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The Canticle of Spiritual Direction: a Transformative Approach to the Song of Songs

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The Canticle of Spiritual Direction: a Transformative Approach to the Song of Songs The Canticle of Spiritual Direction: A Transformative Approach to the Song of Songs by Judy Elise Lam submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Master of Theology in the subject Christian Spirituality at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA Supervisor: Professor Celia E.T. Kourie Co-supervisor: Professor Richard P. Hardy February 2012 I dedicate this research project to the ministry of Christian spiritual direction in Hong Kong and South Africa in honour of my beloved parents, Eric Coskey (1925-2007) and Susan Coskey (1924-2008), whose faith exuded the fullness of life, the essence of love, and the goodness of creation. With special thanks to my husband, Roderick and two children, Mikaela and Joshua for their sterling patience during these four years of research. Our family dynamics and diverse ministries in Hong Kong provide fecund ground for writing, feeding the research with nurturing questions and enriching it with the soil of ordinary human experience. i DECLARATION I, Judy Elise Lam, declare that The Canticle of Spiritual Direction: A Transformative Approach to the Song of Songs is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of the references. SIGNED: DATE: ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation symbolises the gift of my love to the Beloved, the altogether lovely One of the Song of Songs whom I acknowledge as ‘friend’ and ‘lover’. It is a gift of shared experience, mainly with spiritual seekers in Hong Kong and South Africa with whom I have journeyed through spiritual direction and silent retreats. The intricate framework and cultural kaleidoscope of our conversations have contributed to the raison-d’être for this research. With our experiential work now transferred to the written word, it is my prayer that readers will be inspired by the Song of Songs to journey with the beloved in the Beloved. The task of researching an ancient poem and an ancient practice is tremendous. While the work is mine, for which I claim full responsibility, credit is given to Professor Celia Kourie for facilitating the balance between spiritual acumen and academic excellence, and personal flair and professional standards. This was crucial as the transformative approach to the Song of Songs developed a life of its own. The research would not have achieved its objectives without her fine supervision, and for this I shall always be thankful. Furthermore, Professor Kourie’s mystical hermeneutic of Scripture is to be commended for it offered a gateway into the depths of the Song, especially after I reached an impasse in locating a Scriptural approach with transformative intent. My sincere appreciation is extended to Chinese University of Hong Kong, China Graduate School of Theology, Lutheran Theological Seminary, and Holy Spirit Seminary for granting me ‘church worker access’ to their libraries. Without their wide selection of resources the research process would have been rather difficult and dry. Words cannot express my gratitude to our directors, colleagues, and friends of OMF International (海外基督使團) for the opportunity to embark on spiritual direction training at Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre (道風山基督教叢林), where I received a Graduate Diploma in Spiritual Direction (2006). Their trust is gratifying indeed, which allows me space and freedom to practice spiritual direction, facilitate silent retreats, and research the Song of Songs for Christian/Asian spiritual direction. ‘道風山, Way-Wind-Mountain, 2004-2006’ is imprinted as ‘a defining moment of transforming love’ which immersed me in a ‘living knowledge’ more precious than ‘ten thousand scrolls of learning’ (讀萬卷書不如行萬里路). During those three unprecedented years, Dr Ekman P.C. Tam and his wife Jennifer identified and honed my charism for spiritual direction. They deserve due recognition for their experiential focus and embodied iii approach, exemplifying an incarnational approach to the practice. Appreciation is also extended to our group of cojourners-in-training for their spiritual companionship, as well as to the staff and worshipping community at Tao Fong Shan. Dr Richard Hardy is gratefully acknowledged for introducing me to Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross through his Carmelite courses at Tao Fong Shan. Their passionate Christian mysticism has had a profound effect on my mid-life years, engendering a deep appreciation for the ‘precious pearls’ of the Song of Songs. Dr Hardy’s mentorship these past eight years has been a reservoir of grace. With his watchful eye on this project, it is not surprising that the pages are suffused with sanjuanist sentiment. I owe a considerable debt to Dr Ralph W. Christensen, my missions mentor at Rosebank Bible College, Johannesburg (1978-1979; 1984-1985) for having taken an avid novice under his wing and teaching me to question deeply and to think biblically. Dr Ralph’s incarnational theology, which is founded on Trinitarian relationality and being ‘in Christ’, has nurtured our family values and ministry ethos. Together with his wife Helen, their spiritual wisdom and model of biblical eldership have blessed us for over thirty years. The research is embedded with over twenty five years of penetrating dialogue with a cherished anam ċara. It is from this depth of soul friendship and inner work that I have taken courage to answer the call of love, speak my truth, and write from experience. I am also indebted to my inner circle of friends who have been a source of consolation in many a dark night, encouraging me to press on with the work of the Song. Sr Patricia Byrne and Sr Isobel Loughrey (Missionary Sisters of St. Columban) at Shek O Holistic Retreat Centre, Hong Kong, cannot go unmentioned; for several years they have provided me with a home away from home when I needed a Celtic blessing, solitude in the idyllic chapel, and inspiration under the full moon over the South China Sea. Growing up in South Africa and ministering in Hong Kong (since 1992), my journey has been enriched by a broad spectrum of people from diverse socio-cultural-religious traditions. I thank God for the colourful piece that each one brings to our iconographic text of life. Most of all, my days would be unimaginably lonesome without the loving support of my brothers and sisters in South Africa and London, and our large extended family. It is therefore fitting that I honour our parents with this project of life-integration because it was Mom and Dad who gave us our first glimpses of the fullness, essence, and goodness of God. Their generative spirit lives on as a testament to divine love and an inspiration to my vocation. iv SUMMARY AND KEY TERMS Summary This dissertation suggests the Song of Songs as a biblical paradigm for Christian spiritual direction based on the poem’s human dynamics, theological poetics and mystical aesthetic. The Song of Songs is paradigmatic as a journey from a state of self-neglect (depletion), through dynamic encounters of love (transformation), to living who I am in union with the divine I AM (deification). Identifying the human beloved as archetypal seeker and positing transformation in love as the raison-d’être for spiritual direction, the research delineates important implications for spiritual praxis, namely: the human subject (locus); human yearning (focus); the human search (journey); dynamics of human transformation and spiritual maturation (process); aspects of life-integration and union with God (purpose); and becoming a living sacrament in the world (epiphany). With its experiential-existential approach, The Canticle of Spiritual Direction serves as an interdisciplinary and intercultural resource on the Song of Songs, Christian spiritual direction, and Christian mysticism. Key Terms Song of Songs; spiritual direction; Christian mysticism; transformation in love; vineyard metaphor; biblical paradigm; human transformation and spiritual maturation; sexuality and spirituality; union and communion; contemplation and incarnation. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Dedication i Declaration ii Acknowledgements iii Summary and Key Terms v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Formulating the research problem 1 1.1.1 The rationale for the present research 1 1.1.2 The use of the term spiritual direction 3 1.1.3 Stating the research problem 4 1.2 Aim of the Research 4 1.2.1 Biblical enrichment for contemporary spiritual direction 4 1.2.2 Clarification of the raison-d’être for Christian spiritual direction 4 1.2.3 Experiential appropriation of the Song of Songs 5 1.2.4 Aesthetic appreciation of the Song of Songs 5 1.3 Demarcating the Area of Research 6 1.3.1 Poetics: the biblical investigation 7 1.3.2 Praxis: implications for the practice of spiritual direction 7 1.4 Methodological Approach and Theoretical Framework 8 1.4.1 Literature research 8 1.4.2 Hermeneutical approach 9 1.4.3 Methodological principles 9 1.5 Delineation of chapters 11 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 13 2.1 Introduction 13 2.2 Review of Contemporary Literature on the Song of Songs 14 2.2.1 God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality (Trible 1978) 14 2.2.2 The Art of Biblical Poetry (Alter 1985) 15 2.2.3 Poetry with a Purpose (Fisch [1988]/1990) 17 2.2.4 The Voice of My Beloved (Matter 1990) 18 2.2.5 The Song of Songs (Brenner 1989); and ‘My’ Song of Songs (2000) 20 2.2.6 Thinking Biblically (LaCocque & Ricoeur 1998) 22 2.2.7 Romance She Wrote (LaCocque 1998a) 24 2.2.8 Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs (Davis 2000); Getting Involved with God (2001); and Reading the Song Iconographically (2006) 25 vi 2.3 Review of Contemporary
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