Table Of ContentTHE 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
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© 1996
Penelope Joyce Matthews
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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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
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Chairman
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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In Memory of Joyce B. Matthews
(1918-1990)
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