Criteriile spiritualității autentice în concepția Părintelui Dumitru Stăniloae. Evaluarea „nebuniei pentru Hristos” în tradiția ortodoxă
Criteria of Authentic Spirituality in the Conception of Father Dumitru Stăniloae. Evaluation of "Madness for Christ" in the Orthodox Tradition

Summary/Abstract: In Orthodoxy, the living experience of the Church is based on the one hand, on the truth of faith expressed dogmatically and on the other hand, it is axiologically expressed in liturgical life and personal spiritual effort. Father Professor Dumitru Stăniloae emphasized, in the clear patristic line, the fact that a living, authentic spirituality, engages the whole being of man, as it is nourished by the manifestation of the identity of faith and the communion in the life of prayer. The present report aims, in its first part, to highlight Father Stăniloae’s view of the features of an authentic Orthdox spirituality and the criteria by which Orthodox living can be distinguished from the false spiritual currents manifested in what Father Stăniloae called ,,false mysticism”. In the second part of the report, an evaluation of the phenomenon of ,,holy foolery” is attempted in the light of the criteria expressed by our great theologian for the definition of an authentic Orthodox spirituality. The necessity of delimiting the authentic ,,holy foolery”, assumed and recognized by the Church through the canonization of saints who are ,,fools for Christ”, of false ,,holy foolery”, a form of pseudo-spirituality born from the classical reasons of spiritual deviations, causes that Father Stăniloaie summerizes in these three: ignorance, greed and infatuation. In the light of the criteria expressed by Father Stăniloae in order to recognize authentic holiness, namely : the integrity of faith, the garment of humility and the work of shunning of passions , the present report exemplifies through the life of the saints who are ,,fools for Christ” the fact that ,,holy foolery” has a strong anchorage in the dogmatic thruth of the Church, that it is manifested in a humble but at the same time provocative way and it is practiced only by those who have cleansed themselves of passions. The live of ,,the fool for Christ” constitutes a deep breach in the desacralized lay establishment and a charismatic transcendence of ecclesial life.

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