Apology for Spiritual Disciplines

Here, I will present a few introductory thoughts to the somewhat-forgotten (at least in the circles that trained me) concept of spiritual disciplines. I will be drawing on a rather unlikely source, but one that I was just reading for an assignment, Pierre Hadot's "Spiritual Exercises" from his book Philosophy as a Way of Life. Hadot's book is not Christian in any sense, yet he lays out fascinating principles which hold true for Christianity, which, as he notes, began as a philosophy (meaning a way of life, not a set of beliefs and ideas).

The idea of spirituality draws on the belief in transcendence, a state beyond the concreteness of our world. This transcendent is beyond us (hence the title of my blog, although it comes from themes of Ecclesiastes) and within it lies a truer reality in which all creation was meant to exist. Drawing on N.T. Wright, this beyond is the dimension of heaven, which desires to join with earth and reveal its true glory which is prefigured in the Transfiguration and resurrected body of Christ.

Throughout history, these basic claims have been extremitized in a variety of ways. On one hand, spirituality has sometimes been rejected for favor of strict materialism or atheism. These viewpoints often characterize spirituality for being escapist, trying to enter a transcendent world and leave the present world behind. Often, this critique is valid and much escapist thinking draws on Platonic themes which Hadot outlines nicely. However, contrary to common thinking, Christianity is not escapist in any sense. Rather, Christianity believes as has been explained that heaven--the transcendent state--is made to complement earth, not to abandon it.

A spiritualist perspective requires certain disciplines to be enacted in everyday life, which must occur if it is to survive as a "worldview," for no viewpoint can persist if it remains totally abstract and apart from daily practices. Worldview must inform daily living, which often renders it outside of modern conceptions of worldview which are too heady (see Desiring the Kingdom by James K.A. Smith). As a result, spiritual disciplines are a must.

What form these disciplines should take I honestly do not know. I feel they will probably differ from person to person, though at the same time there are specific disciplines outlined by Scripture and embodied in Church tradition that provide a foundation. Here, the line between sacrament and discipline will likely become blurred, since a sacrament such as the Eucharist (communion) is by nature a participatory action, which I would think would also be the definition of a spiritual discipline. These are areas which I desire to study further and which I will post on in the future. Still, it seems evident to me that spiritual disciplines are a vital concept worth rediscovering. If the beyond is to break through to our world and transform it, it must be manifested through participation (which is the basic idea of a sacrament). This participation must be by emphasis communal, as the Body of Christ should not be personalized into individual piety. The discovery of spiritual disciplines (and the continuation of traditional sacraments) is vital for every Christian and for all Christians as a body. This pursuit must not be lost by the modern Church.