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Thesis 5: It is not a target of human perfection. It is much
Spiritual Maturity is normally developing more the inner movement of a “spirituality
through a forerunning multiperspective pro- from below” (A.Grün) which means a state of
cess of deliberation (education / socialisation / brokenness (“contrite and lowly”) in the spirit
enculturation / individuation) which hopefully (Is.57,15) before the throne of God in the depth
succeeds to establish personal stability, respon- of human condition (existence).
sibility and freedom. Spiritual Maturity is a state Spiritual Maturity is not a religious level of per-
within a general concept of spiritual develop- fection or individualistic holiness (in the tradi-
ment of Individuals. tion of pietism). It is just an adaequate position
Human +Holy Spirit from within and above. of the human spirit in God’s presence. It is true
After this period of developing deliberation humanism in God’s eye
(in which psychotherapeutic assistance can be
useful) a state of personal freedom (personali-
ty) is established which allows a certain degree Consequences for Christian Psychotherapy
of self-distance, self-transcendence and self-
responsibility. In this state of personal freedom Christian Psychotherapy is a form of regular
the call of the Lord (the King) can only be per- intervention on behalf of growth of personal
sonally responded by a sovereign decision to autonomy, stability, identity and (relative) free-
follow Him and with the yielding to Him Spi- dom (deliberation) based on a Christian an-
ritual thropology, epistemology, theory of illness and
Maturity starts and keeps growing. health, methodology and praxeology. It is not a
Spiritual Maturity is a quality of its own (not to specific tool to build up Spiritual Maturity (in
be mixed up with any religious act). In the Igna- the intrinsic meaning of the term). All the same
tian tradition it contains the unforced decision it can be a forerunning support to a develop-
(choose) for poverty and the acceptance of ble- ment and eventual decision of faith (if a call of
mish on the way to true humility, the humility the Lord reaches mans spirit in a state of perso-
of the crucified Lord. This process is absolutely nal autonomy and freedom).
facultative for anyone in every degree. Christian Psychotherapy is an interventional
process that tries to overcome any hindrance to
Thesis 6: possible maturity by means of a containing and
Spiritual Maturity cannot be defined by means encouraging professional relationship between
of visible virtues or even performances. It is an client and therapist.
invisible underlying structure of the personal
self which is mainly an integrative expression Christian Psychotherapy has to be discerned
of “Christ within me” (Gal.2,20). So there is no from all theology based teaching, preaching
way of objectivity or measurability to that sub- and counselling for it refers mainly to scientific
ject. Whatever attributes are connected to Spi- (positive) theories (about man: individuals or
ritual Maturity in scripture or in tradition (ex- groups) on their way to approval or rejection.
perience) they Whatever means Christian Psychotherapy uses
never provide enough assurance to conclude to reach its goals (stability, personal and social
from a specific attribute to a Spiritual Maturi- acceptance, self-responsibility) they have to be
ty. Spiritual Maturity reveals itself in terms of part of a well-balanced set of positive elements
god’s presence in human acting, speaking etc. of theory on the human developmental process,
But this kind of revelation also happens within human resiliencies and the possible risks of
spiritual immaturity. undergoing lacks and disorders in the process
of individually and socially unfolding human
Thesis 7: personality.
Spiritual Maturity is in no way a form of ascen- The underlying general theory of development
sion from a lower level of spiritual awareness to must be enhanced by a general theory of spiri-
a higher one. tual development (which corresponds in a way

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