In this time, Christianity in Europe numerically weakens and, on the other side, statistics of book exhibitions signal growing interest for books touching spirituality. This kind of books belongs among the most popular. Some scholars, in fact, foretold that books about soul and spirituality will be even more demanded nowadays in the time of economical crisis. Why is it so just now in Europe? Everything indicates that one of the reasons of growing longing for spiritual things is caused by deep crisis in human soul. Many people experience inner aridity, shakiness of anchoring of their life, crisis in human relationships. Their body is well fed but their soul starves. Jesus’ word is confirmed: “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (Matth 4:4 NIV)
On the background of Judah’s lapse from the Lord there is plenty of possible applications. To leave the Lord behind, and with Him, the stream of the living water is spiritual catastrophe, which has consequences for people and for the earth. Broken cisterns that cannot hold water may prolong miserable existence but it is not life with God and for Him. It is hard to avoid the impression that much water used daily for our living is contaminated and polluted. The included texts can help us hear the voice of God who is, until now, accessible stream of the living water of salvation and spiritual renewal. The Bible ends up, in the last chapter of the book of St. John’s Revelation 22:17b, by the words: Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
Hlavní otázky spirituality
(Torleiv
Austad)
What is the cause of the current interest in spirituality? If it is an increase in subjectivity and individualism, Christian spirituality is distinct in being also a shared responsibility rather than just a self-transcendence. Variability is another characteristic of the Christian spirituality: There is more than a single spirituality in Christianity. A traditional component of a Christian spirituality is prayer, which is entering in a personal relationship with God. Another such component is reading the Scripture. It can be made from a historical, theological or meditative standing point. There are more traditional texts able to enhance spiritual life, especially so if based on the Scripture. Experience counts among sources of spiritual life, too. Again, it is the Scripture that is the measure of experience as insights rather than knowledge is gained through both experience and prayer.
The present author asks if the variability of traditions and ensuing spiritualities provides an opportunity or at least a challenge for unity, given the post-modern context. Efforts to bridge wide gaps whatever the costs often fail, what helps in turn is concentrate on the Gospel outreach and Biblical rather than traditional foundations.
Academic theology is to be distinguished from practical spirituality. The theology, however, is affected by it as well as conditioned in more ways. Unlike self-transcendence, Christian spirituality and theology are contextual, hence the spiritual theology is able to assist the general Church in managing variability and recognition of spirits. The interaction of practical and theologically reflected spirituality is rewarding and vital.
Spiritualita v době materialismu
(Pavel
Vojtěch Kohut)
This contribution tries to offer outlines of the answers to the basic theoretical question with very practical effects: Is it possible to live the spiritual life in the time of materialism? The starting point for doing it are two tendencies approaching both theology and Christian practice among the catholic theologians of the first half of 20th century, i. e. incarnationist and eschatological tendency, called also horizontalism–verticalism and immersion–emersion.
The main thesis of this study, namely that these tendencies are not alternatives but necessary antinomies calling one for the other, is declared after the initial presentation of the two tendencies and the first enumeration of one-sided stumblingblocks and the first solution to avoid them.
The central part of the contribution offers a theological solution of the mutual relationship of horizontalism and verticalism: Every spiritual life and every concrete spirituality has essentially bipolar character according Chalcedon’ s Christological formula that is applied the organism of the Church, in the spirit of perichoretic Trinitarian model.
The last part of the study proposes practical principles for making personal synthesis of immersion and emersion: the bipolar developing of theologal virtues, the creative fidelity to one’s own vocation and the cultivation of the spirituality of communion.
Nabídka katolické spirituality
(Pavel
Vojtěch Kohut)
What a Roman Catholic spirituality has to offer evangelicals depends on what is meant by “spirituality”. If it means “spiritual life”, it can offer a developed concept assisting in theological acceptance of an authentic, qualified, even mystical experience. If it means “spiritual life”, it can offer a wide variety of schools of spirituality created and cultivated in Religious Institutes and Church movements. If it means “spiritual theology” as a research in the action of the Holy Spirit as responded and reflected by an individual and a community, then a Roman Catholic spirituality can offer to work jointly at a platform that relates closely to all the disciplines of doctrinal theology and makes possible to project realities of spiritual life and life styles into their coordinates.
Ve víru Boží tvořivosti
(Jan
Valeš)
The first revelation of God to man in history is the creation. In last days this creator is also the Crucified and the Resurrected one. Also the future of our world is God the creator! If the Church is silent about faith in God the creator in face of problems this doctrine brings today it looses solid ground for any other confession concerning past and future.
The goal of the article is to inspire believers who work with creation or study it. Therefore it strives to present biblical belief in God the creator in its full width. It grows consistently out of biblical testimony which is interpreted in Christian way through the revelation in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Lord God is the creator, God of action, eternal in activity and unlimited in creativity. History of this world has began with His work (creation), is sustained by His activity (providence) and a new creation is the coming future of the whole world (resurrection, new earth and new heaven). Therefore, the present writer speaks of God the creator rather than creation. The possibility of interpreting conversion (the new birth of believers) as part of God's providence as well as beginning of the new creation is viewed as a special emphasis of this writer.
Ekonomická krize a její duchovní výzvy
(Tomáš Sedláček,
Dušan Drabina)
The article deals with the ways out of the recent economic crisis, which has its roots in Hedonism, a Greek philosophical school of the third century BC. The modern economics has adopted a model of homo oeconomicus, the “economic man”. A rational man maximizes his utility, by which he contributes to an ideal allocation of the scarce resources in the entire economy and facilitates a growth. The role of a man is to put the finishing touches to the creation, which requires a growth. The ancient economists, however, understood the growth phase to be an approach leading to a “golden age”, in which we would settle and stop toiling. Our modern age, on the contrary, is dependent on growth, and the original perspective has evaporated.
The economics has become a modern religion and the economists—like ancient prophets—are expected to forecast the future, interpret reality and, furthermore, to change the reality. Justin Fox, a NYT commentator, brings to notice that we may experience a dawn of a new era in economics with a declension from the “rational market theory”. What does it mean? Does it pay off to do good?
Henri Jozef Michael Nouwen
(David
Novák)
The article is about one of the best known authors in Christian spirituality – Henri Nouwen. In the first part, the author of the article comes through important moments of Nouwen’ s life that influenced his spiritual as well as professional life. Author describes Nouwen’s progressive withdrawal from academic circles towards handicapped people and how it influenced Nouwen’ s writings. In the second part the author describes Nouwen’ s crucial emphases: God’ s love as medicine for human’ s broken identity and spiritual leadership coming out from personal sacrifice. By means of those two areas, Nouwen opens up struggles every leader comes through. In conclusion, the author of the article analyzes why Nouwen’s writings are still so relevant and why they still affect so many people today.