having

something to do
having to do with
with spirit
relationship with
God, self, others,
creation

associate with
finding meaning
in life
A Conversation
between Spirituality
and Theology
TOPIC 4
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
DOCTRINE:
1. Explain spirituality as an experience of a personal relationship with God
2. Know and understand the meaning and essence of spirituality and theology
3. Differentiate and relate the connection between spirituality and theology
MORAL:
1. Develop and practice spirituality grounded on the teachings of St.
Augustine as basis for the quest for truth and union with God
WORSHIP:
1. Express gratitude to God for the gift of being receptive to
His grace
2. Established a deeper relationship and communion with God
through prayer and spiritual devotions
David Tracy, Theologian

More and more persons can be heard

repeating the refrain “I am not
religious” (shorthand for I am not a
practicing member of any
institutionalized form of religion),
“but I am spiritual”. Such
declarations should be honored by all
theologians and churches as a clear
call from the hearts of seekers for
guidance for some vision and way of
life.
VIEWPOINT OF THIS LESSON

Sandra Schneiders describes people view the relationship

between spirituality and religion as strangers, rivals and
PARTNERS. As partners, spirituality and religion
are often seen as being at odds with each other but are
complementary and essential aspects of any authentic
quest for purpose and meaning in the world. As
partners, they are distinct but intimately related.
 SPIRITUALITY
AS LIFE
INTEGRATION
SPIRITUALITY AS LIFE INTEGRATION
SPIRITUALITY RELIGION
refers to the logic, or a set of beliefs, values and
character, or consistent practices that together
quality of a person’s or a identify what ultimate
group’s pattern of living reality is and help
establish the relationship
insofar as it is measured that obtains between this
before some kind of ultimate reality and the
ultimate reality practitioners
(Roger Haight) (Roger Haight)
Can a person
practice
spirituality
without
religion?
YES but difficult to do.

Without a religion that

determines for us what
ultimate value might be, a
person practicing this so-
called “secular spirituality”
has to find ultimate value on
their own terms, by their own
capacity.
The aim of spirituality is to
achieve the ultimate reality.
 In addition, SPIRITUALITY is the experience of conscious
involvement in the project of life-integration through self-
transcendence toward the ultimate value one perceives.

Spirituality can provide

foundation (life-
integration) and
direction (self-
transcendence) for a
generation of youth
seeking answers to their
existential questions.
Christian Spirituality is the
lived experience of
Christian faith grounded in
the person of Jesus Christ.

Christian Spirituality
 Although all humans are
spiritual and all Christian
spiritualities share a deep
commonality, each individual
develops his or her spirituality
in a unique and personal way.
The Role of Spirituality in the Lives of People Today

an experience of conscious
denotes involvement in a project
experience

pursued by consistent
life- self-transcendent
integration towards ultimate value
 AUGUSTINIAN SPIRITUALITY AS PATTERN
There are many kinds of spirituality that exists
within the church. These spiritualities have
emerged within our history in order to provide
guidance and pattern for developing proper
practice and belief and for directing our progress
toward God.
AUGUSTINIAN SPIRITUALITY AS PATTERN
PRINCIPLES:
A. VERITAS (truth)
1.) understanding of the truth of oneself, and in that, the truth of God
2.) open in seeking the truth in each other while respecting the differences among people
B. UNITAS (unity)
1.) live harmoniously together in oneness of mind and heart
2.) openness and willingness for collaboration amongst members of the community
C. CARITAS (love)
1.) caritas enables persons to pray “Abba, Father”
2.) puts love at the heart practice and life
AUGUSTINIAN SPIRITUALITY AS PATTERN
Spirituality is difficult to do alone,
and even more so if it is done
without some kind of basis that
grounds one’s practice of
spirituality.
THE NEED FOR
ROOTS AND
WINGS
 seeking
dwelling practicing

Kinds of Spirituality
(according to William Spohn)
 DWELLING
the reliability of traditional
religious institutions and the
living out of person’s spiritual
lives within the drawn bounds of
such institutions

had shallow roots and no wings to travel on

 SEEKING
worked to find paths to ultimate
value on their own terms

had wings but no roots

 PRACTICING
adopt spiritual disciplines to
focus and deepen their quest for
God
have both roots and wings
SPRITUALITY AND
PRACTICE
Spirituality is a quest that can be furthered by adopting appropriate spiritual
practices and by participating in relevant communal rituals.
- Peter Van Ness
 PRACTICE
- the living out of spirituality
- do not only includes prayer but also
includes moral living
- not just a private activity but
something that touches entire
communities and society as a whole
SPIRITUAL PRACTICES are journeys. They
are not hobbies or occasional exercises that
depend on our moods. SPIRITUAL
PRACTICES require commitment and are
usually cooperative in nature.
PRACTICAL
THEOLOGY
Thus, it is with utmost significance that both spirituality
and theology be encountered not simply emphasizing
proper understanding of the faith (orthodoxy) but also
highlighting the proper living out of the faith in practice
(orthopraxis).

The understanding of the doctrinal truths must be dealt

with “practicality” in relation to the current context or
situation of the world, especially that of the youth – a
theology that is rooted in the practice of the faith and
ultimately results into further practice.
 PRACTICAL THEOLOGY
- a strand of theological thought that
attempts to heal the division between theory
and practice
- focuses on the application of theological
theories and concepts
- aims to harmonize knowledge of the faith
and the practice of the faith
DISTINCT FEATURES OF PRACTICAL THEOLOGY IN THE PHILIPPINE SETTING

I. INTEGRATION GOAL:
to bring out in a
interrelatedness of the Christian practical manner
message and the actual living the experiential
out of the same message in the dimension of the
daily life of the people faith

Faith is not just believing/thinking (HEAD) but

doing (HANDS) and praying/worshipping
(HEART) as well.
 GOAL:
to bring out the II. INCULTURATION
faith in a
practical manner
contextualization and dialogue
the into the very that allows engagement
heart of each
culture between faith and culture
Faith must be communicated
through contextual patterns of
thought, gesture and language
so that the receiver might
perceive it as addressed to them
personally.
 III. COMMUNITY-FORMATION
the formation of a community for transformation according to
God’s salvific reign revealed in Jesus Christ
GOAL: Faith grows to maturity by
to nurture and bring to forming men and women of
maturity of faith the authentic prayer and service and
members of the Christian
in a supportive community
faith
provided by home, school and
community.
A FINAL REMINDER:
“To be spiritual you need the roots of religious
tradition and community, while to be religious
in a Christian way you need the wings of
committed spiritual practices. The true
challenge of living out an authentic faith is to
be both spiritual and religious.”
 AUGUSTINIAN VALUE

Interiority
St. Augustine says:
SEARCH IN WAYS BY WHICH WE CAN MAKE
DISCOVERIES AND DISCOVER WAYS BY
WHICH WE CAN KEEP SEARCHING.