Media Spirituality for Religion Teachers NACMP April 10, 2005 Louisville, KY Rose Pacatte, FSP Pauli

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Media Spirituality for Religion
TeachersNACMPApril 10, 2005Louisville,
KYRose Pacatte, FSPPauline Center for Media
Studies3908 Sepulveda BlvdCulver City, CA
90230310-636-8385RosePacatte_at_aol.com
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" The Spiritual Life

• The spiritual life is first a life. It is not
  merely something to be known and studied,   it
  is to be lived." Thomas Merton  
•  "Spiritual life  is the banquet,  the
  perfume, the flowering and fulfillment of a
  human life,not a supernatural virtue imposed
  upon it." Joseph Campbell

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Outline to consider

• Prayer
• Spirituality
• Adult Faith formation
• Contemplation
• Theological Reflection
• Catholic Social Teaching

For an integrated way, a reason for being, for
life and ministry
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Fall in love with the world today
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Canticle of Praise for the Media in Todays World

• May you be praised, Lord God,for the printed
  word--bread for our minds,light for our
  lives.
• We give thanks for the talents and dedication of
  all who serve the truth in love,and for all
  whose technical and professional skills make
  possible the production of books, newspapers,
  magazines, and reviews.

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• We celebrate, Lord,the modern marvel of
  television,which brings into the heart of our
  homesthe joy and the pain of all human
  living.Music, drama, and laughter are sharedin
  ways undreamed of in the past.
• May you be praised, Lord God,for the
  radio,which soars on the wings of the windand
  provides for each nationan immediate channel for
  news,views and entertainment,and a means of
  offering to the listening world its own
  distinctive voice.

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• We celebrate, Lord,the writers, artists,
  directors,and all those whose giftslight both
  theater and cinema and provide audienceswith a
  heightened awareness of their human condition.
• We celebrate the wonder of digital
  communications,which manifest a new
  iconographythat link people around the globe in
  solidarity of faith, hope, and love.

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• We thank you, Lord God,for the unending
  Pentecostof your creative Holy Spirit,which
  enables your sons and daughtersto be afire with
  your Truth, Beauty and Goodness.
• May the blind see, the deaf hear,and the poor
  receive justice through the proclamation of the
  Good News via today's media.

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• Together let us rejoice in the God-given talents
  and the creative gifts of those who promote the
  dignity of the human person, and who build
  communion among peoples the world over through
  their dedication and love.

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Praying and Saying Prayers

• Praying taking the time, being open to God,
  letting Scripture (and other sources) speak, call
  out, to us
• Saying prayers sometimes this is an anchor when
  our lives are at sea sometimes, it is rote and
  clocking time

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Prayer is communication with God

• It is a life-style
• It is action
• It can inform all we are and do
• It can change us and give us hope

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What is spirituality?

• Relationship with God
• Living in the presence of God
• A way of life based on the Gospels that brings
  faith and life together
• Love for self
• Love for others
• Love for God, Father, Son, Spirit
• Finding God in the world, people, creativity
• Contemplation
• Ways of seeing.
• Ways of communicating
• Taking the time.

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What are the sources of spirituality?

• Beauty -Scripture
• Truth GOD -Liturgy
• Goodness Incarnation
  -Community
• 
  
• Sacraments
• Life of the Church
• Life experience
• The world around us
• Stories
• Contemplation
• Prayer
• 
  Creativity
• Work
  Leisure

Moral Integration is the beginning of the
spiritual life
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Sacraments Encounters with Jesus that give grace
to live in relationship with him and others
Can we encounter Christ at the movies? On
television? In books? Magazines? Internet? Music?

• Baptism
• Confirmation
• Eucharist
• Reconciliation
• Holy Orders
• Matrimony
• Anointing of the Sick

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• Nothing is profane for those
• who know how to see

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Ongoing adult faith formation

• Trinity
• Church
• Truth
• Beauty
• Art
• Goodness

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Fall in love with the worldtoday

• Ongoing adult faith formation
• Ongoing life formation that brings faith life
  closer together integration
• To always be a learner because regarding media we
  are all learners
• Focus on the Liturgy and Scripture readings
• Movie Lectionary
• Faith sharing

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Develop a spirituality for today

• Relationship with God
• Living in the presence of God
• A way of life that brings faith and life together
  
• Love for self - Love for others
• Love for God, Father, Son, Spirit
• Finding God in the world, people, creativity
• Contemplation, Ways of seeing, Taking the time.
• Lectio divina, Cinema divina

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Adult Faith Formation

• A catechesis that will help adults to
  experience the transforming power of grace and to
  grasp the integrity and beauty of the truths of
  faith in their harmonious unity and
  interconnection a true symphony of faith
• That is spirituality in action

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• Adult Christians need ongoing
  nourishment lifelong formation to sustain
  the spiritual life

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• On the Road to Emmausadult disciples encounter
  the risen Lord and grow stronger in love,
  commitment and zeal

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• On the road to Emmaus, the disciples got a
  glimpse into the heart of God
• Their world was made new
• They saw the scope of the Fathers love
• And its high point in Christs death
  resurrection
• The pathway of their lives opened from confusion
  and despair to conviction hope
• To grasp the height depth of Gods love

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How to integrate spirituality media stories

• Through
• Deep viewing
• Dialogue

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What is contemplation?

• To see
• To listen
• To be open
• To be present
• To be silent
• To discern
• God present and
• active in the world

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Theological Reflection Goes to the Movies
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Level One Attending requires paying remarkable
attention to what is there to experience film
summarize and restate the experienceLevel Two
Dialogue, listen, declare, note the patterns how
image and sound combine to make meaning
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Level Three Learning dialogue with the
experience contemplation interpretation of the
patterns and themes their meanings and values
summarize and restate

• Level Four Decision and action incarnate the
  fruit of the experience, dialogue and
  conversation, reflection, viewing

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How TV can help us dialogue with the Gospels
(theological reflection)

• Identify values
• Articulate values
• Deep viewing (Gospel parallels)
• Dialogue
• Reflection
• Action

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• Life-God-Reflection-Dialogue-Action-Change and
  Grow

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Culture Faithin Dialogue

• A Movie Lectionary-- Scripture readings --
  Story-- Commentary-- Key sequences-- Points
  for reflection and conversation

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Sources for Media Spirituality

• The Rapid Development Apostolic Letter of John
  Paul II, 2005 www.vatican.va
• Novo millennio inuente, John Paul II 2000

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How does TV work in our lives?

• Entertainment
• Information
• Pleasure (uses and gratification)
• Relaxation
• Escape
• Economic benefits

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Desperate Housewives Character Formation as
basis for spirituality

• Character formation
• Spiritual and corporal Works of mercy
• Cardinal and moral virtues
• To be an upright person even when no one is
  looking
• First world ills
• Emotional illness
• Saving face
• Winning at all costs
• Preserving comfort

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How do we understand media stories?

• He who receives receives according to the mode
  of the one receiving
• (St. Thomas Aquinas)

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Critical viewing

• Ask questions of media stories/news
• In whose interest has this been made?
• Whats going on?
• Whats really going on?
• What difference does it make?
• What difference can I make?

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Your viewing lens Catholic Social Teaching

• 1) The inherent dignity of the human person,
• 2) Subsidiarity that no higher level community
  should strip another community of their capacity
  to see, judge and act on their own behalf,
• 3) that the common good be the determinant of
  economic social organization,
• 4) the universal destination (or distribution) of
  goods because ownership of property is not an
  absolute right,

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• 5) solidarity, the alternative to globalization
  based on empathy for others,
• 6) an option for the poor from the social,
  economic and cultural vantage point of the least
  among us and finally
• 7) the integrity of creation.

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A Prayer of Integration
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National Film Retreat

• July 22-24, 2006
• St. Francis Retreat House
• Easton, PA
• www.pauline.org
• (Pauline Center for Media Studies)