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The adolescent/early adult stage of spiritual growth

God is often viewed as a judge and taskmaster by beginners in the spiritual life.  In the alternative, God might also be viewed as a “sugar daddy,” someone who hands out rich rewards to those he favors.  In either case, the motivation of the early stage of spiritual growth is either the avoidance of punishment or the desire for reward.

As someone becomes more in tune with God’s action in their lives and opens themselves to that action, she recognizes that God is not the stern judge or harsh master she imagined him to be.  God appears more as a friend, a friend to stand in fear of, but fear in the sense of awe and wonder rather than servile fear that causes one to shrink away from what is feared.  The motivation for action becomes more a desire to do good because it is recognized as good, something pleasing to God, and to avoid evil because it is recognized as displeasing to God, rather than making choices based on what might enable one to avoid hell or “earn” heaven.

There is not so much emphasis on sin because intentional serious sin is no longer a major issue.  God is recognized as good and becomes more and more the focus of life.  Because God is recognized now as a friend, prayer becomes more personal.  The pray-er is not afraid to open her heart to God and talk to God as she would to any intimate companion.  She recognizes that God is with her all the time and sometimes experiences God’s presence intensely, yet in a manner that cannot be communicated to others.  Not infrequently, she experiences intense consolations as she thinks about God and how much he cares about her.

A new form of prayer enters her life: meditation.  Now she is not only telling God her heart’s deepest desires and making intercessions for her family, her friends and other causes, but she listens more for God’s word to her.  She wants to know what God wants of her, not because she is concerned about following various rules and regulations exactly – indeed, she finds rules and regulations have less hold on her – but because she wishes to please God and deepen her relationship with him.

In reading passages from Scripture or other religious texts – which she finds herself doing more and more — she is struck by various words and phrases and stops to think about them, asking herself what God is trying to tell her through them, or imagining herself in the middle of some Biblical event, wondering what it would have been like say to be present at the Crucifixion.  Her personal prayer is moving from formality to informality, from rigidity to spontaneity.

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Dangers faced in the first stage of spiritual development

Because a person in the early stages of spiritual growth is so tied to rules and, therefore, often views actions in terms of black and white rather than shades of gray, she risks becoming judgmental.  She has clear idea of what she needs to do in order to avoid sin and carry out those obligations necessary to avoid God’s punishment, and she, therefore, may see anyone who does not live in conformity with her views to be living in sin.  If she believes that a particular creedal formula is necessary for “salvation,” then anyone who does not adopt that particular formula will be seen as “lost.”  

There is, in this stage, also a risk of spiritual stagnation.  Such a person is sure of her opinions and will often refuse to consider alternative opinions, unless it is for the specific purpose of debunking them, or to develop strategies and arguments to convert those who hold them.   Since exposing herself to alternative religious views might be dangerous, prompting, for example, attacks by the devil to shake her faith, she may leave it to others she considers spiritually stronger than herself to engage in contacts with those, even other Christians, who hold  alternative views.  If one is unwilling to listen to the views of others, she is building a wall around herself that will insulate her from having to change her own views, which, for her, is precisely what she intends because she believes that this is what God wants of her.

Thus, if even God tries to call someone in this stage to a different form of prayer or a deeper relationship with God, he may resist because he cannot imagine that even God would act inconsistently with what he is certain God has ordained.  If God calls him to pray more spontaneously, or to act more in friendship than in fear, the call will often be resisted, not out of malice, but from a sincere desire to obey what he is sure is God’s will for him.  His church or denomination may reinforce his reluctance to deviate even slightly from the “straight and narrow” path by preaching that emphasizes that any departure from that path will lead to perdition and that any temptation to leave it is from Satan.

If someone is inside a safe place while he sees naught but danger outside of it, he would be foolish to leave it, but God is not a God of safety or comfort, and if someone is to continue to grow spiritually into the life of God, the attitudes and fears of this stage must be left behind.  I do not mean to imply, however, that even someone who stagnates in this stage may not reach a high level of holiness if that person clings tenaciously to what she truly believes is the will of God.  Holiness consists in conforming our wills to God’s will as best we can discern that will, even if our discernment is wrong.  It is those who recognize that God is calling them to a different mode of life, but refuse to cooperate because they are too comfortable where they are, that are in danger of slipping into a selfish complacency that they mistake for a healthy relationship with God.

Let us now look at the second stage of spiritual growth.

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The beginning of spiritual growth

If we believe with St. Augustine that all human hearts were made by God for God, then we should believe as well that God is constantly reaching out to everyone to open their hearts to him.  For some, this invitation will be drowned out by the distractions of the world.  Some will hear this invitation, but will misinterpret its meaning and will direct their inner passions toward  false gods.  Others will hear it and be afraid to accept it, recognizing that accepting it will make demands on them that they may be unwilling to fulfill.   Others will hear the invitation and accept it and thus begin the process of growing into the life of God..

The manner and environment within which someone accepts God’s invitation are important factors in how he or she will develop spirituality, just as the circumstances into which someone is born will heavily influence how he or she will develop physically and intellectually.  Someone, for example, who is instructed in a denomination that teaches that God is a stern judge will develop differently from someone who is taught early on about God’s mercy and love.

Though I have no statistical data to back it up, I would conjecture that most people develop a relationship with God through Christ because they either want to go to heaven, or they do not want to go to hell, and they have heard that the only way to gain heaven and avoid hell is through an association in faith with Jesus Christ.  In other words, God is looked on as someone who will either reward or punish, and any reasonable person would rather be rewarded than punished.

At this early stage of spiritual development, a person probably looks at life as a test to be passed rather than a school to learn what God wants us to know.  Often, a person wants to do the least possible to get a passing grade.  Sin is generally viewed as an offense against God that will make God angry and may lead to a failing grade, and, hence, hell, if the sin is sufficiently serious and not forgiven by the time of death.

A stage of spiritual growth is characterized in large part by three factors: the motivation for acting as one does, one’s attitude toward God, and the way one prays.   An individual in this initial stage of spiritual development has made a commitment to God, but it is a self-interested commitment.  He is more motivated by what he will get out of the commitment than by anything else.  He considers God remote, high above all, looking down to note whether the individual is acting rightly or wrongfully.  God is a judge and the individual is judged; thus, the individual must act appropriately lest he incur a negative judgment.

Because life is a test passed by acting rightly before God, a person in this stage of spiritual growth will often resort to rules to determine what in fact is right action.  Often, the emphasis is on obedience to the Ten Commandments as being the essence of Christian living, despite the obvious fact that the Ten Commandments are found in the Old Testament.  Nevertheless, a person feels more secure in following rules she feels give clear guidance – not that the Ten Commandments are that clear – than living in ambiguity and taking responsibility for deciding for herself what God might want done in a particular situation.  Following a well-worn path exposes her to less risk than the road less traveled.

Thus, a person in this stage feels more secure in “knowing” that if he does thus and so, he will not offend God, or, that by making a particular statement of faith or adhering to a certain creedal formula, he will be assured that God will look favorably on him.

Prayer in this stage is often according to some set formula or using standard prayers that have been memorized, or which are read from an approved compilation, such as a denominational prayer book.  The reason is that the pray-er still considers God to be remote and intimidating.  To pray “correctly,” so the pray-er is more likely to be heard by God and to avoid gaffes that might offend God, the pray-er prefers the tried and true to the experimental or using prayers of one’s own composition.  A set formula does not necessarily does not necessarily imply a written prayer.  The pray-er may use a litany of stock points to be covered and stock phrases that must be included because that is the way prayer is done.  

In no way do I intend any disrespect for this form of prayer.  The pray-er has already made a decision for God and is reaching out to God sincerely and in the way that seems most appropriate to him or her.  Though this form of prayer does not enjoy the spontaneity or intimacy that more advanced prayer has, it is a legitimate form of prayer, and, by the grace of God, will lead to spiritual growth if the pray-er is open to that growth.

Furthermore, even persons further along in their spiritual development may often return to standard denominational prayers, particularly in public worship, or may use “formulas” in communicating with God.  As we saw with regard to Centering Prayer, as well as the “Jesus Prayer,” a word or phrase can be repeated over and over again, but, in these cases, the repeated phrase is intended not so much as a petition to God as it is a way of establishing a special type pf relationship with God.

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Chapter 8 - Stages of Spiritual Growth

Can we grow spiritually?

When I ask, “Can we grow spiritually,” most people would respond with a resounding yes.  But the matter is not as straightforward as it may seem at first glance.

We must first declare what we mean by “spiritual growth.”  Does this mean that we become more considerate of our neighbors, more honest is our business dealings, and more generous with our contributions to charity?  Is spiritual growth something that we can measure, and, if so, how do we measure it?  Is it something that others will observe and about which they will comment, “My, how you’ve grown spiritually since I first met you”?

To begin to answer the question “Can we grow spiritually,” we must remember what our ultimate goal remains: union with God in love through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.  We are to enter into the life of God.  We are to undergo “divinization,” as the process is called in Eastern Orthodox theology.  

Of course creatures will always remain creatures.  We do not become the equal of God, nor do we become God as Jesus Christ was truly God, having both divine and human natures.  We are, however, to be incorporated into the life of God by the power of God as much as creatures can share in the life of God so that we can know God, see God face to face, know God as God knows himself because we will be like God.

As noted earlier, we cannot bring this result about by our own power.  We cannot bootstrap ourselves into the life of God.  Only God can bring about this transformation in us, and it is that transformation, and only that transformation, that constitutes true spiritual growth.  We now see that we can grow spiritually, but it is God who enables us to grow spiritually.  Our role is to accept God’s invitation to divine union and to be open to God’s transforming grace.   This process begins at some point in our lifetimes and probably continues in heaven after we die since a finite creature can continue to grow indefinitely into the life of the infinite God.

It is self-evident that there can be substantial time between the beginning and end of this process.  Only Jesus was fully spiritually mature from the beginning of his life to his death because Jesus was, and always will remain, the only human being, unique in all of history, who had a complete and perfect union with God from his birth to his death and beyond.  The rest of us take time to mature spiritually.  And, as is the case with physical as well as intellectual growth, obstacles and handicaps can arise along our way that stunt our growth and delay us in reaching our full potential.

We ought not be surprised that spiritual growth is a process rather than something that happens to us full-blown when we are converted.  Even St. Paul did not immediately present himself to the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem as one called by Christ himself, but, instead, he first went on a long retreat to try to sort things out and let the power of God prepare him for the work God was to give him.  A sign of the authenticity of Paul’s conversion was his unwillingness to see himself as someone prepared at the outset to be an apostle.  He realized that his work and his soul needed a time of preparation.

As humans, we come into the world as helpless infants and go through many stages as we physically mature.  As humans, we come into the world knowing little, relying on our basic instincts.  Our minds mature as we grow older.  Learning is a process that, if taken seriously, requires time and hard work.  Persons who go on to advanced degrees can spend a decade or more in school from kindergarten to post-graduate studies.

Our physical growth requires food and proper care for us to prosper and grow into mature old age.  Our intellectual growth requires education and the exercise of our minds if we are to avoid mental stagnation.  Spiritual growth likewise takes time and effort.  Perhaps the main purpose of our lives is to give us time to come to spiritual maturity.

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What results from sacred reading?

I stress again that sacred reading, like any prayer technique, is not an end in itself.  Moreover, sacred reading is not a “workout” to strengthen our spiritual muscles.  We may be able to run a faster mile by physical effort and exercises, but we can never bootstrap ourselves more fully into the life of God by any effort of our natural faculties.

Sacred reading, like other means of opening ourselves to God, is intended to be life-transforming.  The effects of sacred reading should begin to permeate our entire lives, every moment of each day, as God draws us more and more deeply into his divine mystery.  If God is indeed drawing us more and more into his own life, our own lives should become more and more God-like.  We should begin to live more and more as Christ would live in our particular circumstances.  Our wills should become more closely attuned to, and in compliance with, the will of Christ.  Our love for God should translate into our love for neighbor, a burning desire that others will be brought into a more profound and loving relationship with God.  We recognize that if God has had mercy on us, the least of his children, how much more do others deserve God’s mercy.  We should be willing to sacrifice all we have, if need be, that others might find God and that we might never lose God.  If these attitudes do not become more prevalent in our lives, then we must carefully examine whether we are truly opening ourselves to God, seeking God above all else, or merely engaging in spiritual practices for emotional satisfaction or some other selfish motive.

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Various obstacles to sacred reading

The comment about choosing appropriate readings in times of dryness can be extended to any mood the soul may be experiencing.  Indeed, one obstacle to success in sacred reading is choosing readings that are unlikely to provide inspiration for meditation or prayer because they are not suited to the reader’s temperament, mood or interests.  Even parts of the Bible are unlikely to inspire anyone to anything except sleep.  If a particular book or portion of Scripture does not seem to strike a responsive chord, you should not be afraid or ashamed to look for another text.

Sacred reading is not study in the academic sense.  It is a technique to open ourselves more fully to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.   Thus, sacred reading should not be used as a program to work through the entire Bible from cover to cover – as noted above, many parts of the Bible rarely lend themselves well to ordinary reading, much less sacred reading – nor should sacred reading be used to cram in as much reading during the time allotted as possible.   Goal- oriented persons may want to cover a lot of ground in their reading, and may, therefore, think that the slow pace of sacred reading is a waste of time, but more may be gained spiritually in many instances from concentrating attention on a single paragraph or sentence.   Do not mistake sacred reading for reading to gain information.   Accept sacred reading for what it is intended to be, a means to make ourselves available to God and a possible path to contemplation.

As with other contemplation techniques, such as centering prayer, a quiet place and bodily comfort are aids to success.  Though not impossible – all things are possible for God – children screaming in the background are not helpful to sacred reading, nor are leg cramps, an uncomfortable chair, nor is the thought that company is coming for dinner in ten minutes and the table is not set.   Choose a time and a place and a posture when you can engage yourself as fully as possible in this exercise.  Put aside for the time, the cares of the day and the tasks you have yet to carry out.  Make the time available for you and God together.

It should be obvious by now that sacred reading is not an exercise that can be rushed.  Adequate time must be allotted for each session.  Unlike other techniques of moving toward contemplation, this one cannot fit well into say five minute segments.  Probably at least 20 minutes, and, preferably, half an hour, are bare minimums since the reader must get comfortable and compose herself prior to reading,  including a short prayer asking for guidance from the Holy Spirit.  Then there is the slow, meditative reading; the mindful digesting of an inspiring word or phrase; a time of prayer; and then a quiet resting in God if all four of the steps of Guigo’s ladder are covered.  Once one is resting quietly in God, this time, the holiest of the exercise, should not be truncated unnecessarily.  If there is insufficient time to do justice to sacred reading, another form of prayer should be substituted.

Nevertheless, the practice of sacred reading, like any other prayer technique, requires  discipline, concerted effort, to practice it on a regular basis.  Just as sporadic dieting is not likely to result in significant weight loss, or occasional practice of the piano is not apt to make someone a proficient musician, so hit or miss prayer is not likely to deepen someone’s spiritual life and allow God the opportunity needed to transform that person into what God wants that person to become.   

Disciplined prayer in itself, of course, is not an end.  It is a means to make ourselves more available to God, who is the goal of our spiritual practices.  The practices themselves do not allow us to share more fully in the life of God; only God can do that.  The practices indicate to God that we want to share more fully in the life of God, and, through the practices, we open ourselves to God’s transforming action in us.  Sanctification comes from God alone, but God needs our cooperation.  To repeat what I have tried to make clear earlier: God invites, but God does not compel.

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Guigo’s ladder

Sacred reading is often described using four steps.  In actuality, the four steps come from the writings of Guigo, a 12th century Carthusian monk.  The steps are not of the essence of sacred reading, but they may be helpful in identifying where sacred reading might lead the soul and the last of the steps, as we shall see, is contemplation.

The first step in Guigo’s ladder is the reading itself as described earlier in this chapter, holding oneself open to inspiration by a word or passage from the reading chosen.  The second step is meditation, often referred to by meditatio, the latin word for meditation.  At this step, we think about the passage that inspired us and what God might be trying to tell us through it.  The passage may lead us to construct images of an event in the life of Christ or some event in our past.  It may lead us to think of passages from Scripture, or some issue of faith or morals, or a life decision with which we are struggling.  It may even lead us into a different stream of thinking altogether, the passage being merely a springboard from which to dive into another unrelated issue that God wants us to consider.  We should not attempt to force ourselves to go in any particular direction, trying to be as open as we can to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

If, as in the example above using Psalm 23, we are attracted to the word shepherd, we might imagine a field of sheep grazing contentedly with the shepherd standing guard over them, or we might see ourselves as a lost sheep for whom Jesus is searching.  We ought to follow where the Spirit seems to be leading without coercing our thoughts to move in a particular direction.  Meditation here should be unhurried and restful, just as our reading should be.  The more effort we put into it, the less likely it is to bear fruit, just as the more strenuously we attempt to banish distractions in Centering Prayer, the more distracted we will become.

Our meditation on the passage that drew our attention may, in turn, lead to the third step of the ladder, oratio, prayer.  The meditation on “shepherd” may cause a spontaneous burst of thanks to God for his loving care of us, or it may cause us to pray that we may never wander from the flock.  Or, if we have been led toward a particular decision, we may pray that the decision we have made is, in fact, in keeping with the will of God, and that God will correct us if we are wrong.  Our prayer may even be simply repeating the word or phrase that inspired us slowly over and over again, letting into sink into our consciousness.

At some point in our prayer, we may be led to contemplation, contemplatio, that is, a quiet resting in God.  Sacred reading is a method that is intended to prepare the soul for contemplation.  Is this active, or passive, contemplation?  Has the soul actively sought to rest in God using the first three steps of Guigo’s ladder as the inspiration?  Yes, but the contemplation may also be a gift from God; that is, God may give the prepared soul a more direct experience of himself.

No one should feel that Guigo’s ladder is the essence of sacred reading.  It was created after sacred reading was already an integral part of Benedictine spiritual practices.  The ladder may be useful to remind us that sacred reading is not an end in itself – no prayer technique is an end in itself – but it is pointed toward deeper growth into God, and, ultimately, enjoying the vision of God.  Some persons may find themselves jumping directly from reading to contemplation.  Others may not enter a contemplative state at all.  

At times of great spiritual dryness, one may find concentration difficult and no word or phrase inspiring.  In such times of dryness, readings selected to reflect that dryness, such as the anguish of some of the psalms, or readings about Christ’s suffering and death may be useful.