Day 623 – affective

Affective piety is most commonly described as a style of highly emotional devotion to the humanity of Jesus, particularly in his infancy and his death, and to the joys and sorrows of the Virgin Mary. It was a major influence on many varieties of devotional literature in late-medieval Europe, both in Latin and in the vernacular. … Affective piety can be described as a type of highly emotional devotion, focused on the humanity of Jesus, which developed during the High Middle Ages. Anselm of Canterbury, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Francis of Assisi each played a key role in the development of this approach to spirituality. Traces of an affective sensitivity can be found in Late Antiquity, when clergymen preached sermons with vivid descriptions of the Passion.

Affective Piety

The spirituality of Ancrene Wisse is affective … Incarnational spirituality, expressed in devotion to the Passion of Christ and in eucharistic piety centring on the presence of Christ in the consecrated Host, is at the heart of Ancrene Wisse. The spirituality of Ancrene Wisse is essentially incarnational: within the anchorhold the anchoresses could share the suffering of their lover, Christ.

Ancrene Wisse: From Pastoral Literature to Vernacular Spirituality, Cate Gunn