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THE PRAYER OF THE HEART AS A KEY METAPHOR FOR UNDERSTANDING THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION OF THE PASTORAL COUNSELING PROCESS A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the School of Theology at Claremont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Penelope Joyce Matthews May 1993 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. © 1996 Penelope Joyce Matthews ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This dissertation, written by ______Penelope Joyce Matthews____________ under the direction of— h££--Faculty Committee, and approved by its members, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Theology at Claremont in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Faculty Committee ■ {'AuX »H Chairman Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT The Prayer of the Heart as a Key Metaphor for Understanding the Spiritual Dimension of the Pastoral Counseling Process by Penelope J. Matthews The dual nature of the contemporary pastoral counseling movement presents a significant challenge to the field today. On the one hand, pastoral counseling has its roots in the ancient tradition of the cure of souls. On the other hand, it is a thoroughly modern discipline, utilizing psychological theories and methods in the practice of ministry. One of the strengths of pastoral counseling is its commitment to the task of integrating insights from psychology and psychotherapy into a theological framework. However, in recent years critics have charged that the psychological pole has come to dominate the field and that the theological pole has been neglected. While affirming the contribution of modern psychology and psychotherapy to pastoral counseling, this study emphasizes a theological understanding of the pastoral counseling process. The primary source for this understanding is the prayer of the heart, an ancient tradition of inner prayer. The study also draws upon selected sources from contemporary depth psychology. The thesis of this study is that the prayer of the heart is a metaphor for the deepening movement of grace within the person and that this dynamic forms the spiritual Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. core of the pastoral counseling process. It provides a framework for viewing pastoral counseling as a process of spiritual formation. Chapter 1 includes a statement of the problem and the methodology employed in the study. Chapter 2 includes an overview of the tradition of the prayer of the heart and a discussion of the primary text. Chapter 3 is a presentation of the central theological elements of the prayer of the heart. Chapter 4 develops an understanding of the pastoral counseling process as deepening in grace, drawing upon the tradition of the prayer of the heart and insights from contemporary depth psychology. Chapter 5 presents conclusions reached in the study. The findings of the study suggest that the prayer of the heart has much to offer the field of pastoral counseling. As a metaphor for the deepening movement of grace, the prayer of the heart provides one way of understanding the spiritual core of the pastoral counseling process. As a method of deepening human experience, it suggests a way of understanding pastoral counseling as a process of spiritual formation. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents Chapter Page 1. The Pastoral Counseling Process as Spiritual Formation ...................... 1 The Historical Context of Present Day Pastoral Counseling .................... 4 The Dominance of the Psychological Pole in Contemporary Pastoral Counseling . . . 12 The Role of the Modern Psychologies in Contemporary Pastoral Counseling . . . 12 The Neglect of the Theological Pole in Contemporary Pastoral Counseling . . . 18 Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Direction: The Same Process?........... 29 The Spiritual Dimension of Pastoral Counseling.......................... 37 Discussion: The Position of This Study . . 47 The Contribution of Modern Psychology and Psychotherapy to the Field of Pastoral Counseling ................ 47 The Role of Theological and Historical Sources in Pastoral Counseling . . . . 50 The Spiritual Direction Function in Pastoral Counseling ................ 56 The Spiritual Dimension of Pastoral Counseling.......................... 59 Me th od................................... 66 Thesis................................. 67 Goals................................... 67 Sources................................. 69 Definitions............................ 71 Spirituality ........................ 71 Grace................................. 71 iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Prayer.............................. 71 Heart................................ 72 2. The Evolution of the Prayer of the Heart . . 73 What Is the Prayer of the Heart and What Is Its Significance?.............. 74 An Overview of the Development of the Prayer of the Heart.................... 77 Desert Spirituality: Birthplace of the Prayer of the Heart.................. 79 The Intellectual and the Affective Roots of the Prayer of the H e a r t .......... 82 Evagrius: A Spirituality of the Intellect...................... 83 "Macarius": A Spirituality of the Heart.......................... 90 A Fixed Formula: The Coming Together of the Main Elements of the Prayer of the Heart.................. 95 Fourteenth-Century Hesychasm: The Dominance of the Prayer of the H e a r t .............106 The Philokalia and the Spread of the Prayer of the Heart.....................109 Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the H e a r t .................110 3. The Central Theological Elements of the Prayer of the Heart.........................117 The Journey Inward.........................117 The Heart as the Inner Treasure Chamber . 118 Compunction...............................119 The Active Life.............................122 Monasticism...............................124 Positive and Negative Praxis .......... 126 Spiritual Warfare ...................... 128 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Guarding the H e a r t .......................132 Progress in Prayer.......................136 The Prayer of the L i p s ................. 137 The Prayer of the M i n d ................. 138 The Prayer of the Heart................. 138 The Prayer of Ecstasy or Ravishment . . 139 The Contemplative L i f e .....................139 Summary: The Movement of the Prayer of the Heart............................ 146 4. The Prayer of the Heart: A Way in to Human Inter iority............................ 151 The Heart: The Dimension of Depth in Human Experience.................... 152 The Human Condition: The True Self as Buried Treasure ...................... 154 Clinical Illustration .................. 159 The Theological Aspect of the Depth Dimension: The Commonwealth of Heaven . 160 Clinical Illustration .................. 161 The Psychological Aspect of the Depth Dimension: Primordial Experience . . . 162 The Inward Journey to the Heart: The Descent into the Self.............168 The Ladder: A Metaphor for Grace . . . . 168 Compunction: A Work of Love...........169 Clinical Illustration .................. 177 Asceticism: Consenting to the Deepening Movement of Grace...................180 Spiritual Warfare: The Denial of Denial . 183 Clinical Illustration .................. 188 Health of the Soul: The Reintegration of the Self.........................191 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Contemplation: The Self-in-God .......... 194 Progress in Prayer: A Model of Spiritual Formation .................. 195 Clinical Illustration .................. 198 The Degrees of Prayer: From Surface to D e p t h .......................199 Mind-in-Heart Prayer: A Method of Integration.........................200 Clinical Illustration .................. 204 Divinization: A Model of Transformation . 207 Continual Prayer: The Integration of Prayer with L i f e .......................209 Conclusion: A Theological Container for the Pastoral Counseling Process ............ 210 5. Conclusion...................................214 Summary and Findings.......................214 Criteria for a Model of Pastoral Counseling...............................221 Implications of the Study: The Pluralistic Context of Pastoral Counseling ........ 229 Contributions ............................ 233 Limitations and Areas for Further Study . . 235 Bibliography .....................................239 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. In Memory of Joyce B. Matthews (1918-1990) Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.