Catholic · Emmaus course
The Soul’s Journey: Moral Conversion and the Three Stages of Spiritual Growth
Fr. Benedict Groeschel guides learners through the three classical stages of the spiritual life — purification, illumination, and union — with psychological insight and pastoral warmth. Discover why spiritual growth stalls, what moral conversion really demands, and how to navigate spiritual darkness with faith.
NBCC CE · 4 clock hours · Human Growth and Development (HGD)
With Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.
- Length
- 4 hrs
- Lessons
- 7
- Level
- Intermediate
- Version
- Catholic
- Price
- Free
1. Understand why they feel spiritually stuck 2. Get CE credit that also feeds their soul 3. Build a framework for accompanying others through moral and spiritual struggle 4. Make sense of suffering and spiritual darkness in their own life or their clients’ lives
About this course
Why does spiritual growth sometimes stall — even in people who pray, go to Mass, and sincerely want to grow? The answer, Fr. Benedict Groeschel taught, often has to do with a threshold most believers have never named: moral conversion.
In this six-lesson course, one of the most beloved voices in Catholic psychology guides you through the three classic stages of the interior life — purification, illumination, and union — with rare clarity, humor, and pastoral warmth. You will learn to distinguish voluntary sin from weakness-based failure, recognize the signs of mature faith, grow in trust through suffering and darkness, and understand why some of the greatest saints experienced God’s apparent absence as His closest approach.
Drawn from a landmark lecture delivered at the IPS 10th Anniversary — an event honoring Fr. Groeschel’s own 50 years of priestly ministry — this course is at once deeply traditional and immediately practical. Whether you come as a counselor, a spiritual director, or a Catholic adult seeking to understand your own interior life, The Soul’s Journey offers a map for the road ahead.
Who this course is for
Licensed Mental Health Counselors and Pastoral Care Professionals
NBCC CE credit in Human Growth and Development; the integration of Catholic anthropology with clinical practice; Fr. Groeschel’s recognized authority in Catholic psychology; the rare opportunity to earn CE hours through a formation-oriented course grounded in the Western spiritual tradition.
Finally, a CE course that speaks to the whole person — not just symptom management.
Also for Formation Directors, Spiritual Directors, and Seminary Educators; Educated Catholic Adults in Personal Formation.
From the course syllabus
Why does spiritual growth sometimes stall — even in people who pray, go to Mass, and sincerely want to grow? The answer, Fr. Benedict Groeschel taught, often has to do with a threshold most believers have never named: moral conversion.
In this six-lesson course, one of the most beloved voices in Catholic psychology guides you through the three classic stages of the interior life — purification, illumination, and union — with rare clarity, humor, and pastoral warmth. You will learn to distinguish voluntary sin from weakness-based failure, recognize the signs of mature faith, grow in trust through suffering and darkness, and understand why some of the greatest saints experienced God’s apparent absence as His closest approach.
Drawn from a landmark lecture delivered at the IPS 10th Anniversary — an event honoring Fr. Groeschel’s own 50 years of priestly ministry — this course is at once deeply traditional and immediately practical. Whether you come as a counselor, a spiritual director, or a Catholic adult seeking to understand your own interior life, The Soul’s Journey offers a map for the road ahead.
Curriculum
-
Module 1
Moral Conversion and Voluntary Sin
- 1.Lesson 1: Introduction and the Three Stages of Spiritual Growth
- 2.Lesson 2: Moral Conversion and the Difference Between Weakness and Deliberate Sin
- 3.Lesson 3: Mature Faith and the Mystery of God
- 4.Lesson 4: Trust, Providence, and the First Darkness
- 5.Lesson 5: Enlightenment, Forgiveness, and Mother Teresa's Darkness
- 6.Lesson 6: The Unitive Way and the Final Question on Darkness
- 7.Post-Test
More courses
When God Feels Silent: Discerning Consolation in Prayer
Ever prayed and felt nothing? You aren't doing it wrong. In this Divine Mercy University course, discover how God speaks, why feelings aren't the goal, and how St. Teresa’s garden analogy shows if your prayer life is truly growing.
1 hr · 1 lesson · Intermediate
With Fr. John Bartunek, LC
You Shall Not Be Overcome: Spiritual Vanity, Sacred Darkness, and the Peace That Persists
Why does prayer go dry? Fr. Groeschel reveals the hidden danger in spiritual progress — and the ancient promise that will carry you through.
1 hr 25 min · 3 lessons · Intermediate
With Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.
Failure Is Not an Option: Leadership, Decision-Making & Virtue Under Pressure
An asynchronous, six-lesson formation course that uses six scenes from the film Apollo 13 (1995) — set beside the real April 1970 mission — as a case study in how good decisions get made and good character is revealed when everything is on the line.
3 hrs · 8 lessons · Beginner