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Recovering Obedience in the Spiritual Path

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Recovering Obedience in the Spiritual Path Recovering Obedience in the Spiritual Path Ruth Ann Fowler BA, BEd, GDSp A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Theology University of Divinity 2019 i Abstract In the Christian tradition ‘obedience’ is understood as attentive inner listening to God's loving call and an outcome of the movement of grace. In all major religions including in the early Christian tradition and now more particularly in eastern Christianity, obedience to God is named as a foundational element of the spiritual path and, for Christians, essential to the attainment of the goal of deification. By contrast, in western societies in general, the concept and practice of obedience is regarded with suspicion and confused with subservience. It is seen as contributing to abuse and has been devalued as a quality leading to becoming fully human. Instead the pursuit of individual autonomy and self-fulfilment are the dominant western narratives in relation to the self. In contrast to early Christians, for whom obedience was the fruit of the experience of the Spirit, many laypersons today are alienated and confused by notions of obedience. In this thesis, I point to some of the reasons for the negative perception of obedience in the Catholic West. I then outline an approach to obedience where it is understood as a pathway to human flourishing, which in the Christian understanding reaches its apogee in union with a God who is love. In this context, obedience is experienced as a dynamic process of becoming, as a way of being in love, in which we are called to become the person we are created to be. Essential to this for western Christianity is the recovery of a contemplative praxis and ‘embodied obedience’ such as in the eastern Christian tradition of the spiritual mother or father. Drawing on a contemporary Christian anthropology located in the lay life, obedience leads to the fullness of human flourishing which is characterised by both autonomy and vulnerability in the mystery of God. ii Declaration of Originality I affirm that this thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other institution. To the best of my knowledge, this thesis contains no other material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made in the text of the thesis. Ruth A Fowler Dated: iii Acknowledgements I am very grateful to all those who have encouraged, challenged and supported me in this research journey. In particular, I offer my sincere thanks to my supervisors, Dr Katharine Massam of Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity, Melbourne and Dr Philip Kariatlis of St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College, Sydney. They have both been kind and conscientious in their reading, comments and challenging of my thinking. I also thank Dr Alex Kootsookas for her generous gift of proofreading and Dr Catherine Macdonald AE for copyediting. And for a lifetime of contemplative companions I give thanks to those who have shared with me their faithful and courageous walk in the silence in word and text: my spiritual mentor and friend Christina Fox – for her silent walking with me in the writing of this thesis; my mother and my Irish Nana – for whom prayer was life; the World Community of Christian Meditation and the Australian Christian Meditation Community – for their lessons in love and silence; and the Benedictine women of the Jamberoo Abbey in New South Wales – who have given me friendship, insights beyond telling and the silent space in which to keep journeying. iv Contents ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................................................... I DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY ....................................................................................................................... II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................................................III CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 WHAT DOES OBEDIENCE IN THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY MEAN? .......................................................................................... 3 IN THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD.......................................................................................................................... 4 TENSIONS IN THE CATHOLIC EXPERIENCE OF OBEDIENCE ................................................................................................. 6 Impact on the Development of Spiritual Maturity ........................................................................................ 8 Implications for Women ................................................................................................................................ 9 LACK OF CONTEMPLATIVE INSIGHT ........................................................................................................................... 11 MY APPROACH ..................................................................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER OUTLINE OF THESIS .................................................................................................................................. 12 CHAPTER 2 – OBEDIENCE WITHIN CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURE .............................................................................. 14 OBEDIENCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT ......................................................................................................................... 15 OBEDIENCE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT ........................................................................................................................ 16 An Obedient Son .......................................................................................................................................... 17 The Obedience of Mary ............................................................................................................................... 18 Paul and Obedience..................................................................................................................................... 19 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................................................... 20 CHAPTER 3 – THE CHANGING FACE OF OBEDIENCE ........................................................................................ 22 OBEDIENCE IN THE SPIRIT ....................................................................................................................................... 22 OBEDIENCE AND THE HOUSEHOLD ............................................................................................................................ 24 ‘A New Creation’ in Conflict ........................................................................................................................ 24 New Testament Household Codes ............................................................................................................... 26 OBEDIENCE AND COMMUNITY IN TRANSITION ............................................................................................................ 27 v MONASTICISM AND OBEDIENCE ............................................................................................................................... 30 John Cassian ................................................................................................................................................ 32 St Benedict and Obedience .......................................................................................................................... 34 Abbatial Leadership and Obedience ............................................................................................................ 35 THE CONTINUING MONASTIC INFLUENCE ON OBEDIENCE ............................................................................................. 36 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER 4 - EASTERN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN INSIGHTS INTO OBEDIENCE ................................................... 41 ANNUNCIATION AS PROTOTYPE OF OBEDIENCE ........................................................................................................... 42 OBEDIENCE WITHIN ORTHODOX SPIRITUALITY ............................................................................................................ 42 Obedience and Monasticism ....................................................................................................................... 43 A Monastic Virtue? ...................................................................................................................................... 45 Obedience and Love .................................................................................................................................... 49 Obedience and Humility .............................................................................................................................. 50 ‘EMBODIED OBEDIENCE’ – THE SPIRITUAL MOTHER OR FATHER .................................................................................... 50 Preparation of the Spiritual Elder ...............................................................................................................
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