Spirituality and Moral Theology: Essays from a Pastoral Perspective (review)

Spirituality and Moral Theology: Essays from a Pastoral Perspective. Edited by James Keating. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2000. 153pp. $14.95.

This collection aims to redress inadequate attention to spirituality in Catholic moral theology. For centuries, the disciplines of moral and spiritual theology have not been pursued in an integrated fashion (14, 16). Spirituality (the pursuit of holiness through a personal relationship with God) has been associated with the ascetic lifestyle of clergy and vowed religious. Morality (the pursuit of goodness) has been conceived in terms of legalistic obligations to God and, by extension, to church; the lay believer has usually operated in this mindset (16-17). Although Vatican II helped counteract these divisions through emphasis on a universal call to holiness, vestiges persist among scholars and ordinary folk.

James Keating says moral theology and spirituality must be in dialogue. "How Christian spirituality shapes conscience formation, character development, and moral deliberation should now be brought out from the shadow of other projects [e.g., moral methodology, ecclesial authority, freedom of conscience] . . . that have dominated moral theology since Vatican II" (4). In fact, concerns of conscience formation and character development, particularly their affective aspects, appear in contemporary moral theology under the auspices of "virtue ethics." An essay devoted to the relationship between spirituality and virtue would have been a welcome addition to this book. Besides articulating the linkage between spirituality and moral theology, the editor intends this collection to highlight "the place where true moral and spiritual formation must occur . . . the parish" (7).

Dennis Billy's essay, "Moral Mysticism in a Parish Setting," presumes every Christian should be a mystic. "Mysticism" is defined not by ecstatic experience of God in this life--something accessible to relatively few, but as a "deepening awareness of one's Christian vocation, something to which all of God's people are called" (11). Billy uses the qualifier "moral mysticism" to stress that Christian mysticism not only yields altered states of consciousness, but drives us "to actively pursue personal and/or social commitments of a loving (and therefore moral) nature" (9). Parish communities can best cultivate moral mysticism when they keep in mind the original meaning of "parish." The Greek word paroikia connoted "sojourners in a foreign land" (13). So far so good--many believers will agree that ecstatic experiences are not the litmus test of healthy spirituality, and that the image of a journey resonates with their religious experience. Billy continues with suggestions for cultivating moral mysticism in the parish; ironically, many perpetuate the spiritual elitism he earlier rejected. Billy observes that "there are different types of personalities, as well as various stages of moral and faith development," and that "the great richness of the Catholic tradition . . . has a little something for everyone and, when thoughtfully studied and presented, promises to meet people where they are . . ." (19). Yet suggestions for spiritual formation center around reading works of great mystics, contemplation, faith sharing via small groups, formal spiritual direction, and classes/lecture series (24-29).

These sorts of initiatives--valuable as they are for some constituencies--neglect to meet many people where they are. They most easily accommodate well-educated adults who have the luxuries of leisure time and regular work schedules. Those who are sickly and homebound (along with their caregivers), parents of young children (and children themselves), nurses or medical residents who work rotating 12-hour shifts--people at these life stages will find it hard to participate. Because these constituencies have been especially ignored in traditional spirituality, they deserve preferential attention. "Meeting them where they are" will require adapting parish ministries to fit their lifestyles, uncovering forms of spirituality that are more active and spontaneous than contemplative and methodical, and attending to character formation in the workplace and home, along with formation on parish grounds. Overcoming spiritual elitism will be easier said than done, but Billy's thoughts on moral mysticism could be further...