Fr. Dale Matson
Christ is the prototype of the
perfect human and I would say that St. Paul is the prototype of the converted
and sanctified human. As a psychologist with a background in developmental
psychology, the domain of spiritual development is of particular interest
because I am a priest.
Sanctification is the process of spiritual
development following conversion. Most would agree that Paul had a powerful conversion
experience as reported by St. Luke in Acts chapter nine. Paul was on his way to Damascus to arrest followers
of the Way and was knocked off his horse.
There he encountered the resurrected Christ.
Paul, though he was converted, was
not fully formed. Christ is revealed by St. Paul more than any other New
Testament author and in so doing; Paul revealed much about himself also. While
he focused on revealing the mysteries of Christ, he also provided a
longitudinal record of his own spiritual development lasting about 30 years.
Just as the Synoptic Gospels and St.
John’s Gospel give us a differing perspective on the portrait of Christ, St Paul
gives us a differing perspectives on Christ in his early, middle and later
writings. This is not to say that any period of St. Paul is less inspired than
the others.
The model of spiritual development that
has been traditionally employed by the church consists of the Purgative,
Illuminative and Unitive stages. For an expanded explanation of these stages,
please refer to my previous posting on Soundings. http://sanjoaquinsoundings.blogspot.com/2011/08/sanctification-iii-doctrine-of-three.html
Evelyn Underhill in Mystic Way A
Psychological Study In Christian Origins , wrote the following, “There is a
marked development in the Pauline epistles, which also throws light on their
author’s growth in the new life. The series of letters from 1st Thessalonians
to Philippians, from A.D. 50 to A.D. 60 clearly reflect the changes taking
place in the mind which composed them: its steady process of transcendence, its
movement on the Mystic Way.” (1913, p.180).
The late Bishop of Durham J.B.
Lightfoot offered fascinating comments in his book Biblical Essays
(1893) “1st and 2nd Thessalonians reveals Christ as Judge
and penance. This would coincide with Paul’s Purgative stage of spiritual development. Romans, 1st
and 2nd Corinthians and Galatians would coincide with his Illuminative stage of development and
reveals Christ as “Savior-God”. Philippians, Philemon, Ephesians and Colossians
portray Christ as the “Indwelling Word”. This would be a product of the Unitive stage of spiritual development. “We
turn to the third group of Epistles and at once we notice a change of subject-matter.
The metaphysical, mystical, contemplative aspects of the Gospel are brought out
into special prominence.” (p.232).
The church has traditionally
attributed all the epistles mentioned here, to Paul. Modern scholarship has
cast doubt on the authorship of many of Paul’s letters but has not always taken
into account the fact that Paul was not the same person thirty years after his
conversion.
It is also worth considering when
conducting Bible studies, what stage of spiritual development the participants
are at. Curriculum development should be geared to the level of those being
instructed. For spiritual directors this also has application. For those who
want to focus on doctrine, it might be useful to take a second look at the end
of Paul’s writings, not just the middle.
“Many a phrase which has provided a
handle or an obstacle for critics, is but the hopeless attempt of the mystic to
communicate by means of artistic symbols his actual and supernal experience to
unmystical men.” (Mystic Way A Psychological Study In Christian Origins (Evelyn Underhill, p.194)
4 comments:
Thank you for your sadly too-short article. As a mystic, I tend to see in Paul's writing his own thrashing -- a trait not unlike his former, pre-conversion self. Does sanctification only occur after conversion? What if there is no conversion to speak of? Again, thank you for your writing.
Julia
thevalueofsparrows.com
The Value of Sparrows,
Thanks for your comment. My "too short article" is a part of a series of articles that I have written over the last two months. I will be writing a book about Mysticism over the next few months. If you mean by the word "thrashing" his struggles, then I believe the struggles are the result of God's baptism of fire following conversion. Perhaps this is the best way to describe the purgative stage of spiritual development. Yes, my Christian understanding of Sanctification is that it occurs after Conversion.
Thank you for this wonderful article. I love reading about mysticism in the main religions, both from a historical and modern perspective. It's certainly interesting to think of Paul through the lens of mysticism!
Good luck with your book. THere's one author you may want to check out: Master Charles Cannon. He wrote "The Modern Mystic" (which I love) and just came out with a new book, "Forgiving the Unforgivable" (http://forgivingtheunforgivable.com). Have you heard of him?
Justin,
Thanks for stopping by and your kind comments.
I had not heard of Master Charles Canon prior to your comments. Based on his profile I am surprised that I haven't before now. He sounds eclectic in his approach with a generic spirituality that includes Carl Jung (Synchronicity). What does the "Master" refer to in his name?
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