growing in Christian life towards perfection.
To help the students, as future Christian leaders, shepherds
and spiritual guides, to combine theology and spirituality,
Christian doctrine and practice, contemplation and action,
so to know the ways of God and the ways of men, and lead
them to the stature of Christ.
To hearten them to live in the forefront what they teach and
preach.
ARGOMENTI
Course Outline:
1. Nature and scope of Spiritual Theology: Terminology,
method, sources, types. 2. Biblical and theological foundations
of spirituality. 3. Schools of spirituality. 4. The goal of our
striving: The glory of God, salvation, sanctification. 5. Our
life in the Trinity: The Father, goal of all the creatures; Christ,
the way, the truth, the life; the Holy Spirit sanctifier. 6. The
supernatural organism: Grace (sanctifying, actual, effects),
indwelling of the Trinity, infused virtues, gifts and fruits of the
Holy Spirit, beatitudes. 7. Perfection of the Christian life: the
nature of Christian perfection, the mystical state. 8. Growth in
holiness: Conversion from sin, means of spiritual growth (the
sacraments, meritorious good works, and prayer of petition).
9. The theological virtues (faith, hope, charity) and the
moral virtues (prudence, counsel, justice, piety, temperance,
fear, fortitude). 10. Vocal prayer, meditation, lectio divina,
affective prayer, prayer of simplicity, contemplative prayer,
prayer of quiet, prayer of union, prayer of conforming, union
prayer, transforming union. 11. Aids to spiritual growth: The
presence of God, examination of conscience, the desire for
perfection, conformity to God’s will, fidelity to grace, plan
of life, spiritual reading, holy friendships, spiritual direction.
12. Discernment of spirits: types of spirits, psychosomatic
phenomena, extraordinary mystical phen.
TESTI
Textbook:
Aumann, Jordan. 2010. Spiritual Theology. London: Sheed &
Ward.
Bibliography:
Bouyer, Louis. 2013. Introduction to the Spiritual Life. Notre
Dame: Christian Classics; Burke, Dan. 2012. Navigating
the Interior Life: Spiritual Direction and the Journey to God.
Steubenville: Emmaus Road Publishing; Chan, Simon. 1998.
Spiritual Theology: A Systematic Study of the Christian Life.
Downers Grove: Inter Varsity Press; Collins, Kenneth, ed.
2000. Exploring Christian Spirituality: An Ecumenical Reader.
Grand Rapids: Baker Academic; Downey, Michael. ed. 1993.
The New Dictionary of Catholic Spirituality. Collegeville:
Liturgical Press; Doyle, Charles. 2013. Guidance in Spiritual
Direction. USA: Create Space Independent Publishing
Platform; Fernandez-Carvajal, Francis. 2012. Through Wind
and Waves: On Being a Spiritual Guide. New Rochelle: Scepter;
Francis. 2018. Apostolic Exhortation “Gaudete et Exsultate”
on the Call to Holiness in Today’s World. Vatican City: LEV;
Garrigou-Lagrange, Reginald. 2013. The Three Ages of the
Interior Life. 2 vols. USA: ICGTesting; Gioia, Luigi. 2018.
Touched by God: The Way to Contemplative Prayer. London:
Bloomsbury Academic; Gray, Tim. 2009. Prayer in Scripture
for a Change: An introduction to Lectio Divina. Neceda:
Ascension Press; Healy, Charles. 2012. Christian Spirituality.
An Introduction to the Heritage. New York: Alba House,
1998; Holder, Arthur. 2006. The Blackwell Companion to
Christian Spirituality. Indianapolis: Blackwell Publishing;
Jones, Cheslyn, Geoffrey Wainwright, and Edward Yarnold,
eds. 2004. The Study of Spirituality. 6th Edition. London:
SCPK; Kuttianimattathil, Jose, ed. 2011. Spiritual Direction
Today: Essays in Honour of Rev. Fr. Matthew Maruvathrail,
SDB. Bangalore: Kristu Jyoti Publications; Louf, André.
2015. In the School of Contemplation. Edited by Paul Rowe.
Collegeville: Cistercian Publications; McDermott, Thomas.
2013. Filled with All the Fullness of God: An Introduction
to Catholic Spirituality. London: Bloomsbury T&T
Clark; McGrath, Alister. 2005. Christian Spirituality: An
Introduction. 9th Edition. Indianapolis: Blackwell Publishing;
Merton, Thomas. 2017. A Course in Christian Mysticism:
Thirteen Sessions with the Famous Trappist Monk. Edited by
Jon Sweeney. Collegeville: Liturgical Press; Mursell, Gordon. 2001. The Story of Christian Spirituality: Two Thousand Years,
from East to West. Oxford: Lion Hudson; Sheldrake, Philip,
ed. 2005. The New SCM Dictionary of Christian Spirituality.
2nd Revised Edition. London: SCM; Sheldrake, Philip. 2013.
A Brief History of Spirituality. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell;
Špidlík, Tomáš. 1986. Spirituality of the Christian East: A
Systematic Handbook. Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications;
Standaert, Benoît. 2018. Spirituality: An Art of Living: A
Monk’s Alphabet of Spiritual Practices. Translated by Rudolf
van Puymbroeck. Collegeville: Liturgical Press; Streeter,
Carla. 2013. Foundations of Spirituality: The Human and the
Holy: A Systematic Approach. Collegeville: Liturgical Press;
Tanquerey, Adolphe. 2013. The Spiritual Life. A Treatise on
Ascetical and Mystical Theology. Revised Edition Charlotte:
Tan Books & Publishing; Wiseman, James. 2006. Spirituality
and Mysticism: A Global View. New York: Orbis Book.