1. Towards a Model of Spiritual Practice for the Spiritual Transformation of Midlife Christian Professionals in Hong Kong.
- Author
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Christine Lai
- Subjects
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MIDDLE age , *CHRISTIAN life , *BUDDHIST spiritual life , *MINDFULNESS , *MEDITATION in Christianity , *CHURCH work - Abstract
The search for new meanings in life during and after midlife is like a journey from material to spiritual, external to internal and, ultimately, from secular to sacred. Living in a competitive and fast pace society of Hong Kong, there are midlife Christian professionals who have accumulated many achievements but are still not feeling fulfilled. My personal experience echoed this phenomenon. In the last ten years, I placed this affective experience under a process of academic analysis and spiritual meditation through my doctorate research in practical theology under the title: "Exploring midlife Christian professionals in Hong Kong: evolving a model of spiritual practice." The present paper selected an important outcome of this research to illustrate the process of how experience, especially the Ignatian advocacy of "affective experience," may evolve into a kind of affective knowledge, which in turn may lead to deeper dimensions of spiritual experience. In my own case, this journey of transforming affective experience into theological knowledge also facilitated my attempt to develop a pilot model of spiritual practice for midlife participants in the research to interpret their own experience and search for new meanings of life. In the present paper, I have adopted an autoethnographic approach to tell my story of this journey of spirituality starting with Bob Buford's Halftime ministry, then through Inspired Education mindfulness practice and ultimately to Ignatian spirituality. This journey has ultimately helped me develop the tools and methodology appropriate for midlife Christian professionals to reinforce the Christian practice of silent meditation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020