Notes on Spirituality: Definition, Critique, and Franciscan Context
Notes on the Reading and Lecture Transcript: Spirituality, Its Definition, and Franciscan Context
The instructor emphasizes active participation: calling on students, ‘calling cards’ as a backup to ensure everyone has a chance to respond; participation helps students learn what to look for and prepares them for quizzes/exams.
Contextual approach: understanding the author’s concerns requires attention to context and how it shapes the argument; the class will compare the reading to broader lectures and discussions.
The reading is dated and has potentially problematic elements, but also contains valuable arguments worth unpacking (Rolle Heiser’s claim about spirituality).
The session uses a softball opening question to surface initial reactions and guide discussion toward the text’s core claims.
Core aim of the unit: introduce a broad, workable definition of spirituality that can be used to discuss Franciscan spirituality in dialogue with personal experience.
The teacher signals that spirituality has many definitions across scholars and traditions, and this divergence will influence how we read and discuss the text.
The next steps in class: begin with the reading, then add background on spirituality, especially the relationship between human desire and spirituality; connect to Franciscan spirituality and its distinctive features.
The overarching topic for the mini-lecture: the relationship between human desire and spirituality, and how spirituality models channeling unsatisfied desire toward flourishing.
The session foregrounds that spirituality is not necessarily tied to belief in God; multiple traditions treat spirituality as a way of naming and directing a deep human longing toward something transcendent or meaningful.
The structure of the discussion includes identifying the main argument (MA), highlighting notable passages (e.g., page 11), and evaluating the use of examples (Diana, Mother Teresa, and a band member) to illustrate spirituality expressed in different ways.
Emphasis on reading strategies: underline key lines, label the main argument (MA), and track how it is developed throughout the text.
The instructor introduces a theoretical framework to situate the discussion: the interplay between desire, channeling, and spirituality; then connects this to Franciscan spirituality.
Key quotes and page references surfaced in the discussion:
“Spirituality is what we do with the fire inside us, about how we change our arrows.” (Second paragraph, page 11) – a primary formulation of the main argument.
Page 6: “Everyone has a spirituality, and everyone does have one, either a living one or a destructive one.” – notes the inclusive and ambivalent nature of spirituality.
The notion that spirituality can be understood as channeling desire in various ways (both healthy and unhealthy).
The class plan to label the main argument (MA) when it is stated and revisit it as the argument is developed.
Overview of the Reading and its central claim:
The author (Röl Heiser) suggests spirituality can be defined broadly as how we channel the deepest fire or desire inside us; this framing makes spirituality a universal human phenomenon, not something restricted to mystics.
The discussion recognizes the risk of oversimplifying complex lives by using broad archetypes (the three figures: Princess Diana, Mother Teresa, and the band member) to illustrate spirituality in diverse forms.
The core claim: spirituality is not simply “mystical” but is a central feature of everyday life, expressed as a way we direct internal energy toward various ends.
The discussion frames spirituality as a lens to examine human experience, morality, and flourishing, while acknowledging potential critiques of the broad definition.
Key concepts to track in this unit:
Spirituality as channeling desire: the central thesis in Röl Heiser’s framework.
Fire inside us / arrows: metaphor for interior impulse and its directed expression.
Self-reflexivity: the capacity to reflect on oneself; evidence: Neanderthal and early human burial practices suggesting a sense of sacredness or meaning beyond disposability of the body.
Transcendence: that which exceeds finite existence; the human longing to go beyond current limits.
Mystery in human life: the sense that some aspects of consciousness and existence cannot be fully captured by ordinary reasoning or natural explanation.
Soul and consciousness debates: how language like “soul” is used to gesture toward dimensions beyond material explanation.
Healthy vs. unhealthy spirituality: channeling desires in ways that advance flourishing versus destructive paths.
Desiring more: continual orientation toward transcendence (e.g., in goals, achievements, relationships) and how spirituality interprets that longing.
Evolutionary and theological readings: different ways scholars explain the human desire for more, including theological interpretations.
Capax Dei (capacity for the divine): a Latin formulation used to describe a human capacity for the divine; a key theological element in connecting spirituality to transcendence.
Franciscan spirituality: a particular tradition that interprets spirituality as channeling desire toward transcendent love, with God as the source of all love; emphasis on a radical way of living faith and desire.
Detailed notes on major sections and ideas:
Why discuss spirituality in class?
It helps students understand broader questions about meaning, consciousness, and the human condition.
It provides a practical frame for reading and discussing religious texts and their relevance to modern life.
It situates Franciscan spirituality within a larger conversation about desire, love, and transcendence.
The opening questions and discussion prompts:
Students are asked what stood out in the text and which passages were underlined for meaning.
The teacher invites critique: is the author oversimplifying complex lives by comparing divergent figures?
The role of context in shaping the author’s concerns is emphasized as a key part of critical reading.
The core argument framing:
Spirituality is defined as “what we do with the fire inside us, about how we change our arrows” (page 11).
The argument is presented as a descriptive statement about human life, not merely a theological claim about religion.
The text suggests that everyone channels their desire in different ways; spirituality thus becomes a universal dimension of life.
The role of examples (Diana, Teresa, and the band member):
These figures are used to illustrate how spirituality can manifest across very different life paths.
The instructor notes potential oversimplification and invites discussion about each person’s unique life and context.
Deepening the concept: chemistry of desire and spirituality
The discussion identifies a basic human longing—something beyond immediate satisfaction—that motivates behavior and meaning-making.
The teacher uses examples (e.g., long-term goals like earning a PhD, romantic relationships) to illustrate how desire persists even after goals are achieved.
This persistent desire is what spirituality seeks to name and orient toward flourishing.
The theological angle: Andre Dubinvak and capax Dei
The instructor introduces a theologian (Andre Dubinvak) who offers a theological interpretation of the human being.
The Latin term capax Dei (capacity for the divine) is introduced as a way to describe the human tendency to be oriented toward the infinite.
A key quote is presented: “People frequently reason as though all the mystery were on God's side, and there was nothing in a human that eludes the grasp of common experience or natural reasoning.”
The point is to highlight that mystery and transcendence are present both in divine and human aspects; human experience cannot be exhausted by ordinary reasoning.
The relationship between mystery, self, and transcendence
The text argues that recognizing mystery in human life and in the world challenges the view that all questions can be resolved by empirical or rational means alone.
Spirituality emerges as a way to engage with that mystery rather than deny it.
The link to Franciscan spirituality
While spirituality is defined broadly, Franciscan spirituality adds a specific aim: channeling desire toward transcendent love, with God as the source of all love.
The session suggests exploring how Franciscan spirituality both aligns with and diverges from the broad definition of spirituality.
Transcendent prayer and lived Franciscan practice are framed as concrete expressions of channeling desire toward love.
Practical implications for study and assessment
The instructor anticipates that understanding this definition will help students prepare for quizzes and exams.
Discussion helps reveal the author’s aims and potential blind spots, encouraging critical engagement.
The class will later contrast general spirituality with Franciscan spirituality to identify what is unique and what is common across traditions.
Key terms to remember (definitions and implications):
Spirituality: a broad term for how humans channel their interior desires, often described as directing the “fire inside us” and “changing our arrows.”
Fire inside us / arrows: metaphor for internal energy, motivation, or desire and its directed expression.
Self-reflexivity: the capacity to turn awareness back on oneself, reflect on one’s own existence, and question one’s life choices.
Transcendence: what exceeds finite human existence; the drive toward the infinite or the divine; mystery beyond comprehension.
Mystery: aspects of life and consciousness that resist full explanation by ordinary experience or natural reasoning.
Capax Dei (capacity for the divine): a Latin expression describing the human openness or capacity to receive or be oriented toward the divine.
Franciscan spirituality: a distinct Christian tradition emphasizing God as perfect love and the radical living of that love through everyday acts and commitments; channeling desire toward transcendent love.
Specific references and instructions from the transcript to note:
Page 11, second paragraph: “Spirituality is what we do inside of us, about how we change our arrows.” – central thesis/definition.
Page 11, second paragraph: punctuation note—underline this passage as a key line and possibly MA (main argument) marker.
Page 6: “Everyone has a spirituality, and everyone does have one, either a living one or a destructive one.” – supports universality and ambivalence of spirituality.
The notion that spirituality can be “healthy” or “unhealthy” and lead to flourishing or destruction; discussion of how to identify healthy channels of desire.
The discussion around three figures (Princess Diana, Mother Teresa, and the band member): used to illustrate diverse spiritual expressions and to critique potential oversimplification.
The concept of “desire with no object” and the idea that human beings experience a persistent desire for more; this motivates the study of spirituality and its various expressions.
Andre Dubinvak (theologian) and the Latin term capax Dei; his interpretation that the human being has a capacity for the divine and that transcendence is a meaningful aspect of humanity.
The quote: “People frequently reason as though all the mystery were on God's side, and there was nothing in a human that eludes the grasp of common experience or natural reasoning.” – highlights the call to consider mystery in human life too.
The connection to evolutionary discussion (Neanderthal burial) as evidence that early humans recognized something sacred about the body and the dead, signaling self-reflexivity and a proto-spiritual sense.
The relationship between science (evolutionary theory) and theology in interpreting human desire and transcendence; multiple legitimate readings.
The practical aim of the unit: use this working definition to discuss Franciscan spirituality and its unique features in light of broader human experience.
Notes on the structure and future directions for the course:
Next week’s plan: introduce “calling cards” as a structured participation tool and continue discussion with more background about spirituality.
The class will compare general spirituality with Franciscan spirituality to identify core shared features and distinctive emphases.
The instructor will present a mini-lecture on the relationship between human desire and spirituality, noting the limitations of the reading and inviting ongoing critique.
The session signals that the topic is large and could fill an entire course; the goal is to establish a workable working definition and to explore its implications for understanding Franciscan spirituality and practical life.
Bottom line takeaway for exam preparation:
Be able to describe Röl Heiser’s working definition of spirituality as the way we channel the fire inside us and change our arrows, recognizing its breadth and potential for oversimplification.
Understand the role of desire, transcendence, mystery, and self-reflection in shaping spiritual life.
Explain how Franciscan spirituality frames channeling desire toward transcendent love and how this complements or challenges the broader definition.
Be able to discuss the use of historical/anthropological evidence (e.g., Neanderthal burial) to illustrate early spiritual impulses and the evolutionary/theological tensions in interpreting human desire.
Reflect on the ethical and practical implications of labeling certain modes of spirituality as healthier or more flourishing, and how this affects critical reading of texts.