200- The Prophetic Creed

The Christian spiritual journey has two large consecutive periods of growth. Each one is triggered by a specific Call and a Conversion and each has its own creed and teaching content. The formation that belongs to the first period is called Catechesis and it follows immediately after Baptism. One of the main elements of Catechesis is the Creed: a summary of the fundamental and vital elements of Faith that enable us to be saved. In former times, the formation that belongs to the second period was called Mystagogy. Sometimes it immediately followed Baptism, but often it occurred a while afterwards. It is often triggered by “Second Conversion”. Mystagogy is more than just a deeper understanding of the mysteries present in the Sacraments. It is an enlivening and deepening of the life of the Faithful, a unique, personal and immediate experience of the Risen Lord and following Him in the Power of the Holy Spirit.

In the early centuries, Mystagogy, this new stage of growth, developed and became more apparent through the quest for God in the Desert: monasticism. A baptised person would hear the Lord’s call to go deeper into the faith and seek perfection. He would actually leave the world and go into the Desert to search for Union with the Lord and live for Him only. (See the Life of St. Anthony written by St. Athanasius, who is also the author of the Nicene Creed.) If we look at the Church as a whole we can say that she has three functions represented in three different bodies, perfectly united and interrelated: the Kingly function (Pope and Bishops), the Priestly (Parish and Parish Priests) and the Prophetic one (Monks and all who have heard the Call to follow Jesus).

It is important to understand that within the “Universal Call to Holiness” that originates in Baptism, there is a significant distinction between “knowing that we are all called” and actually “hearing the Call and starting the journey”. The first period of growth belongs to the Baptismal life in the Parish: living Catechesis to the full. While the second period belongs to the “call of the desert”, “call for perfection” or simply “Jesus’ personal call to follow Him”. The Call for perfection is emblematically mentioned in the Gospel story of the rich young man who asks Jesus to tell him how to reach Perfection. The Lord divides his answer into two stages:

1- the necessity to practise Moses’ Commandments first

2- to go and sell everything, give the money to the poor and go and follow Jesus.

We may consider that the first stage ensures Salvation, while the second offers Union with Christ and full realisation of the “Gift of God” (John 4:10).

At this juncture in the life of the Faithful, something new is started: a Call to follow Jesus from close up, to plumb new depths of Baptism. It is true that being baptised gives us potentially the capacity to follow Jesus! But, significantly, at a certain point in our life, hearing Jesus' Call, is something different and vital. The new journey as of now has its own "rules" and its own "set of beliefs" or “Creed”! This “new” Creed is not opposed to the common Creed, on the contrary, it proceeds from it and deepens it. If we consider that the Creed as we know it is the creed of the Catechumens and the recently baptised and confirmed, we can then consider that there is another Creed that serves as a framework for this new period of growth.

The elements that constitute this Creed are twelve as in the first Creed. They are the main vital truths that command the entire vision of the new period of Spiritual Growth. In fact, the second conversion introduces us to a new world and this Creed – our new contemplative eyes – allows us to contemplate it in its entirety. Without these vital truths one would not be on the orthodox path. Thus, one should now be able to say:

“I believe in *Jesus' Call, in time; *Jesus’ Promises; *the stages of Growth of Spiritual Life; *the different levels of the Action of the Holy Spirit in us; *Our Lady's role in our spiritual life; *the necessity of the assimilation of the Sacraments; *the Full Development of the Virtues; *the necessity of determination, perseverance and the Pascal dimension of the Cross; *the need for appropriate Formation; *union with Christ’s Mystical Body; *a different level of Apostolate; *the Eternal Father's Providence, Love and Mercy. Amen.”

Saying this Creed often, strengthens the belief in the elements of the commitment to answer Jesus’ Call.

Here follow short indications regarding each article of the Prophetic Creed. It goes without saying that each one of these deserves a long explanation and presentation.

1- Jesus' Call, in Time	Second Conversion. Entering into a personal relationship with Jesus. Hearing the Call. Following Him closely. Jesus is the Groom. Jesus is The Everything.
2- Jesus’ Promises	Jesus Promised us: 1- Union with Him / Acquisition of the Holy Spirit. 2- Fullness of Love. Life is: becoming one with the Son, being embraced by the Father, breathing the Holy Spirit.
3- The Stages of Growth of Spiritual Life	Union of will. Deep purification. Betrothal. Spiritual Marriage. Flares of the Holy Spirit. To love God as we are loved by Him. Participation in the Lord’s Passion. Dying out of Love.
4- The Different Levels of the Action of the Holy Spirit in us	Inner Master of the sanctification. Personal and direct action in us. General vs. Particular Help of the Grace of God. How to be in Synergy with the Holy Spirit. Human vs. Divine Modality. Necessity for Transformation. The Transformative line of our journey. A deeper understanding of the Scriptures.
5- Our Lady's Role in our Spiritual Life	It is under her care and maternity that the journey is achieved. Necessity for a total and constant entrustment to Her. Her Faith is transmitted to us.
6- The Necessity of the Assimilation of the Sacraments	There is a necessity to assimilate the Sacraments: the sacramentality of the Word of God (Lectio Divina) and the Eucharist (Prayer of the Heart). Living in the presence of God.
7- The Full Development of the Virtues	Virtues (Faith, Hope, Love), the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit need to grow in us. Two types of Contemplation (Lectio Divina, Prayer of the Heart). Participation in the Lord’s Passion. Humility – Detachment – Love, practised heroically.
8- The Necessity of Determination, Perseverance and the Pascal Dimension of the Cross	How narrow is the door and the Path! Necessity of courage, endurance and resilience. Meaning of suffering. Learning to unite it to the Cross. Temptation. The different types of ‘nights’.
9- The Need for Appropriate Formation	Necessity of: Formation – Spiritual Direction – Spiritual Friendship.
10- Union With Christ’s Mystical Body	The Whole Christ is Head and Body (the Church). We can’t divide up Christ. We need to be united to both.
11- A Different Level of Apostolate	New Modalities of Apostolate develop throughout the journey of growth. Being united with Jesus’ Mystical Body engenders a new dimension of apostolic zeal. Transformed by the Holy Spirit into a living flame, our spirit, together with Him, sends out flares toward others, giving them the Holy Spirit in turn.
12- The Eternal Father's Providence, Love and Mercy	Everything works for the good of whomever commits to this path. God's Providence embraces us: the help of the Angels, the Communion of Saints, St. Joseph’s vigilant help.

New Therapies and Personal Development

Various persons asked for my opinion about New Therapies and the Personal Development (NTPD) training and activities in my capacity as catholic theologian specialised in Spiritual Theology with a knowledge and experience in the NTPD. Please find below a short, to-the-point, set of 14 Questions that had been addressed to me and my Answers.

New Therapies and Personal Development (NTPD)

from a Scientific and Christian Point of View

1- Are all NTPD recognised? No. Only a few are recognised by the Law/Regulations of various western countries (UK here & here, and  USA,…). They need to meet certain requirements in content and training in order to be regulated in a Medical environment (ie Hospitals, Home Cares). They are as well classified in different types.

2- Are they efficient? They have a certain degree of success, but this remains within their specific area of action. It would be unprofessional, therefore, to go out of their own field and claim expertise in others, i.e. Psychology, Spirituality.

3- Are they “neutral”, “scientific”? No, they are not like a medical treatment that doesn’t affect the faith of the patient; they are permeated with – and sometimes based – on a “system of belief” that will influence the client implicitly and explicitly. Christian Discernment should be used here with great care.

4- Are they limited in their influence? Yes, in their area of application they are limited (they can't be compared to Psychology/Psychotherapy for instance). But the Belief system they carry implicitly has unlimited influence.

5- Can the practitioner of the NTPD separate his practice from his belief system? No he can’t separate them. In order to do so, a long training in Spiritual Theology is required + a scientific deepening of each NT or PD system used, + an Academic training in Psychology. The belief system is part of the practitioner and is constantly conveyed in his practice, at least implicitly, by the dynamic of the Transference and by the impact on the client who sees that some therapies “do work”. Many of the NTPD are based or integrate a different “belief system”. Discernment is required.

6- Are the NTPD harmful? Many carry a “new spirituality” and a “belief system” that are not compatible with Christian Creed and Spiritual life. The “new spirituality” has been constituted outside of the Church and of its spiritual Tradition and influence. The weak faith and doctrine of the NTPD Practitioner can definitely interfere in his or her teaching, especially in matters like PD, Meditation and so forth and is implicitly and explicitly conveyed, especially by the dynamic of the Transference and Counter-Transference. This is seriously harmful for “weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9) and naïve persons and creates confusion more than it helps.

7- Can a NTPD Practitioner offer advice or counselling? Without academically recognised training, formation and certification in Counselling/Psychotherapy, the Practitioner can’t go further offering: Counselling, Coaching or Personal development training. This is fraudulent. To be a licensed Counsellor today in the in the USA, for example, requires at least a Masters degree in Psychology, Counselling, or a related discipline. In many States, the Masters degree must contain several specific classes and be at least 48 semester hours in length. To be a psychologist, in most states, will require a doctoral degree, such as a Ph.D. in psychology. Unless the Therapist is trained properly in one or more of these disciplines he or she cannot give any professional and reliable advice. On the contrary, he can create more damage than help. The wisdom, balance and culture that come out of a proper University education and a proper training cannot be improvised.

8- Can an NTPD practitioner quote the Bible or the Church Doctrine without proper theological training? Of course not. It would be an abuse of the trust of the believers, misuse, and even manipulation.

9- What is “Christian discernment” applied to the NTPD? It is knowing the exact limits of the action of each therapy, its effectiveness and the limits and action of the Grace of God and its fruits and being capable of discerning between them in a practical way.

10- What can we advise a Therapist or a Trainer? Small Therapies (Reiki, EFT,…) or methods should be combined with Medical training or proper Psychological or Theological/Spiritual training. We need to invite people who work in the field of NTPD to continue to grow, get more academic accreditations and deepen their faith and spiritual life by studying academically Theology and Spiritual Theology.

11- What is the importance of the Christian Creed? The Creed is like the hard skin of the Divine Fruit. It contains the Divine Fruit itself (God, the Trinity, Jesus, the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, Mary, the Church, the Sacraments,…) Believing in what the Church believes allows us to reach this Divine Fruit and draw Divine Life from its juicy flesh. This is why the issue of knowing which “System of Belief” we base our spiritual life on is of utmost importance, because otherwise we might be having recourse (consciously or unconsciously) to a false fruit that has no juice, or has false juice. Therefore we need to examine carefully the “set of beliefs” involved in the NTPD. “There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 89)

12- Is the Christian Creed the only correct one? Only the Catholic Creed offers the full and main Streams of the Grace of God. Mixing it with other “sets of beliefs” is misleading and diminishes the Streams of the Grace of God or even stops them. When exposed to such teachings and training, the danger cannot be avoided for the weak people because they are exposed to an implicit “system of belief” that is different from the Catholic Faith. It will influence them inevitably. Preserving the purity of the Catholic Creed, understanding its practical spiritual implications is of utmost importance.

13- Why are the NTDP seducing? Its implicit “Belief system” seems more attractive: it is spiritual, flexible, more open, without authority, borders, confining dogmas, and heavy moral rules; it touches on health and wellbeing, and does it in a holistic way, inclusive and pluralistic; it emphasises that the mind, body, and spirit are interrelated and that there is a form of monism and unity throughout the universe and time (“past lives” belief, and other forms of extra terrestrial life); it attempts to create a worldview that includes both science and spirituality and embraces a number of forms of mainstream science, as well as other forms of science that are considered fringe. For all these reasons it easily dupes the gullible listener.

14- Is everything in the “belief system” of the NTPD wrong? It is rare to find a belief system that is totally (in all its parts) wrong. There are always some small truths that have their equivalent in the Christian Creed. But this is not enough to make these other beliefs acceptable. Christian Discernment is required.

For people who want to know more I have a longer text that goes in greater details about all these subjects, showing greater nuance and depth. (click here to see the text)
See as well: The Specificity of Christian Prayer