Roman Catholic spirituality differs from Protestant spirituality in a number of ways, including the obvious cases of ecclesiology and soteriology. But what else defines the spirituality of the Roman Church? I would like to draw the attention of my reader to that of the more mystical side of the Roman Church which includes monasticism, spiritual giftedness and other more mystical avenues of grace, in order to give a concise and positive outlook of Roman spirituality.
Monasticism
Monasticism, an extension of Roman ecclesiology, is what I believe to be a very strong spiritual influence within the Roman Church. When one thinks of monasticism, one usually thinks of Roman Catholicism. After all the Roman church has held most strongly to this call. Why is this? I believe it is due to the call of monasticism’s richness in humility and reverence. The monastic way is a way of solitude and peace. It is a calling that is not after seeking crowns here on earth or even in heaven, but it is a calling that gives the church substance and vigor. From the time of Constantine to modern day, the monks of the church have kept many sober, showing Christians that God does indeed call modern day John the Baptists and Paul the Apostles. God calls these monks to live a life of purity not for themselves, but for the greater health of the entire church - men and women praying for the church and the world, serving the Church and the world, and sacrificing for the Church and the world.
Known as one of the Desert Fathers, St. Anthony (250-356) is said to be one of the first Christian monks. When he was about twenty he heard the voice of God saying, “Go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor.” He did as he was commanded and sold his possessions. Although, I must point out that Anthony was not the first to live a sacrificial life for Christ. Others had dwelt in huts on the outskirts of town, or lived with relatives in order to live a life of sacrifice, but it was Anthony who took the step toward what we now know as the calling of monk. Although, Anthony’s sacrifice went far beyond what most monks practice today. When Anthony was 35, he retired into the desert, where he shut himself up in an abandoned fort. Food was thrown to him over the wall and for twenty years he saw no people whatsoever.
After these years of isolation an entire colony of men gathered around his fort to follow their call to monasticism. In 305 the monks persuaded Anthony to come out to disciple them. He spent five or six years at this task and in 311, paid a visit to Alexandria to encourage the Church in persecution. He then retired deeper into the desert, where he lived alone for the rest of his life.[7]
Monasticism is not just a way of life, but it is a very theology - in particular, a theology of humility within the spiritual realm, and a theology of liturgy within the earthly realm. The monastic Christian lives a life of liturgy for the purpose of humility. Upon being cultivated to this humility, the Christian begins to serve his fellow man.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux (b. 1090), a monastic founder of his time, heavily emphasized humility in his theology. He says,
Pride in the mind is a great beam which is bloated rather than heavy, swollen rather than solid, and it blocks the mind’s eye and blots out the light of truth, so that if your mind is full of it you cannot see yourself as you really are. Nor can you see what you might be. You see what you would like to be and think yourself to be, or hope that you will be. For what else is pride but, as one of the saints defines it, love of one’s own excellence? That is why we can say the opposite, that humility is contempt of one’s worth.”[8]
Humility is the very calling of the Gospel! When Christ says that in order to enter the Kingdom of heaven, one must become “like a child,” he means that one must be humbled. This, of course, is what the law does, in part; it humbles a man to repentance. But preaching the law in all its worth is simply not enough for the church to embrace. The church must embrace a lifestyle; a calling of humility; a calling that Christ partook of. Christ was not only a “man of sorrows acquainted with grief,” (Isaiah 53:3) but he was also a man that had nowhere to “lay his head” (Luke 9:58). He fellowshipped with the downcast, he owned nothing that we know of, and he remained a celibate man all his life. This is a life of utter humility. To model a life after this lifestyle and create a calling/vocation and even a theology after it, must certainly be the will of our Lord!
The Church Calendar
The Roman, as well as the Eastern and English (Anglican) Christians, give themselves to the liturgical calendar, which includes the observance of Feast Days (Holy Days). They are defined as such:
Feast Days, or Holy Days, are days which are celebrated in commemoration of the sacred mysteries and events recorded in the history of our redemption, in memory of the Virgin Mother of Christ, or of His apostles, martyrs, and saints, by special services and rest from work. A feast not only commemorates an event or person, but also serves to excite the spiritual life by reminding us of the event it commemorates.”[9]
This definition certainly has a streak of ecclesiology within it? The life of the Roman is immersed within the Body of Christ: The Church. When one is subjected to reflect on the lives of prominent saints of the Church, one begins to conform to the very example of that saint. This gives the Roman the opportunity to live within the Body of Christ wherever they are at during the week. They commemorate the particular saint or Christ himself by meditating and contemplating on them. They also ask the deceased saints for intercession: The Feast Days, within the Roman and Eastern Church, but not necessarily within the Anglican Church, are cooperative with what they call The Communion of the Saints:
The communion of saints is the spiritual solidarity which binds together the faithful on earth, the souls in purgatory, and the saints in heaven in the organic unity of the same mystical body under Christ its head, and in a constant interchange of supernatural offices. The participants in that solidarity are called saints by reason of their destination and of their partaking of the fruits of the Redemption (1 Corinthians 1:2 &151; Greek Text)… the communion of saints is found in the “kingdom of God” of the Synoptics, not the individualistic creation of Harnack nor the purely eschatological conception of Loisy, but an organic whole (Matthew 13:31), which embraces in the bonds of charity (Matthew 22:39) all the children of God (Matthew 19:28; Luke 20:36) on earth and in heaven (Matthew 6:20), the angels themselves joining in that fraternity of souls (Luke 15:10). One cannot read the parables of the kingdom (Matthew 13) without perceiving its corporate nature and the continuity which links together the kingdom in our midst and the kingdom to come. The nature of that communion, called by St. John a fellowship with one another (”a fellowship with us”–1 John 1:3) because it is a fellowship with the Father, and with his Son”, and compared by him to the organic and vital union of the vine and its branches (John 15), stands out in bold relief in the Pauline conception of the mystical body. Repeatedly St. Paul speaks of the one body whose head is Christ (Colossians 1:18), whose energizing principle is charity (Ephesians 4:16), whose members are the saints, not only of this world, but also of the world to come (Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 12:22).”
St. John Chrysostom, in his homilies of the saints, said,
When thou perceivest that God is chastening thee, fly not to His enemies… but to His friends, the martyrs, the Saints, and those who were pleasing to Him, and who have great power.”
Sacrament and Spirituality
Roman Catholic spirituality is certainly inclusive to the sacraments: another extension of Rome’s ecclesiology. One could say that every sphere of the Roman Church is an extension of her ecclesiology, but not in her regulative sense. In other words, there are certain aspects of the Roman faith that regulate ones participative order within the Church and there are other aspects that do not regulate as much as they facilitate. The Sacraments, in the Church of Rome, regulate an individual’s spiritual wellbeing. If one does not receive the Sacrament on a regular basis, one does not receive a proper amount of grace.
The Council of Trent states: ” If anyone says that through the sacrament of the New Law grace is not conferred ex opera operato, but that faith alone in the divine promise suffices to obtain grace, let him be anathema.” Ex opera operato means, “by the work performed.”[10] The Roman Catholic understanding of the Sacraments is that they are efficacious due to the Form that they are done through. This Form is a rite that is ordained by the Church and is therefore “effective.” To the Roman, grace is not dependent on the faith of the individual but on God working through the Sacraments via the Priest. To the Roman, faith is articulated visibly through the Sacraments. This Roman theology is a theology that has grown from the Bible but is not necessarily in the Bible, in an explicit form.
The Protestant, however, tends to view grace as being conferred through “belief” or “faith” as the words used by St. Paul, conveying spiritual efficacy. The Protestant also articulates grace by borrowing the language of St. Paul and identifying grace with, in many cases, “Altar Calls,” and “Sinners Prayers.” The irony of this paradigm that the Protestants use is that although the word faith is certainly found in the Bible as a doctrinal means of articulation, the Altar Call and Sinner Prayer liturgy is not explicitly stated in the Bible but could certainly be perceived like the Roman view: from the Bible but not in the Bible.
The typical Protestant articulation of grace seems to put heavy emphasis on the individual’s experience as the par excellence, whereas, in the Roman faith, the emphasis is heavily placed on the entire Body of Christ. Both theologies seem to be similar in that in order to identify grace there must be an articulation of substance, but one is dependent on the one recipient and the other is dependent on the entire Church. Certainly there is danger in both of these avenues - a topic for another day!
Early Roots of the Charisma
It would only be fair to Tertullian and other more charismatic saints to bring in some powerful quotes that support this different type of spiritual warfare; a spiritual warfare that many godly men are afraid of and unwilling to embrace.
We have amongst us a sister whose lot it has been to be favoured with gifts of revelation, which she experiences in the Spirit by ecstatic vision amidst the sacred rites of the Lord’s Day on the Church; she converses with angels, and sometimes even the Lord; she both sees and hears mysterious communications; some men’s hearts she discerns, and she obtains directions for healing for such as need them. Whether it be in the reading of the Scriptures, or in the chanting of the psalms, or in the preaching of sermons, or in the offering up of prayers, in all these religious service matter and opportunity are afforded her of seeing visions.” [11]
The Roman church continues to support these “charismatic” gifts, which certainly can promote a spiritual health, but without proper doctrines of grace they can begin to turn the Christian toward self.
Below, you will find two quotes from Augustine on the more charismatic faith. Augustine was no fool, and to hear him speak of supernatural things is certainly encouraging, especially in light of his prestige posture within the Church.
I was saying these things and weeping in the most bitter contrition of my heart, when suddenly I heard the voice of a boy or a girl - I know not which - coming from the neighborhood house, chanting over and over again, “Pick it up, read it; pick it up, read it.”[12]
“For in the dangers of the voyage she comforted the sailors - to whom the inexperienced voyagers, when alarmed, were accustomed to go for comfort - and assured them of a safe arrival because she had been so assured by thee in a vision.” [13]
Mystic Life
Mysticism is highly valued to both the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic churches. Fr. John Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary defines mysticism as such:
The supernatural state of soul in which God is known in a way that no human effort or exertion could ever succeed in producing. There is an immediate, personal experience of God that is truly extraordinary, not only in intensity and degree, but in kind. It is always the result of a special, totally unmerited grace of God. Christian mysticism differs essentially from the non-Christian mysticism of the Oriental world. It always recognizes that the reality to which it penetrates simply transcends the soul and the cosmos; there is no confusion between I and thou, but always a profound humility before the infinite Majesty of God. And in Christian mysticism all union between the soul and God is a moral union of love, in doing his will even at great sacrifice to self; there is no hint of losing one’s being in God or absorption of one’s personality into the divine.”
It is encouraging to see that mysticism is defined as a state of humility. This particular definition does not contain the deepest of language, but it is nonetheless articulated in a biblical manner.
Roman Scholar Jordan Aumann writes this regarding mysticism:
To deny the universal call to the mystical life it would be necessary to deny also the universal call to perfection. If God does not wish all of us to be perfect [mature], then it is evident that he does not wish all of s to be mystics. But if the call to perfection is absolutely universal - and this is so clear that all the schools admit it - it is necessary to say that the call to the mystical life is likewise universal.”[14]
Spiritual Giftedness
Mystic life, to the Roman Catholic, involves, or at the very least leads to spiritual giftedness. Mysticism can be used as an epistemological holding ground (a theology) to the unknowingness of the Holy Spirits operations; the aspect of God transcending to us in unarticulated and unimaginable ways. But this holding ground is harbored within the grounds of what we know as - biblically speaking, that is - The Gifts of the Holy Spirit or also known as “spiritual giftedness.”
Spiritual giftedness, to the Protestant is found in the New Testament passages of St. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12, where he lists the Apostolic gifts of the church with some of their qualifications. The Roman Catholic, on the other hand, when referring to spiritual giftedness, focuses on Isaiah 11:1-3:
There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
Aumann, regarding this passage, says,
This text is clearly Messianic and properly refers only to the Messias. Nevertheless, the Fathers of the Church and the Church herself have extended the meaning to the faithful of Christ in virtue of the universal principal of the economy of grace which St. Paul enunciated: “For those whom he has forknown he has also predestined to become conformed to the image of his Son, that he should be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29).”[15]
What Aumann is getting at is the fact that we are to conform to the image of Christ, and that Isaiah, in this passage describes what this “conforming image” looks like to us; the very model to which we are to follow. This is quite different, when speaking of spirituality, than the Protestant theology of Cor. 12, which may indeed be better suited for ecclesiastic studies than spiritual studies of sanctification.
Aumann writes that only one Council speaks of the “seven gifts of the Holy Ghost,” as the Romans call it; the Roman Synod held in 382 under Damasus. He also states that the Catechism of the Council of Trent says, “from these gifts of the Holy Ghost…we derive the rules of Christian living, and through them are able to know whether the Holy Ghost dwells in us.”
It is clear that these seven gifts of the Holy Ghost are a part of the very foundation of Roman Catholic spirituality. St. Thomas Aquanis begins his treatise of the Holy Ghost in the Summa Theologiae by stating that we should follow what is outlined in Isaiah. [16]
Negative Spirituality
Roman Catholicism has a tradition of practicing exorcisms. In Aumann’s work he describes demonic possession as a form of God showing the person a “foretaste of hell.”[17] The remedies for demonic possession in the Roman Ritual includes the following:[18]
Sacramental Confession
This is to be done in all humility and sincerity, and is to involve the entirety of one’s whole life. This seems to serve a dual purpose of healing as well as evangelism.
Holy Communion
This is to be done, according to Aumann, only when the denmon possessed is calmed. This supposes that a Christian can become possessed. Aumann does say that there have been notable cases of this happening, although rare, and is to be treated with care.
Fasting and Prayer
This is in conjunction with Matthew 17:20 and is probably the best remedy. Aumann mentions that it should never be omitted, even when all the other cures are implemented.
The Sacramentals
These are objects blessed by the Church and have special power against the devil. Holy water is one of the primary sacramentals.
The Cross
Using the cross during exorcism is an historical way of casting our demons. Aumann states that the saints would frequently trace the sign of the cross over demon possessed people and the demons would sometimes flee.
Relics of The Saints
The Roman Ritual also recommends the use of relics within exorcism.
The Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
Acts 16:18 describes how the Apostles used Christ’s name to cast a demon out of a woman. The saints used this power by invoking the Holy name and making the sign of the cross.
Aumann briefly describes the process of exorcism by explaining how the exorcist should have fasted and prayed before hand and they must obtain the permission of the Bishop to perform the exorcism. They must perform the rite in a church or chapel (and only in exceptional circumstances in a home), and in the company of a few very serious and pious witnesses. The Roman Ritual describes that the interrogations should be said with much authority but should be few in number, while the witnesses remain in prayer. At the end the exorcist should petition God to command the demon never again to enter the body, which he has just left.
Conclusion
Hopefully this article has given you a concise understanding of spirituality within the Roman Catholic Church, through a more positive avenue. The early Roman Church was dedicated to the Christian life in the way of spirituality, and many within the Roman Church today continue in this same dedication. It is, in many ways, different than Protestantism, but there is much within the Roman Church that the Protestant faith could learn from - and vise-versa!
[4] Cyprian, Letter 33 (27), 1 to the Lapsed, c. AD 250
[5]Cyprian, Letter 66 (69), 8 to Florentius Pupianus, c. AD 254
[6] St. Cyprian, The Unity of the Catholic Church
[7]Information on St Anthony taken from Bonnell Spencer, Ye Are The Body, p.62
[8]Bernard of Clairvaux Selected Works, Paulist Press 1987, p.112
[9] The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VI. Published 1909
[10]James T. Bretzke, S.J., Consecrated Phrases: A Latin Theological Dictionary[11]Tertullian, On the Soul, 9
[12] Confessions, Book 8:12
[13] Confessions, Book 6:2
[14]Jordan Aumann, The Theology of Christian Perfection, p. 183
[15]Jordan Aumann, The Theology of Christian Perfection, p. 75
[16]Summa, I-II, q. 68, a. 1.
[17]Jordan Aumann, The Theology of Christian Perfection, p. 255
[18]Jordan Aumann, The Theology of Christian Perfection, p. 256