Practical theology as applied science SzD-NT-TP

In practical theology, which is an applied science, theory and practice form a "bipolar unity. " This can be further defined by referring to the simple division of theology into systematic (basic) and pastoral (practical) disciplines. The goal of theoretical (basic) theology is to expand knowledge and discover new truths (theory for the sake of theory). Practical theology, on the other hand, has two goals. First, it is about creating a theory that will serve to improve practice and achieve the final goals. Practical theology uses theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge derived from experience to create theory. All pastoral knowledge can be called pastoral orthodoxy (theory for pastoral practice).The second goal of practical theology is to develop a pastoral orthopraxis, that is, pragmatic proposals for solutions to those problems that concern the life and activity of the contemporary church and its members in earthly reality. This part of practical theology can be called applied theology.
Practical theology uses deductive methods to produce pastoral orthodoxy. In contrast, inductive methods are needed to examine church practice, whereby specific manifestations of action can be described and their course of action analyzed.Practical theology draws from faith the principles and criteria (pastoral orthodoxy) for the pastoral activity of the Church in history (pastoral orthopraxy). Applied theology is concerned with the study of church organization and practice in order to determine the methods, ways, and means of carrying out the salvific mission of the church. Applied theology also serves to explore, understand, and address the concerns of church members as they pursue their Christian and existential vocation in the world.
Since the publication of the apostolic exhortation Pastores dabo vobis, pastoralists have often used the definition given by this papal document. I quote: "Pastoral theology is the scientific reflection on the daily growth of the Church in the power of the Holy Spirit in the context of history". It is extremely important that this apostolic exhortation transmits directly to the definition the following statement: "Pastoral theology is not just a skill, a set of indications, experiences and methods. It has the status of a full-fledged theological discipline because it draws from the faith the principles and criteria of the pastoral activity of the Church in history". Among these principles and criteria, the "evangelical discernment of the socio-cultural and ecclesiastical situation in which pastoral activity is carried out" occupies a particularly important place "The knowledge acquired through the study of pastoral theology must be used in practical applications, i.e. in specific forms of pastoral ministry" (Pastores dabo vobis no. 57).
In the traditional view, the first area of study of pastoral theology was the pastoral activity of the Church, in which the hierarchy was the subject and the lay faithful the object. Since pastoral activity was treated as the domain of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, such a way of scientifically studying this ecclesial activity was charged with clericalism. A radical change took place at the Second Vatican Council with the empowerment of the lay faithful in ecclesial activity.
The second area of scientific enquiry for pastoral theology is ecclesiology. Paul VI stressed that it is the Church herself who needs to penetrate herself, to reflect on her mystery and, in order to gain a deeper knowledge of herself, to study more deeply the doctrine of her origin, her nature, the fulfilment of her mission and her purpose. The Pope was aware that this was already a well-known science, but that further research was needed above all in the realisation of God's mysterious plans, revealed through the Church. It is the results of this research that are needed both by the hierarchy and by every person who chooses to follow Christ faithfully.
The third area of research in pastoral theology is "the mysterious plans of God's providence". In the pastoral perspective, it is a matter of isolating, individualising in time, that is to say, in the course of events, in history, those phenomena that can be a manifestation of the Kingdom of God in its mysterious activity, or a manifestation of the possibilities, dispositions, or demands of ecclesial activity.
A fourth area of research in pastoral theology is 'signs of the times'. This involves explaining time, that is, the empirical-historical reality surrounding and affecting people, in the light of the Gospel. Paul VI explains that the discovery of the signs of the times is a work of Christian consciousness and consists in the juxtaposition of faith and life. It is not, however, a matter of artificially and superficially superimposing some 'pious' thought on human experience, but rather of seeking those phenomena which, because of their intrinsic dynamism, because of their obscurity, and sometimes because of their immorality, demand reference to faith, to the Gospel word which would define and redeem them. Interpreting and explaining the "signs of the times" also requires discovering at what point and where they come out of themselves to meet "higher" plans (plans of divine providence), such as the search for unity, peace, justice. In the pastoral study of the "signs of the times" it is also important to know at what point the action of the members of the Church connects with the maturity of favourable circumstances indicating that the hour has come for the simultaneous development of the Kingdom of God and positive transformation in the world.
The fifth area of research in pastoral theology is history, which, according to John Paul II, is the context of the Church's daily growth in the power of the Holy Spirit. The concept of 'history' in pastoral theology is primarily concerned with the present. Of course, what is happening now has a past, but it also has a future. The context of history of which the Pope speaks therefore means the world, but in direct relation to the Church, which lives and acts in it. The world has its history and the Church has its tradition. These two realities come together in the concept of history used by pastoral theology. It should be noted, however, that the contextuality of history is directly linked to the mystery of salvation. The history of the Church and the history of the world begin in the act of creation, the culmination of which is man. However, the Church's mission is primarily linked to the Incarnation and Redemption, i.e. it is oriented towards salvific history. History in pastoral theology is therefore not only facts and events, but it is above all the action of God, who is the Lord of history.
In correctly reading the context of history, pastoral theology must avoid several dangers, pointed out by Paul VI, which stem from the 'attractiveness' of seeking the signs of the times. The first is charismatic prophetism, often degenerating into bigoted imagination. This prophetism gives accidental and insignificant coincidences miraculous explanations. The easy discovery of the signs of the times should therefore be avoided, since the observed facts often offer the possibility of ambiguous judgement by any believer who has the capacity to recognise the signs of God's presence, thoughts and intentions. The possession of the gift of wise clairvoyance, which stems from the sense of faith, therefore requires the assistance of the teaching hierarchical office, especially when the ambiguity of interpretation will need to be resolved either for the certainty and clarity of the truth or for the common good.
The second danger arises from a purely phenomenal observation of the facts from which the indications of the signs of the times are derived. This can occur when facts are taken and defined in purely technical and sociological schemes. Sociology helps in the search for a higher and meaningful sense of these facts, but it cannot be a moral criterion in itself, nor can it replace theology. This new scientific humanism could suppress the authenticity and originality of Christianity and its supernatural values.
In contrast, a third danger arises from giving dominant value to the historical aspect of the problem. The signs of the times pertain to history in the religious field, as evidenced by the fact that the salvific mystery has been brought together in the central event of Christ's historical presence in time and in the world, from which flows the Gospel, the Church and her saving mission. This unchanging element of revealed truth cannot, however, be subject to the vicissitudes of the times in which it is situated and in which it sometimes reveals itself through signs which do not change it, but which allow it to be perceived and realised in the history of humanity.
A sixth area of research in pastoral theology is Christian anthropology, or rather the human person, since all the Church's paths lead to man. This is why John Paul II taught that the Church cannot abandon the human person, whose 'destiny' is inseparably united to Christ. According to the Pope, every human being, in all the unique reality of being and action, consciousness and will, conscience and 'heart', is a 'person' and has his own life story and, above all, his own 'history of the soul'. The greatness of man lies in the fact that, in accordance with the inner openness of his spirit and, at the same time, with the various needs of his body, of his temporal existence, he always writes his personal history through the manifold bonds, contacts, arrangements and social circles which connect him from the moment of his conception with other people. The richness of man is revealed in the truth of his existence and of his being both personal and at the same time "communal" and "social": within his own family and within different communities, environments, within a nation or a people, and also within the whole of humanity. According to the Pope, the human being thus described is the first and fundamental path on which the Church must walk in the fulfilment of her mission. It is the path marked out by Christ himself, which invariably leads through the Mysteries of the Incarnation and Redemption.
The Church should therefore focus her mission on man, since every man has been redeemed by Christ and with every man Christ is in some way united, even if man would not realise it. Since it is man who is the way of the Church, the way of his daily life and experience, of his mission and hardships, the contemporary Church must therefore be aware of his 'situation' again and again. On the one hand are the opportunities for human development, which are constantly being reoriented and thus revealed. On the other hand, these are the dangers that are opposed to "human life becoming more and more human", so that everything that makes up this life corresponds to the true dignity of man.

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