Five Pillars Of The Spiritual Life

In this audio series, Five Pillars of the Spiritual Life, Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., President of Gonzaga University, presents a rich practical guide for helping busy people develop a deeper prayer life. Spitzer presents five essential means through which the contemplative and active aspects of our lives can be joined, creating a stronger spiritual life. Contemplation allows God to probe the depths of our hearts and allows us to gain deeper insight into His truth and love. This exchange allows the freedom to love in the very imitation of Jesus Christ himself, " This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." St. Ignatius of Loyola espoused the ideal of becoming "contemplatives in action." He was convinced that contemplation--the deep awareness and appropriation of the unconditional love of God--should affect our actions, and that our actions need to be brought back to our interior foundation. Fr. Spitzer shows that there are five essential means through which this communion can be attained, particularly for busy people: the Holy Eucharist, spontaneous prayer, the Beatitudes, partnership with the Holy Spirit, and the contemplative life itself. Fr. Spitzer invites viewers to contemplate the vast beauty and depth of the spiritual masters, issuing a call to a deeper spiritual life, entering ever more deeply into the heart of God.

	Program Name	Audio File Name - Click to download
1.	First Pillar: Jesus’ Intentions in the Holy Eucharist Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_01.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., explains what the five pillars of the spiritual life are, and begins to discuss the first pillar of the Holy Eucharist.
2.	First Pillar: The Holy Eucharist Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_02.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., proceeds further into his discussion on the Holy Eucharist, a priceless gift which causes us to contemplate upon the love and God and give thanks.
3.	First Pillar: The Grace of the Eucharist Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_03.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., details the graces received in the Holy Eucharist as healing, forgiveness, peace, transformation, and Church unity, all of which are incorporated into the Liturgy.
4.	Second Pillar: Spontaneous Prayers Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_04.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., describes sets of spontaneous prayers designed to petition for divine assistance or help, as well as specialized prayers in times of real suffering.
5.	Second Pillar: Spontaneous Prayers, Part Two Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_05.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., shares sets of spontaneous prayers which offer and seek forgiveness. The motive of personal prayer should not derive from self-centeredness but out of the desire for submission to God’s will.
6.	Third Pillar: The “Our Father” and the Beatitudes Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_06.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., enumerates the five petitions contained within the Lord’s Prayer as the model prayer form. He details the Beatitudes as means of living out the intentions of the “Our Father.”
7.	Third Pillar: The Beatitudes, Part Two Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_07.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., reveals the empathy Christians are to offer to those in need as followers of Christ attempting to love as he loves.
8.	Third Pillar: The Beatitudes and the Examen Prayer Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_08.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., relates that Christians are to mirror the merciful heart of Christ, who forgave and loved his enemies, performed works of mercy, promoted peace and worked for reconciliation among those divided by discord or error.
9.	Fourth Pillar: Partnership with the Holy Spirit, Part One Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_09.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., shares that the Holy Spirit is the best spiritual director one could hope for, aiding the personal discernment process for finding God’s will in a particular circumstance by instilling a sense of lasting peace, guiding through distractions for clear perception, and finally providing inspiration to make proper decisions.
10.	Fourth Pillar: Partnership with the Holy Spirit, Part Two Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_10.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., declares the Holy Spirit’s role in personal guidance, exhorting believers to constancy in times of spiritual consolation and desolation, leading to an increase in the theological virtues of faith, hope and love.
11.	Fourth Pillar: Partnership with the Holy Spirit, Part Three Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_11.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., describes the role of feelings and emotions as natural to the life of faith. Consolations and desolations may come and go, but one should focus on growing in relationship to God—the end of the quest of the spirit and the giver of all true gifts.
12.	Fourth Pillar: Partnership with the Holy Spirit, Part Four Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_12.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., distinguishes between the consolations and desolations which may come from God or the devil. Rules of discernment are given so as to retain clarity and focus amidst potential clutter and confusion.
13.	Fifth Pillar: The Contemplative Life Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_13.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., offers practical guidance for active people who seek to develop a contemplative prayer life. Cultivating the “school of the heart,” contemplatives are encouraged to pray with the Scriptures and give thanks to God for his blessings, thereby receiving his consolation and revelatory insight.
14.	Fifth Pillar: Eight Vehicles of Contemplation Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_14.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., relays eight means to come into contemplation, through giving thanks and praise to God; meditating on his life, his Word and his liturgy; practicing devotions, offering simple prayers and praying in silence. In these ways contemplatives remember to appreciate who God is in their lives, following his will and giving thanks in all things.
15.	Fifth Pillar: How to Begin Contemplation Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_15.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., points out that a key element of contemplation is to recognize that God is love. God’s love is typified by the Scriptures, especially 1 Corinthians 13 and the Beatitudes of Matthew 5. God desires to bestow on everyone the highest good, salvation, and unconditional love.
16.	Fifth Pillar: Vehicles of Contemplation, Part One Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_16.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., declares that thanksgiving is the proper response to contemplating the wonder of God’s creation in general, his creation of the soul, redemption through Jesus Christ and for the gift of one’s entire life.
17.	Fifth Pillar: Vehicles of Contemplation, Part Two Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_17.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., conveys ways we can contemplate the wonder of God’s gifts to humanity: through the Eucharist, reading the Scriptures in general, and by meditating on the life of Christ in the Gospel following the method of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
18.	Fifth Pillar: Vehicles of Contemplation, Part Three Host - Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.	fivepillars_18.mp3
	Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., gives further examples of Ignatian Contemplation of the life of Christ in the Gospel, sharing how people living in the time of Jesus loved and trusted him. These meditations may be carried into devotions like the Rosary, simple prayers and the prayer of silence.

Source: EWTN


Robert J. Spitzer S.J. is a Jesuit priest, philosopher, educator, author, speaker, and retired President of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Father Spitzer is founder and currently active as President of Magis Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to public education concerning the complementary relationship among the varied disciplines of physics, philosophy, reason, and faith. He is also the Chief Education Officer of the Ethics and Performance Institute which delivers web-based ethics education to corporations and individuals. He is also President of the Spitzer Center of Ethical Leadership, which delivers similar curricula to non-profit organizations.

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