Building Your Spiritual Life with the Early Church Fathers
Learn what the Apostles taught about things like having a "personal relationship with Jesus" and the importance of both personal prayer and the Holy Eucharist in our spiritual life. This course dives into the teachings and writings of the Early Church Fathers to explore the earliest forms of Catholic spirituality.
Welcome to Building Your Spiritual Life With the Early Church Fathers!
To get started, click the button below if you were not automatically registered in the course. Clicking this button will complete your registration.
Registration Status: Finish Enrollment
Next, you should see the first unit in module 1 is a red, live link. Click that link to get started in the course.
Whenever you come back here, the units you have completed as well as the next unit for you to do will be linked.
| Module 1 | Welcome |
|---|---|
| In addition to claiming some of the early Church Fathers for our "Holy Alliance," there is a lot we can learn about our own spirituality from these earliest bishops of the Church. After all, they offer us our greatest clue for what Jesus and His Disciples intended Christian spirituality to be. | |
| Lesson 1 | Introduction to Building Your Spiritual Life with the Early Church Fathers |
| Module 2 | How the Early Church Fathers Understood a "Personal Relationship with Jesus" |
| This module will clarify for you a truly Catholic understanding of a "personal relationship with Jesus" based on the writings of the Early Church Fathers | |
| Lesson 1 | What "Personal Relationship" Does NOT Mean |
| Lesson 2 | The Sacraments - Entryway Into the Mystery |
| Lesson 3 | Prayer: Immersing Ourselves Deeper Into the Mystery |
| Lesson 4 | Divine Intimacy and Holy Desire |
| Lesson 5 | Review Activity: Following in the Footsteps of the Early Church Fathers |
| Module 3 | Intimate Union with Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist |
| Learn why the Holy Eucharist is central not only to Catholic doctrine but also to Catholic spirituality. | |
| Lesson 1 | The Centrality of the Eucharist in Doctrine |
| Lesson 2 | The Holy Eucharist as Marital Union |
| Lesson 3 | The Holy Eucharist as the Sacred Feast |
| Lesson 4 | Eucharistic Unity with the Holy Trinity |
| Lesson 5 | Deepening the Presence of the Holy Eucharist in Our Spiritual Lives |
| Lesson 6 | Review - Intimate Union with Jesus in the Holy Eucharist |
| Module 4 | Digging Deeply into Sacred Scripture |
| Learn not only why Sacred Scripture is important for Catholic spirituality, but the best way to read Sacred Scripture to learn what the Holy Spirit is saying to you through the written Word. | |
| Lesson 1 | Why Sacred Scripture is Vital to Catholic Spirituality |
| Lesson 2 | How to Read Sacred Scripture More Deeply |
| Lesson 3 | When We Find Scripture Difficult to Understand |
| Lesson 4 | Deepening Your Relationship with Sacred Scripture |
| Lesson 5 | Review of Digging More Deeply Into Sacred Scripture |
| Module 5 | Unity & the Life of the Church |
| Learn the surprising connection between the hierarchy of the Church and your personal spirituality. | |
| Lesson 1 | A Human Community and a Spiritual Bond |
| Lesson 2 | Bishops as Principles of Unity |
| Lesson 3 | The Necessity of Obedience |
| Lesson 4 | Practical Applications of Unity |
| Lesson 5 | Review for Unity & the Life of the Church |
| Module 6 | Navigating Our Culture |
| Learn from the Early Church Fathers how we can influence a culture that is opposed to the faith, but also how we can overcome lukewarmness in the absence of true persecution. | |
| Lesson 1 | Fighting a 2-Front War |
| Lesson 2 | Facing Persecution With Courage |
| Lesson 3 | Focused on the Will of God |
| Lesson 4 | Combatting Laxity With Selfless Love |
| Lesson 6 | Review of Navigating Our Culture |
| Module 7 | Course Conclusion |
| Let's review what we learned in this course and how we can apply it to our spiritual life. | |
| Lesson 1 | Course Conclusion: Building Your Spiritual Life with the Early Church Fathers |
What can the Early Church Fathers teach us about building a healthy spiritual life? TONS! The teaching and example of the Early Church Fathers can help us to build our spiritual life on a firm foundation. In this course you'll learn • How the Early Church Fathers understood a "personal relationship with Jesus" (and what this phrase can not mean) • Why the Holy Eucharist is so central not only to our faith but to your spirituality as well (hint: it has a lot to do with what you'll learn about having a personal relationship with Jesus)! • What role Sacred Scripture should have in our spiritual lives (and how to read the Bible most effectively) • Why it's so important to be united to the Church as the Body of Christ and the Family of God (you may never see your bishop in the same way again) • How we can navigate a culture that hates Christianity and lulls us in to a lax, lazy lukewarm faith at the same time.
Click the button above to use an Access Pass to unlock this course
If you're a member of From the Abbey at the Novitiate level or higher, you'll receive an access pass on the first of the month. If you're not a member, become a Novitiate today and unlock this course for just $9.00!