Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / There has been an upsurge of interest in Christian spirituality in recent years. In this thesis I will provide a brief survey of the history and forms of Christian spirituality in order to sketch the background against which this study will be situated with specific reference to the history of contemplative spirituality. Beginning with the life and teachings of the Desert Fathers it will show that contemplative prayer is firmly rooted in the ancient Christian tradition. More specifically, I will focus on two contemporary exponents of the contemplative tradition of spirituality, namely Thomas Keating (1923-2018) and Henri Nouwen (1932-1996).

Research tells us that there is an effect of prayer on well-being. However, little is known about the mechanisms that underlie this relationship. In addition, much of the available data concerning prayer and well-being is based on Christians living in the United States, and our knowledge of how prayer and well-being are functionally interconnected in other faith groups, including Muslims, is sparse. The primary aim of this study was to understand how prayer impacts well-being in individuals of the Muslim faith. Specifically, four potential mediators of the relationship between prayer and well-being were examined; optimism, spirituality, mindfulness, and social support. These mediators were selected based on previous empirical work demonstrating the role these factors have in both religious practices and mental health. Optimism, spirituality, and social support are important mechanisms in the relationship between prayer and well-being in Christian samples, while mindfulness underlies the beneficial effects of contemplative practices on well-being in studies focused on Buddhist practices. In this study it is proposed that as a contemplative practice of the Abrahamic faith, Muslim prayer (salah) relates to well-being through the mediatory roles of optimism, spirituality, social support, and mindfulness. Participants (N=155) were recruited from local mosques, Muslim Student Associations of the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, local halal restaurants, and MuslimLink (an Ottawa-based Muslim newsletter). SurveyMonkey was used to gather information on participants’ prayer habits, and level of trait mindfulness, spirituality, optimism, social support, and subjective well-being. The data were analysed using a parallel multiple mediator model via the Monte Carlo confidence interval to test for the indirect effect of the mediator variables. Optimism and spirituality were both found to be mediators of the relationship between frequency of prayer and subjective well-being. While mindfulness correlated with both frequency of prayer and well-being, it did not mediate the relationship between the two. Social support correlated with frequency of prayer and not well-being and was not a mediator between the two variables. Psychological interventions that incorporate faith-based practices have been found to have greater effectiveness for religious patients. Understanding prayer and how it relates to well-being is important to implementing intervention and prevention strategies that are culturally informed thus better serving the Muslim population needs.

The Merry Holiness - The Spirituality of S. M. Braito In His Life and Works The goal of this thesis was to inquire the main features of the spirituality of Silvestr Maria Braito, who, in his time, played one of the key roles in the forming of the Christian life in former Czechoslovakia. Above all, it aimed to look into Braito`s spirituality on two levels: on the level of his personal experience, including the experience from the communist prison, and on the level of his works in the spiritual review Na hlubinu. The objective of the thesis was to categorize Braito`s spirituality and compare his theoretical work with the experienced spiritual life, including its changes. Keywords Braito, Na hlubinu, spirituality, mysticism, prayer Počet znaků (včetně mezer): 180 245

The diploma thesis "Dance as a Manifestation of Devotion, its History and Use in the Christian Liturgy" enquires into the phenomenon of dance in the context of Christian culture. It outlines the development of the religious dance in the history of mankind, its forms and modes of perception in different cultures and religions. The thesis also deals with dance as an expression of faith in Jewish culture whence the Christian liturgical dance often drew inspiration and thus went back to its own roots. It seeks to explore the positive attitudes of believers towards dance, but also the mistrust that accompanied dance throughout the history of Christianity. Additionally, the paper presents the situation of dance in the contemporary Christian culture on different continents (Europe, America, Africa), to pursue finally the question of dance as a manifestation of devotion in the Czech Republic. Based on the collected material, the thesis seeks to present the deep potential of dance that make believers express through gestures and movements their respect to God, their joy and anxiety, grief and hope, and thus can, alongside music and singing, enrich the liturgy to a great extent. Keywords Dance, gesture, liturgy, prayer, expression.

The present thesis focuses on the topic of exorcism in the Synoptic Gospels. The introductory chapters characterize the practice of exorcism in the cultures of antiquity and Judaism, clarifying some of the specific emphases of these rituals. It then introduces the perspective of the New Testament on the subject, including a short list of terminology related to the designation of the enemy of God in the synoptics. Separate chapters are dedicated to Jesus' statements about exorcism, exorcism narratives and general reports. Each chapter treats in great detail the different exegeses, and the relevant terminological and stylistic peculiarities. The merits of the individual findings, which are summarized in the concluding chapter, are duly assessed from several perspectives, primarily biblical theology, but also underscoring some issues concerning pastoral theology and the practical applications of these findings.

The Master's thesis Prayer in the Luke's Parables first deals with the definition of the parable itself: how the modern narratology understands it, how was this literary form used in the Old Testament and in the New Testament connotations. Further, it discusses the Gospel of Luke as a separate literary unit with an editorial plan regarding especially parables, and also describes the circumstances of its inception, the recipients, contemporary realities, etc. The next part outlines the basic teachings on prayer in the Church Documents. Then the thesis separately analyses both the grammar and the interpretation of three particularly important Luke's parables concerning prayer (L 11,513; L 18,18; 18, L 18,914). Their common contribution to Jesus' teachings on prayer is summarized in the conclusion.

Depression in the elderly population is a growing concern in the United States. A decrease in depression in the elderly could lead to greater quality of life and reduced cost of healthcare services. The Sense of Coherence Theory was utilized as the theoretical foundation for this study. The purpose of this study was to use archival data to analyze differences in depression scores by groups based on prayer (yes/no) and over time (wave 1/wave 2 of data collection) when controlling for amount of time spent in prayer by category, gender, and ethnicity. The data were retrieved from the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging, which included interviews with adults aged 65 and over living in the coterminous United States. The first wave was collected in 2001 and consisted of 1,500 interviews. Wave 2 was collected in 2004 and consisted of 1,024 of the original participants. A mixed ANOVA was used to analyze the data. Results showed that change in depression over time differed depending on use of prayer after controlling for frequency of prayer. Comparisons of the 2 waves in the sample revealed that depression significantly decreased for people who prayed but not for people who did not pray. Implementing prayer as a supplemental form of treatment for depression may alter the way that some clinicians and providers conduct mental health treatment, reduce the emotional burden on families who are often the caretakers of the elderly, and become a cost-effective method of reducing depressive symptoms.

No description available.

This collection of poems and paintings seeks to find the places where visual and written communication intersects, and the places where those two media diverge. The collection consists of poems and paintings juxtaposed, as if in conversation with one another throughout the pages. The collection treats each painting and poem as a separate attempt at prayer. As a reader turns the pages, similar questions are asked again and again, but in different settings and with different outcomes. This collection focuses on finding reconciliation between the oral culture of storytelling and the written culture of ideas, all within the context of prayer.

Thesis advisor: Ruth Langer / This project attempts to draw the contours of defining the human experience of prayer as an intentional act in which we come before God and reach beyond the moment we pray to a life that embodies a prayerful attitude. It does so by examining the conceptions of prayer Jean-Louis Chrétien’s and Johann Baptist Metz’s writing and by bringing them into a conversation with Jewish liturgical concepts on prayer as found in the Talmudic discussions and Rabbinic interpretations. The dialogue between the three interlocutors provides the basis for defining the human approach to prayer as prayerfulness –the conscious mindset in which a person is aware of their existence before God, embodied in the moment of prayer and as a lifestyle. Jean-Louis Chrétien’s poetic take on prayer as a responsorial act of speech conceptualizes prayer as an intimate experience of one’s relationship with God. We give ourselves to God insofar as we become present with God. Prayer, then, becomes a vulnerable act in which we become aware of God and our limitations and frailties. This exposure of ourselves causes Chrétien to call prayer “wounded speech.” Our exposure is a blessure, a wound, because in it we recognize our inadequateness compared to God. This awareness becomes an unforgettable struggle, an ordeal. Also, we become aware that our speech, our prayer contains nothing that God does not already know. In other words, everything we say and do is preconceived by God. Here, memory becomes a factor in Chrétien’s thought. It seems as though prayer helps us relieve ourselves from this agony in our lives insofar as we are reminded of God’s love and the memory of God’s suffering for us. Johann Baptist Metz adds another layer to the discussion. Metz conceptualizes prayer within his political theology. Like Chrétien’s thought, this account frames prayer within the context of suffering. However, Metz is less interested in the personal suffering caused by one’s own limitations than in the suffering of those who are at the margins of society. Embedded in the context of post-world-war Germany and the shaking events of the Shoah, this concept of prayer calls for a compassionate embodiment of the suffering of the disenfranchised voices that endure physical or emotional pain. Prayer becomes a mode of remembering the other when embodied and experienced to compassionately raise the voices of the other. Here, Metz introduces a spirituality that he calls “Poverty of Spirit” that envisions one’s embodiment of prayer as a lifestyle. Prayer becomes an agent that incentivizes moral action. When brought together into dialogue with one another, the three interlocutors paint the picture of an experience of prayer this project defines as “prayerfulness.” It is the conscious mindset in which a person is aware of their existence before God, embodied in the moment of prayer and in their life. This awareness is multi-faceted and springs out of the connection between memory and prayer. One facet is the awareness of God’s presence. When considering Chrétien’s account, it is not so much the act of communicating one’s thoughts that is the primary purpose of prayer but the presence before God. This exposure itself reflects an unreserved vulnerability before God. In remembering God’s own suffering for us, we also become aware of God’s love for us. Metz, then, shows how prayer is a cry that expresses the wish that God is present, yet in this cry, God is already and always present, even if we do not perceive it. The memories of the Jerusalem Temple and the Patriarchs in Jewish liturgy bolster a perceived awareness of God. For instance, the imagery of the Temple, the focal point of God’s presence in the world, immerses the praying person in its memory. In the face of the reality that the Temple has been destroyed, the discussed texts reveal that the Sages took great care in providing guidelines to orchestrate a Temple memory through postures and liturgical attributes. Prayer, considered as service of the heart, and thus referring to the Temple cult, becomes a vessel for the memory of the same. This palpable notion of God’s presence adds to the perception of our presence before God, enhancing one’s focus. This concept of intentionality or focus, kavvanah, in part facilitated by the memory of the Temple and the Patriarchs, applies to a broader range of issues and speaks to what Metz has been calling for to realize prayer in daily life. It allows for us Christians across the denominational spectrum to reconsider the value of intentionality and prayerful engagement, not just in the moment of prayer but in life. Judaism helps facilitate a pragmatic, practice-oriented view to the often rather concept-oriented Christian thinking. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2024. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.