2024-03-29T06:50:03Z
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/oai
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/1694
2021-09-12T07:50:47Z
lumenetvita:ART
"110525 2011 eng "
2329-1087
dc
Redefining Spirit Through the Body for the Healing and Flourishing of Trauma Survivors
Cargioli, Paige
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
Pastoral caregivers are mediators for healing both body and spirit. However, healing of the body through the spirit, and the spirit through the body is overlooked by caregiving disciplines. Different specialties emphasize more bodily healing or spiritual healing. For example, medical doctors and psychologists aim to heal bodies, while pastoral caregivers seek to heal the spirit. Additionally, this “healing” is complete once one reaches neutral functioning. I believe healing is, instead, a journey towards optimal functioning that is flourishing. In this paper, I explain how the body and spirit become disconnected in trauma survivors, and how those seeking healing ultimately are seeking to reconnect the body and spirit as one. That is to say, bodily trauma hurts the spirit, and vice versa. Secondly, I discuss the dangers of dualistic thinking and the language that separates body and spirit in society and among all types of caregivers, but especially pastoral caregivers. Finally, I connect how an integrative body/spirit approach leads to more holistic healing. Overall, I urge pastoral caregivers (as well as other disciplines) be more integrative, open-minded, and less dualistic in their approach to service and healing in order to build flourishing communities.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2011-05-25 22:51:24
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/1694
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 1 No. 1 (2011)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/1696
2021-09-12T07:50:05Z
lumenetvita:ART
"110525 2011 eng "
2329-1087
dc
The Human as Encounter: Karl Barth’s Theological Anthropology and a Barthian Vision of the Common Good
Durheim, Benjamin
Karl Barth was one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. Although he was prolific on many topics in theology, he is not often thought of as articulating a vision of the common good. This project attempts to glean from Barth’s theology the building blocks for such a vision, and takes some initial steps toward actually building it, given the material Barth provides. The paper begins by exploring the way Barth constructs his theological anthropology, arguing that its central theme is what he calls “encounter,” characterized by four main elements: seeing eye-to-eye, exchanging speech and hearing, giving and receiving assistance, and doing all these things in a spirit of gladness. The paper then progresses to build on his theological anthropology a structure for envisioning the common good. Claiming that Barth’s concept of encounter provides the nexus between his theological anthropology, social ethics, and what I claim would be a Barthian vision of the common good, the paper finishes by teasing out two main elements of such a vision: societal interactions as the Barthian encounter, and the relationship of the Church and society as a similar encounter.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2011-05-25 22:51:24
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/1696
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 1 No. 1 (2011)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/1697
2021-09-12T07:49:19Z
lumenetvita:ART
"110525 2011 eng "
2329-1087
dc
Millennium Development Goals and Catholic Social Teaching: Ongoing Responsibility and Response
O'Sullivan, James
This paper begins by making a case for the congruence between core ideals of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which aim to confront global poverty in a multifaceted approach and were entered into by a vast majority of the international community at the beginning of this millennium. Then the paper goes on to argue that given the current danger of falling short of the Goals’ 2015 deadline and because the MDGs so clearly forward key aspects of CST, the Catholic Bishops and the Vatican need to redouble efforts to increase the commitment of both developed and developing nations. Finally, the author concludes that failing to do so is morally unacceptable.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2011-05-25 22:51:24
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/1697
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 1 No. 1 (2011)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/1698
2021-09-12T07:48:38Z
lumenetvita:ART
"110525 2011 eng "
2329-1087
dc
Suffering Our Way to Salvation: Ivone Gebara, Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, and the Adequacy of the Cross as a Symbol for Women
Chapman, Amy
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
This article explores the theologies of the cross and salvation put forth by Brazilian liberation theologian Ivone Gebara and American theologian Elizabeth Schüssler Fiorenza. Both scholars depart from a traditional Anselmian theology of the cross and salvation, holding that for some women Anselm’s understanding is insufficient. Both theologians claim that within Anselm’s theology of the cross and salvation is the understanding that suffering is necessary for salvation. Wishing to dispute that, Gebara examines the lived experiences of women while Schüssler Fiorenza focuses on references from scripture. Both women arrive at the conclusion that the cross proves to be an inadequate symbol for salvation for some women, and Schüssler Fiorenza provides the empty tomb as an alternative symbol.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2011-05-25 22:51:24
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/1698
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 1 No. 1 (2011)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/1699
2021-09-12T07:47:55Z
lumenetvita:ART
"110525 2011 eng "
2329-1087
dc
The Consciousness and Human Knowledge of Christ According to Lonergan and Balthasar
Pidel S.J., Aaron
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
Bernard Lonergan and Hans Urs von Balthasar both gave considerable attention to the consciousness and human knowledge of Christ. In their respective treatments of this topic, both theologians evince common tendencies. Both are at pains to develop a model of Christ’s human consciousness that 1) avoids the impression of psychological dualism, 2) acknowledges Christ to be a unique comprehensor (beholder) of the divine nature, and yet 3) shows Christ to be a true viator (wayfarer), learning and discerning in a genuinely human fashion. Lonergan does this through his model of “ineffable knowledge,” and Balthasar through “mission consciousness.” On the face of it, they seem to disagree as to whether Christ possessed the so-called visio beata (beatific vision)—with Lonergan answering affirmatively and Balthasar answering negatively. Nonetheless, because they understand the meaning of this attribution differently, it seems likely they are divided more at the level of verbal formulation than at the level of conceptual judgment. Both consciousness Christologies prove convergent and complementary.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2011-05-25 22:51:24
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/1699
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 1 No. 1 (2011)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/1700
2021-09-12T07:47:13Z
lumenetvita:ART
"110525 2011 eng "
2329-1087
dc
From Theoretical To Practical: Developing Tillich’s Apologetics
Morrison, Wendy
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
Paul Tillich’s understanding of faith, doubt, and church communities forms part of a systematic theology which Tillich understands as a theoretical apologetics. By developing these themes, especially Tillich’s concept of existential doubt, five guidelines for a practical apologetics can be developed in line with Tillich’s theoretical apologetics. First, both believers and nonbelievers are included in the apologist’s audience because both are at risk of idolatry. Second, the goal of apologetics is to end the suppression of doubt in order to break down idols. Third, this apologetics affirms faith without aiming to rid one of doubt. Fourth, apologetics should bring Christians and non-Christians into faith communities. Fifth, those faith communities should continue the work of apologetics by remaining open to doubt. These guidelines form a method of apologetics that speaks to the increasing secularity of the world. By breaking down traditional categories which separate faith from doubt and believers from nonbelievers, this practical apologetics is capable of moving people toward a deeper, more dynamic faith in the True God.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2011-05-25 22:51:24
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/1700
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 1 No. 1 (2011)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/1701
2021-09-12T07:46:31Z
lumenetvita:BKR
"110525 2011 eng "
2329-1087
dc
God’s Many-Splendored Image: Theological Anthropology for Christian Formation
Sáles, Luis Joshua
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
Review
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2011-05-25 22:51:24
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/1701
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 1 No. 1 (2011)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/1850
2021-09-12T07:45:49Z
lumenetvita:BKR
"120725 2012 eng "
2329-1087
dc
Book review: Koester's The Word of Life
Bree, Kasey
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
A book review on Craig R. Koester's The Word of Life: A Theology of John's Gospel
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2012-07-24 18:49:43
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/1850
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 2 No. 1 (2012)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/1858
2021-09-12T07:45:01Z
lumenetvita:ART
"120725 2012 eng "
2329-1087
dc
Trauma and Zion: Narrative Healing
Johnson, Joshua
BC STM
Interfacing the work of Paul Ricoeur on time, narrative, and identity with that of Judith Herman on trauma, this paper explores the ways in which the prophetic book of Ezekiel and the pseudepigraphal book 4 Ezra spoke to the needs of ancient Jews in times of crisis by offering a realm in which readers could symbolically play out their trauma, experience catharsis, and reconfigure the greatest hopes of Israel.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2012-07-24 18:49:43
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/1858
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 2 No. 1 (2012)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/1877
2021-09-12T07:44:10Z
lumenetvita:ART
"120725 2012 eng "
2329-1087
dc
The Faith that Does Prudence: Contemporary Catholic Social Ethics and the Appropriation of the Ethics of Aquinas
Reedy, SJ, Brian Michael
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
One of the most important contemporary issues within the Society of Jesus is the way in which contemporary evangelization impacts social evolution and social structures. Under the umbrella term of “social justice” the Society is committed to the analysis of and changing of the social and economic structures that impact human lives, so that the values of the Gospel can be actualized within the human family. Understanding what Aquinas has to say about the issues involved in social justice is important for two reasons. First, the theological and ethical language of the Society, and the Catholic Church in general, draws deeply from the Thomistic tradition. Second, there is a vigorous resurgence of attempts to reappropriate Aquinas’ ethical theory according to contemporary sensibilities. For all those interested in promoting social justice within a Catholic framework it is important to understand how the issues related to social justice relate to Aquinas’ theological project. Although Aquinas does provide a theoretical framework in which the issues of social justice can be addressed, he provides a different rubric. The contemporary convictions of radical equality and individual rights belong to the Thomistic domain of theoretical reasoning through wisdom. The critique and evaluation of social structures according to contemporary economic theories and sensibilities belongs to the Thomistic domain of practical reasoning through prudence. The commitment to the preferential option for the poor belongs to the Thomistic virtue of charity. In Aquinas’ language, the faith that does justice is, because it acts in a critical and constructive fashion, more accurately a faith that acts prudently.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2012-07-24 18:49:43
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/1877
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 2 No. 1 (2012)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/1889
2021-09-12T07:43:14Z
lumenetvita:ART
"120725 2012 eng "
2329-1087
dc
Invitation to Discipleship: Educating for Virtue in Catholic Classrooms
Manning, Patrick R
Boston College
Focus on the virtues has enjoyed a recent resurgence in the field of ethics and has even influenced scholars in religious education. This influence carries positive implications for Catholic education that merit further development. In this paper, the author gleans insights from studies in virtue ethics that may be beneficially applied to Christian formation in the classroom context. The paper begins with a discussion of the relevance of the virtues to the aims of Catholic education before going on to explain how virtues are developed generally and, more specifically, how they can be developed in Catholic classrooms.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2012-07-24 18:49:43
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/1889
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 2 No. 1 (2012)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/1891
2021-09-12T07:42:15Z
lumenetvita:ART
"120725 2012 eng "
2329-1087
dc
Mentoring in a Catholic High School: The Movement to Receive
Pang, Alfred KM
Boston College, School of Theology and Ministry
This paper explores the dynamics that underlie the process of mentoring high-school students, with Catholic Junior College in Singapore as a site of practice. Using Luke’s journey narrative of Jesus’ walk with the two disciples to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), it proposes a Christological framework that construes the relational practice of mentoring as involving four movements - receiving, blessing, breaking and giving. Within the limited scope of this paper, I focus specifically on the movement of receiving: What does it mean to receive a young person as a mentee? In what manner can a teacher-mentor receive the young person? What practical strategies can teacher-mentors employ to help them ‘see’ where the young person is at?
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2012-07-24 18:49:43
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/1891
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 2 No. 1 (2012)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/1896
2021-09-12T07:41:18Z
lumenetvita:ART
"120725 2012 eng "
2329-1087
dc
From Divine Action to Divine Presence: The Next Step in an Integrated Cosmology of Science and Theology
Brodrick, Robert
Boston College
One of the challenges facing contemporary theologians has been an increasingly perceived rift between the disciplines of theology and scientific cosmology. A common narrative maintains that the incompatibility of these disciplines is a result of the rise of modern science during which the doctrinal claims of theology as they relate to our understanding of the universe as a whole were disproven. Within this narrative framework, theology is reduced to issues of human experience and moral life. In contrast to this myth, this paper establishes the claim that the perceived rift between theology and cosmology is not merely due to the advances of modern science but also to particular philosophical and theological developments in the realms of epistemology and the social imaginary. Furthermore, the author suggests that these sources of the exclusion of cosmology from theological discourse indicate a need for the development of an Irenaean cosmological framework in which the Eucharistic tension between the simultaneous presence and absence of Christ is upheld.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2012-07-24 18:49:43
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/1896
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 2 No. 1 (2012)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/1900
2021-09-12T07:40:26Z
lumenetvita:ART
"120725 2012 eng "
2329-1087
dc
Thoughts on the Experience of God in the Theology of Karl Rahner: Gifts and Implications
Steinmetz, Mary
Boston College
This paper explores the concept of encounter with God in the writings of Karl Rahner and its relevance for academic study and spiritual practice today. Because Rahner addresses the experience of Ultimate Mystery in a variety of ways, through academic writings, prayers and short articles, examples are taken from the breadth of this legacy. Particular attention is given to the possible applications of his understanding of the experience of God for Christians today and consideration of the potential of his ideas for addressing the academic theology/spirituality split as well as the deep longing for tangible experience in the lives of many Christians. Rahner’s value for feminist theology is also addressed.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2012-07-24 18:49:43
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/1900
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 2 No. 1 (2012)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/1901
2021-09-12T07:39:27Z
lumenetvita:ART
"120725 2012 eng "
2329-1087
dc
The Dynamic of Humility and Wisdom: The Syrophoenician Woman and Jesus in Mark 7:24-30
Alt, Christopher
In this paper, I will show how Mark offers readers insights on how to live out the virtue of humility and subsequently, how this virtue is related to wisdom. I will do this by dividing the paper into three parts. First, I will provide an exegesis of Mark 7:24-30. Second, I will offer some remarks on the virtue of humility – what it is and how wisdom is attained through its practice. And third, I will proffer my virtue interpretation of Mark 7:24-30, which shows how both the Syrophoenician woman and Jesus serve as examples of humility and how the living out of that virtue leads to wisdom.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2012-07-24 18:49:43
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/1901
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 2 No. 1 (2012)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/2354
2021-09-12T07:38:37Z
lumenetvita:BKL
"120725 2012 eng "
2329-1087
dc
2012 Recommended Reading List
Vita, Lumen et
BC
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2012-07-24 18:49:43
Faculty Recommended Reading
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/2354
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 2 No. 1 (2012)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/5346
2021-09-12T07:37:48Z
lumenetvita:ART
"131204 2013 eng "
2329-1087
dc
Who IS This Woman, Anyway?- Hildegard Interpreted in the Twenty-First Century
Cameron, Cynthia
The last fifty years has seen a resurgence of interest in Hildegard of Bingen, a twelfth-century mystic, theologian, and nun. As her story is taken up by various scholars, the image of Hildegard that is presented tells us as much about the scholars as it tells us about Hildegard. By isolating two scholars who take Hildegard’s work seriously, we can investigate the ways that the interpreter can shape what they find in a historical source for a particular theological purpose. Barbara Newman and Pope Benedict XVI approach Hildegard from very different perspectives and the vision of Hildegard that they each present tells us as much about these scholars and their interests as they do about Hildegard hers
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2013-12-03 09:51:53
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/5346
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 3 (2013)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/5349
2021-09-12T07:36:57Z
lumenetvita:ART
"131204 2013 eng "
2329-1087
dc
"Seeing All Things as Naught": Meister Eckhart and the Incarnation
Collura, Nicholas
Books on popular spirituality often refer to Meister Eckhart's mystical theology as "incarnational," apparently due to its emphasis on the role of the Word made flesh, rather than of the Passion or of the Resurrection of Christ, in our salvation. In fact, Eckhart is ambivalent at best about our incarnate reality, seeing it as a fall from the perfect oneness and wholeness of God, to whom all of creation is called to return. For Eckhart, this return implies a radical death to self, the complete obliteration of our individual identities in the pure unknowing that is God. This paper departs from a consideration of the "uncanniness" ("unheimlich" - literaly, "not-at-home-ness") that characterizes Eckhart's description of union with God; moves through an analysis of the theme of the incarnation in his metaphysics, Christology, creation theology, and eschatology; and briefly contrasts his apophatic vision with the beatific vision of Aquinas, on the one hand, and certain New Testament images of the Resurrection, on the other.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2013-12-03 09:51:53
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/5349
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 3 (2013)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/5350
2021-09-12T07:36:13Z
lumenetvita:ART
"131204 2013 eng "
2329-1087
dc
“I AM has sent me to you:” How Thomas Aquinas’ understanding of the divine names illuminates the way in which he reconciles impassibility and compassion in God
Reynolds, Susan Bigelow
Contemporary debates on divine impassibility generally offer two options: either affirm a suffering God who loves and cares, or uphold an impassible God who turns a blind eye to the cries of his people. For Thomas Aquinas, divine impassibility (along with the other divine attributes: simplicity, infinity, immutability, etc.) is not inconsonant with divine compassion. God’s unchangeable nature affirms, not undermines, God’s ability to love. This paper, acknowledging the inadequacy of these two incomplete and dichotomous categorizations, will argue that Thomas’ understanding of the divine names in the Summa Theologiae, 1a, q. 13 illuminates the way in which he reconciles impassibility and compassion in God.
It is not the goal of this paper to defend either the idea that God does or does not suffer, nor to affirm or deny the doctrine of divine impassibility on a scale any larger than the work of Thomas and selected contemporary scholars who assist in the project of unpacking and analyzing his thought. It is the goal of this paper to examine in as close a way as possible how Thomas’ defense of divine impassibility can be placed in dialogue with his understanding of the way that humans know and name God, ultimately revealing the inadequacy in the polarizing assumption that an immutable God cannot love.
I will begin by analyzing the structure and implications of Thomas’ defense of divine impassibility in Question 9. This will be followed by an analysis of how, in Thomas’ understanding, human knowledge of God, including God’s attribute of impassibility, affects human capacity to name God, here drawing heavily on the insights David Burrell. I will then explore the theological and scriptural implications of Thomas’ assertion that “The One Who Is” is the most appropriate name for God, ultimately arguing that an understanding of the Hebrew scripture from which this name is drawn reveals that God’s love and compassion on behalf of his suffering people is not opposed to but rather relies upon his unchanging nature.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2013-12-03 09:51:53
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/5350
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 3 (2013)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/5351
2021-09-12T07:35:24Z
lumenetvita:ART
"131204 2013 eng "
2329-1087
dc
Nicodemus-An Encounter
Johnson, Joshua
This paper offers an exegesis and interpretation of John 3:1-15, Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus, one of the gospel's most memorable characters. Central to this discussion will be the significance of the symbol of rebirth. Engaging the text using traditional approaches and aided by philosophical hermeneutics, we shall see that the Nicodemus story offers the reader a reconfiguration of reality as Nicodemus is invited to be born again by receiving Jesus.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2013-12-03 09:51:53
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/5351
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 3 (2013)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/5352
2021-09-12T07:34:36Z
lumenetvita:ART
"131204 2013 eng "
2329-1087
dc
Toward a Recovery of the Priest as Shepherd
Janeczko, Matthew
This essay attempts to recover the pastoral office of ordained ministry by drawing upon selected passages from Sacred Scripture and entering into dialogue with important magisterial documents as well as the works of contemporary theologians. It concludes by providing a theological account of priestly presence as a constitutive part of ordained ministry, without which the sanctifying and governing duties of the priest lose much of their theological grounding.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2013-12-03 09:51:53
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/5352
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 3 (2013)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/5710
2021-09-12T07:33:54Z
lumenetvita:ART
"140930 2014 eng "
2329-1087
dc
Girard and the Millennials: New Perspectives on Evangelization
Sutherland, SJ, Philip
René Girard in conversation with Charles Taylor can help us to analyze the connection
between violence and religion. Girard’s lens of mimetic desire helps to clarify how Jesus was
the anti-sacrifice who desired to end the scapegoat mechanism. Taylor provides a lens on the
transcendent and its sometimes hidden presence in our secular world. People are constantly
feeling the cross pressures between a closed immanent frame and an openness to fulfillment
outside of one’s self. Taylor’s analysis becomes concrete in the sociological research regarding
Millennials and their ambivalence toward organized religion. Many young adults today are
seeking the transcendent but have no idea how to find it. Additionally, they are wary of the
divisiveness of religion and many view religion as but another contributor to an already violent
world. However, Boeve’s image of theology as interruption gives us a lens with which to see
Girard’s narrative as God’s interruption of human history. This interruption demands an equally
serious, committed response. Such a demanding and meaningful narrative can be attractive to
Millennials who generally view religion as simply one equally meaningless choice among others.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2014-09-30 17:30:58
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Lumen et Vita; Vol. 4 No. 1 (2014)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/5711
2021-09-12T07:33:11Z
lumenetvita:ART
"140930 2014 eng "
2329-1087
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Dis-membering and Re-membering: The Eucharist and the Suffering of Women
Loumagne, Megan
God desires wholeness for humanity, as well as freedom from all that dehumanizes and degrades. The Church represents the historical mediation of God’s healing presence to the world, and as such, it stands in opposition against all that enslaves humanity. The Eucharist, in particular, is a salve to the suffering of human persons. Additionally, in its expression of embodiment and relationality, the Eucharist has special relevance for women. Yet the feelings of hope and comfort found in the ritual of the Eucharist are, for many women, diminished by other feelings of alienation and isolation invoked by this ritual. Thus the Eucharist exists as a source of contradiction and tension for many Catholic women, and to the extent that the ritual celebration of the Eucharist perpetuates the dehumanization of women, it obfuscates the good news of the gospel and presents an area of needed conversion within the Church. The purpose of this paper is to draw from the resources of both sacramental theology and theological anthropology to explore the relationship between the Eucharist and the suffering of women. It is only by listening attentively to the world, and especially to those who have suffered from the world’s injustices, that the Church will be able to provide credible hope for humanity.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2014-09-30 17:30:58
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/5711
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 4 No. 1 (2014)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/5713
2021-09-11T08:28:44Z
lumenetvita:ART
"140930 2014 eng "
2329-1087
dc
Full and Emptied: Interpreting Christ's Divinity for Theologies of Religion
Haas, Kristi
The concept that “fullness” is to be found in Jesus Christ has been invoked to support the uniqueness of Jesus, including in the context of world religions. Yet the metaphorical sense of fullness is amenable to a variety of interpretations. Is this uniqueness the logical consequence of Christian faith, or an over-reliance on what amounts to a spatial metaphor? Are the uniqueness and primacy of Jesus meant only as praise, or does this also constitute a proposition about Jesus, vulnerable to the logic of non-contradiction? Is a lack or any partial lack of “fullness” to be found in any setting, if all things are created through, by, and for Jesus?
This paper explores the concept of the “fullness of truth” in its biblical context, as a doctrinal claim, and in contemporary interpretations in order to offer an analysis of “fullness” in Christ in light of the identity and call of the Church, the sacrament of God's salvific life. Treating fullness as an abstracted premise or proposition leads quickly to an ontotheological interpretation of Jesus' divinity. Instead, we would do well to learn the meaning of the metaphor by attending to its expressions in the life of the Church, a central one of which is the self-emptying love, the communion with which, we are promised, leads into all truth.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2014-09-30 17:30:58
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Lumen et Vita; Vol. 4 No. 1 (2014)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/5714
2021-09-11T08:27:39Z
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Augustine on Sacrifice: A Synthesis
Janeczko, OFM Cap., Fr. Matthew
This essay investigates the manner in which Augustine writes about the related topics of sacrifice, priesthood, and mediation. Drawing upon the Confessions, The Trinity, and the City of God, as well as relevant secondary literature, it concludes that an understanding of Augustine's views regarding these topics allows for a broader comprehension of the proper ends of Christian life: true acts of charity and worship.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2014-09-30 17:30:58
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Lumen et Vita; Vol. 4 No. 1 (2014)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/5715
2021-09-11T08:26:32Z
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Thomas A. Tweed, America’s Church: The National Shrine and the Catholic Presence in the Nation’s Capital.
Siuzdak, Christopher
Tweed, Thomas A.
Book Review
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2014-09-30 17:30:58
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Lumen et Vita; Vol. 4 No. 1 (2014)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/5717
2021-09-11T08:25:23Z
lumenetvita:ART
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Does the Lord Speak with a Forked Tongue? Solutions for Unity in a Diverse Biblical Corpus
Fitzroy, Peter
Does the Bible present a unified message from God to humanity? This paper is an attempt to undertake the task set forth by biblical scholar G. Ernest Wright, who said: “The question of the unity of the Bible’s message is one that will never be satisfactorily solved, though it is one which every generation of Christians must seek to solve.” This investigation, while framed as a “personal attempt,” looks at the biblical-theological issue of unity and diversity within the Bible to try to form some theologically synthetic answer to the above question. This investigation dialogues with the history of biblical interpretation by first looking at issues related to diversity in the New Testament (“Micro-diversity”) and then to the Bible as a whole (“Macrodiversity”) to see if we can understand a “whole Bible biblical Theology.” Finally, this paper explores some of the implications of the answers to these questions for the modern Christians.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2014-09-30 17:30:58
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/5717
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 4 No. 1 (2014)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/5719
2021-09-11T08:24:21Z
lumenetvita:ART
"140930 2014 eng "
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Existential Chaos: A Critique of Catherine Keller’s Position Towards Creation and Divine Omnipotence
Linthicum, Emily
The two dominant concepts Catherine Keller examines in her study of creatio ex profundis, creation out of chaos, are the feminine tehomic language and refutation of divine omnipotence. She studies both these concepts through a feminist lens as well as with an overarching question as to why creatio ex nihilo, creation from nothing, has commandeered the thought behind Genesis exegesis and creation theology. Using various literary styles, both religious and secular, Keller attempts to deconstruct creation out of nothing and argue how a theology of becoming is more appropriate given the language of Genesis and creation as a whole. Rather than merely substitute the present masculine understandings of God and creation with the feminine, she persuades for a return to the foundation of tehomic language in an effort to reconstruct the negative feminine connotations of chaos and support a theology of becoming without a “divine dominology.” The purpose of this paper is to offer an examination of Keller’s text and counterarguments to her understanding of creatio ex nihilo and ex profundis. There are various examples of male dominant thought in theology throughout history; however, divine omnipotence, both in general and as associated with creation theology, is not an affront to the feminine and creatio ex profundis. Keller’s fault does not lie in the notion of creatio ex profundis and its validity; rather, her argument concerning the domineering power of divine omnipotence and its association with creatio ex nihilo remains insufficient.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2014-09-30 17:30:58
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Lumen et Vita; Vol. 4 No. 1 (2014)
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/8688
2021-09-11T08:23:32Z
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"150421 2015 eng "
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What makes Jesus salvific for the Queer Community? A Moltmann-Inspired Essay in Christology
Ford, Jr., Craig A.
In what way is Jesus Christ salvific for the queer community in the United States? By ‘queer community’ here, I understand those whose sexual and gender identities stand at variance with the sexed and gendered expectations of heteronormative culture. This presentation is an essay in the area of queer Christology, a relatively underexplored area of Christian theology. The essay begins unashamedly with the rejection of portrayals of Christ that are manifestly not salvific for queer persons, those representations of a Jesus Christ who defends compulsory heterosexuality or, failing that, voluntary lifetime celibacy. It continues with an analysis of two major figures in the development of queer Christology: the first is Robert Goss, who argues that Jesus Christ is salvific for the queer community because Jesus himself was a gay man; and the second is Marcella Althaus-Reid, who argues that Jesus Christ is salvific for the queer community because Christ embodies the symbolic resistance to binary categorization. I argue that while both of these are important elements in a queer Christology, neither are sufficient: Goss’ representation of Christ scandalizes the universality of Christ by mandating a sexual orientation for which we have no credible textual evidence; and Althaus-Reid’s representation of Christ scandalizes the particularity of Christ by rendering his actual historical existence as Jesus of Nazareth completely irrelevant. In place of these I argue that Christ is salvific for the queer community because his particular life exemplifies what the queer community in America has already lived out (as seen in the AIDS crisis) and continues to live out (in striving for ecclesiastical respectability): Jesus shows the way of passionate loving through suffering—a way that, if queer Christians follow it, leads to resurrection, through hope, and reconciliation with others, through love.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-04-21 20:05:50
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/8688
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 5 (2015): Sustained by Hope: The Place and Significance of Christian Hope in the World
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/8689
2021-09-11T08:22:48Z
lumenetvita:ART
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Cultivating Hope Among Medically Traumatized Older Adults: A Narrative Perspective
Heitmann, Danielle
The sudden need for hospitalization and/or surgery among older adults after a fall can often be discussed by many in the medical profession as the beginning of a series of negative sequelae that may eventually lead to the end of one's life -- or at least the end of one's life as he or she currently knows it. This experience of a fall among this age group can be quite traumatizing, interrupting many of the stories the person has previously held about his or her ability, health and functional capacity. However, narrative informed practice would raise questions regarding the pathology-based discourse that surrounds the patient during hospitalization and rehabilitation in terms of how these stories may serve to label people and diminish hope. Pastoral care for the client in the hospital who has experienced such a shock at this age requires a unique sensitivity. A powerful intervention in this space may prove to be critical to the overall recovery and wellbeing of older adults following such a life event. In particular, proponents of narrative therapy would offer key techniques to specifically interrupt the dominant discourse surrounding falls in order to cultivate hope for recovery among this population. While narrative therapy has been studied across the life course, this paper would examine the particular context of the older adults after falls, hospitalization and/or surgery. In doing so, it intends to examine patient narratives and pastoral care research to identify short-term counseling interventions that promote hope, resiliency, and recovery among this population.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-04-21 20:05:50
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/8689
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 5 (2015): Sustained by Hope: The Place and Significance of Christian Hope in the World
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/8690
2021-09-11T08:21:54Z
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Leisure and Play: The Way of A Hopeful Life
LaBadie, Benjamin
Leisure and play are the cause and nature of Christian hope. Both address the world’s woundedness, needs, and desires by creating time and space for dignity, freedom, and stillness. This is my argument, and I will look at Josef Pieper’s Leisure, The Basis of Culture to show how leisure is a stillness in which human beings realize their importance within the harmony of the cosmos and the divine. Leisure allows humans to be receptive to the grace of God, and it gives them hope for what the fulfillment of God’s kingdom looks like. I will also look at the political philosopher, Michael Oakeshott, who wrote the essay “Work and Play.” From here, I will show how play coupled with leisure gives human beings hope because there are some activities done for their own sake because they are good in themselves. Human beings in their wounds, needs, and desires think that work, utility, and possession are what will fill their lacks. In reality, according to Oakeshott, a life solely dominated by work, utility, and possession ends up exacerbating these lacks because no fulfillment ever comes–the lack and desires only deepen and expand. It is like a man paying off his debt with more debt: the obligation to keep working to pay what you owe only expands and enslaves you to work more. Thus, leisure and play are the cause for Christian hope because they are done for their own sake. They heal wounds and fulfill human being’s deepest desires for dignity, love, and meaning.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-04-21 20:05:50
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/8690
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 5 (2015): Sustained by Hope: The Place and Significance of Christian Hope in the World
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/8691
2021-09-11T08:21:10Z
lumenetvita:ART
"150421 2015 eng "
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Lament as Prophetic Ritual of Eschatological Hope: Reading Jephthah’s Daughter in Scripture and Liturgy
Lopez, JoAnn Melina
The story of Jephthah’s daughter in Judges 11 is brief but gruesome, one of the “texts of terror” which haunt the depiction of women in scripture. Jephthah, a war hero, vows to sacrifice whoever comes out to meet him from his house upon his return in exchange for God’s assistance in a skirmish with an invading army. To his horror, and ours, it is his only child, a young girl, who greets him on his return, and he is committed to continuing with his sacrifice. Unlike with other mentions of child sacrifice in the scriptures, Jephthah’s daughter is not delivered from her fate by the intervention of God or human action. Instead the young woman, nameless in the scriptures, gathers her female companions around her to mourn before her death, and is mourned by all the women of Israel, who gather annually to mark her death.
This paper will examine the narrative of Jephthah’s daughter in scripture, alongside a critique of her presentation and interpretation in the lectionary of the Catholic Church. The ways in which the Church engages with violent scripture texts, especially in our public liturgical action, speaks to the cogence of our proclamation of hope in a world in which texts of terror continue to be inscribed upon the bodies of women and children. The focus of the paper will be the prophetic lament of Jephthah’s daughter, her companions, and the generations of women after them, which I argue should be reclaimed and connected with the prophetic and eschatological hope of the Eucharist when this scripture is proclaimed in liturgy.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-04-21 20:05:50
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Lumen et Vita; Vol. 5 (2015): Sustained by Hope: The Place and Significance of Christian Hope in the World
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/8692
2021-09-11T08:20:33Z
lumenetvita:ART
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“And God Remembered:” Barrenness and Hope in Genesis
Loumagne, Megan
For a book of beginnings,[1] Genesis is ironically replete with beginnings that almost were not. Indeed, the motif of the barren woman, the woman unable to produce a new beginning in the form of a child, is so common it becomes almost redundant in the narrative. What is most characteristic of God in Genesis—to be a fertile source of life[2]—is painfully denied the matriarchs. This pain is heightened by the steadily increasing tension in the text regarding the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham. God’s promise to Abraham that he will be “a great nation”[3] with many descendants requires Abraham to have offspring in order for it to be fulfilled, yet nature repeatedly opposes the fulfillment of the promise. Through the repeated motif of the barrenness of the matriarchs, the reader is inducted into the struggle of the primary characters to have faith in a God “whose promise tarries too long.”[4] This paper examines the motif of barrenness in Genesis in order to argue that the barrenness of the matriarchs functions literarily as a “type-scene” that is meant to signify a complex series of messages in a few simple plot details. The motif also functions theologically. Through negative contrast, the barren wombs recall the goodness of creation as well as God’s nature as the fertile giver of life. Furthermore, the repetition of the motif in Genesis, far from indicating a lack of creativity on the part of the redactors, instead serves to inculcate through repetition an expectation in the reader that God will do what God always does in this situation—namely, bring life from death. The motif’s power is in its predictability. In this way, the motif of barrenness in Genesis is a tutor in the school of hope.
[1] Jon D. Levenson. “Genesis: Introduction,” Jewish Study Bible, 8.
[2] As Phyllis Trible notes in God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1978), “making is a familiar activity for God,” 90.
[3] Genesis 12:2, Jewish Study Bible, 30.
[4] Victor Hamilton, The Book of Genesis: Chapter 1-17 (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1990), 151.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-04-21 20:05:50
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/8692
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 5 (2015): Sustained by Hope: The Place and Significance of Christian Hope in the World
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/8693
2021-09-11T08:19:47Z
lumenetvita:ART
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“For there is still a vision:” Metz’s Apocalyptic Eschatology and the Practice of Lament
Reynolds, Susan
This paper will explore the place of hope in communal practices of lament through the lens of German political theologian Johann Baptist Metz’s apocalyptic eschatology. The cultivation and articulation of hope is a critical dimension of practices of lament that emerge from communities wounded by violence and injustice. Mourning occasions a radical “no” to innocent suffering and invites a hopeful “yes” to a humanizing vision of the future wherein this evil is subverted. Hope, for Metz, is an expression of faith in the capacity of God to interrupt history on behalf of suffering people. To “suffer unto God” (Leiden an Gott) – to cry out to God, to lament – is a posture of radical faith in the promise of God’s Kingdom. It is a mystical disposition of discipleship that confronts human suffering with open eyes by exculpating neither humanity nor God from responsibility and by refusing the false balm of easy answers. In this way, apocalyptic hope becomes an expression of resistance as it nurtures creative praxis in the midst of ongoing suffering and in solidarity with the victims of history and society.
The power of apocalyptic language throughout history, especially among the oppressed, is a testament to its resonance. African American spirituals that emerged out of the experience of enslavement draw heavily on apocalyptic language and imagery. Today, we see apocalyptic motifs arise in Christian reflection and action in response to racial injustice in Ferguson and Staten Island. Yet apocalypticism has also evoked discomfort among contemporary theologians who critique its possible glorification of violence, reliance on dualistic thinking, and the scientific implausibility of its temporal claims. Critics of Metz’s apocalyptic eschatology argue that an emphasis on hope in a God who has promised to interrupt history has the opposite effect of being incoherent or apathy-inducing and in either case paralyzing. While acknowledging the validity of such critiques, I will argue, following Metz, that a re-appropriation of apocalyptic rhetoric in a contemporary understanding of lament adds necessary depth to our understanding of hope in the midst of radical and unjust suffering.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-04-21 20:05:50
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/8693
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 5 (2015): Sustained by Hope: The Place and Significance of Christian Hope in the World
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/8694
2021-09-11T08:19:00Z
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“Hopeful Gradualness” and Ecclesial Mission
Briola, Lucas
On October 13, 2014, the remarkable midterm Relatio post Disceptationem of the 2014 Synod on the Family invoked the legge di gradualità on four occasions. This “law of gradualness” would later be dropped from the final Relatio Synodi, though inarguably its vestiges remained. Simultaneously the locus of disappointment, apprehension, and excitement, the term’s precise meaning remained and continues to remain unclear. Taking the principle to be what Ladislas Orsy would term a “seminal locution” and thus in need of further explication, this paper will examine the law of gradualness through a diachronic lens. It will trace the term’s evolution from its initial emergence around Humanae vitae during the late 1960s and early 1970s, to its reserved acceptance into ecclesiastical parlance in the 1980 Synod on the Family and Familiaris Consortio, to its unique use this past October at the 2014 Synod. It is the contention of this paper that the 2014 Synod marked a new expansion of the term, away from its previously primary, if not exclusive, contentious identification with Humanae vitae. Though maintaining many of its previous connotations, seen in light of Francis’s papacy, the law of gradualness has become fundamentally a foundation and spirituality for the church’s mission to the world. Reflecting God’s own pedagogy revealed most clearly in Jesus Christ, the law of gradualness requires an ecclesial lens of hope. It is a hope that a merciful and authentic encounter with people where they actually are can prompt genuine conversion and growth. The church, as sacrament, is dauntingly tasked to imitate this divine logic that balances the acceptance of the Incarnation with the demands of the Cross. Ultimately then, applying gradualness to the church’s own pilgrim life, this is an eschatological hope that likewise stimulates ongoing ecclesial conversion and so enables authentic growth, accompaniment, dialogue, and mission.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-04-21 20:05:50
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/8694
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 5 (2015): Sustained by Hope: The Place and Significance of Christian Hope in the World
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/8695
2021-09-11T08:18:12Z
lumenetvita:ART
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Theology as a Sacrament of Hope
Blume, Margaret
In his exegesis of the Transfiguration, Thomas Aquinas says that the vision of divine glory was given to Peter, James, and John in order to prepare them for Christ’s imminent Passion and Resurrection (Cf. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III, Q.45). The brilliance of Christ’s face shining like the sun (cf. Mt. 17:2) strengthened the apostles so that they would not lose heart during the darkness that would come, but would wait for Christ’s splendor to be revealed again after the Resurrection. The entire mystery is an icon of hope, for it shows that visions of glory are always given as part of a journey towards their fulfillment. “It is good for us to be here,” Peter recognized, but the apostles were not brought up to the mountain to remain there. The revelation sent them back down the mountain to fare forward in hope.
In this paper, I would like to suggest that the work of theology is meant to share in the mystery of the Transfiguration, and thus cultivate the virtue of hope. In this task, theology can learn from literature, for the way of revealing is as important as the message to be revealed. I would like to propose Shakespeare’s The Tempest as a model. In its dramatic structure and wonder-inspiring poetic form, The Tempest participates in the mystery of the Transfiguration, sending the audience away from the strange island refreshed and reoriented, set on the way with Prospero towards freedom. The play challenges theology to present the Good News of the Gospel in a way that makes the glory of the Lord visible by the radiance of its form, and interrupts into ordinary time, like the storm with which The Tempest begins, so that the revelation is not an end in itself. If theology is able to set human beings on a journey by cultivating patience and wonder in the very way it reveals, then it will effect the mysteries that it signifies, and truly impart Christian hope.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-04-21 20:05:50
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/8695
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 5 (2015): Sustained by Hope: The Place and Significance of Christian Hope in the World
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/8696
2021-09-11T08:17:20Z
lumenetvita:ART
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Called Out of Darkness: Presenting Christian Hope to People with Depression
Kleist, Deirdre
The world today is in desperate need of hope. In particular, with depression and other mental illnesses coming increasingly to the forefront of society’s consciousness, now is the time for the Church to speak out about true Christian hope.
The issue is not that the Church has failed to articulate what makes Christian hope distinct from the more secular understanding of hope. Indeed, in Spe Salvi Pope Benedict XVI offered a thorough examination of hope, its communal nature, and its saving power. He also wrote about the need to care for one another, and to be bearers of the great hope in Christ to all. This message, though, has not clearly or frequently enough been applied to those who struggle with mental illness. Many depressed believers are in fact made to suppress their inner trials so they will not seem to be unfaithful Christians. Those who suffer, whether within or outside of the Church, need to hear about both the great hope that lies beyond this world and the incarnate hope that has come among us.
The paper I am proposing would examine the practical pastoral implications of preaching Christian hope to those living in darkness, and of exhorting all Christians to bear suffering together so as to bring communal hope of salvation. Spe Salvi and Scripture would constitute my primary foundation for understanding Christian hope. Looking at the reality of a depressed mindset and the lifelong challenges of those who suffer chronic depression, I intend to craft a refined definition of Christian hope that speaks in a particular way to this population. I would also present strategies for ministers for conveying Christian hope and for practicing both compassion and consolation. This could better equip ministers to serve a population that increasingly finds itself marginalized within the Church.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-04-21 20:05:50
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/8696
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 5 (2015): Sustained by Hope: The Place and Significance of Christian Hope in the World
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ojs.ejournals.bc.edu:article/9099
2015-12-18T00:32:21Z
lumenetvita:ART
oai:ojs.ejournals.bc.edu:article/9100
2015-12-18T00:32:21Z
lumenetvita:Symp
oai:ojs.ejournals.bc.edu:article/9101
2015-12-18T00:32:21Z
lumenetvita:Symp
oai:ojs.ejournals.bc.edu:article/9102
2015-12-18T00:32:21Z
lumenetvita:Symp
oai:ojs.ejournals.bc.edu:article/9103
2015-12-18T00:32:21Z
lumenetvita:Symp
oai:ojs.ejournals.bc.edu:article/9104
2015-12-18T00:32:21Z
lumenetvita:Symp
oai:ojs.ejournals.bc.edu:article/9136
2015-12-18T00:32:21Z
lumenetvita:Symp
oai:ojs.ejournals.bc.edu:article/9137
2015-12-18T00:32:21Z
lumenetvita:Symp
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9141
2021-09-11T08:16:22Z
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The Common Good As A Social Debt and Patrimony of the Person
Ilboudo SJ, Justin
Aristotle’s statement that the individual human being is a social or a political animal can be misguiding if we understand it as meaning that relationships between the individual and the society are natural and obvious. Individual’s dream of autonomy and ruthless struggle to access to scarce resources on one hand and liberal and competitive societies where there is no room for “lame ducks” on the other hand, can make relationships between the person and the society conflicting and violent. The consequences can be marginalization from the social order or rebellion against it.
How can we strive to make person-society relationships more integrative and fecund? In other words, what skills, social ethics as a field of Christian theology and Catholic tradition does provide for the social integration of the person and the awakening of his or her social responsibility? This paper would like to suggest and defend that the concept of the common good is a common ground for the person and the society mutual flourishing.
The paragraph 26 of Gaudium et Spes defines the common good as “the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment.” Interestingly also, Laudato Si’ builds up on the common good and defines it as “belonging to all and meant for all.” (Paragraph 23) In a more complex way, Thomas Aquinas elaborates the common good and locates it at the junction of distributive justice and piety as one’s love of his or her country.
In the light of his thought, the common good as a dynamic interaction between the person and the society, becomes the cement of what Thomas Aquinas calls “civil communion.”
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-12-17 18:09:08
application/pdf
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Lumen et Vita; Vol. 6 No. 1 (2015): Engaging the Person and the World: Theological Perspectives on Creation and Society
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9142
2021-09-11T08:15:30Z
lumenetvita:Symp
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Witnessing Lot's Wife
Watson, Ariell
The literature surrounding the fate of Lot’s wife agrees that memory is dangerous business. Scholarly opinions diverge, however, regarding whether the danger of “looking back” arose from the pain of grief or from subversive disobedience of divine injunction. Were the angel’s words a warning or a command?
This paper will examine the role of the pastoral caregiver in witnessing traumatic memory. Pastoral relationships are present to various forms of recollection, including flashbacks, the therapeutic process, and ritual. This creates a dynamic of dual spectatorship: the individual looks at her/his traumatic past, while the caregiver looks at her/him. This tableau mimics the Biblical scene in which Lot’s wife becomes petrified as she glances toward her burning home; like Lot, the caregiver stands further removed from the horror. For fear of sharing his wife’s fate, Lot continues his journey without ever turning to bear witness to this loss.
Inasmuch as the pastoral caregiver works to bear witness, (s)he is vulnerable to “vicarious trauma.” Unlike Lot, who forged ahead despite Sodom and his wife both crumbling behind him, the caregiver risks glimpsing the apocalyptic scene in the process of attending to the petrified woman.
This leads back to the questions posed above: was the fate of Lot’s wife nature or punishment—and how can the pastoral caregiver heed this cautionary tale? This paper will describe transgressive, masochistic, and healing modes of memory, drawing from the literatures of pastoral and trauma studies. The caregiver’s role will be examined with regard to each mode in order to assess the importance of witness and the risk of vicarious trauma.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-12-17 18:09:08
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9142
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 6 No. 1 (2015): Engaging the Person and the World: Theological Perspectives on Creation and Society
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9143
2021-09-11T08:14:44Z
lumenetvita:Symp
"151217 2015 eng "
2329-1087
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Fostering Human Dignity Through Prayer
Kenney, Timothy
This paper examines the role of prayer, in the relationship between individuals and God, as expressive of human dignity. Humanity’s role within creation as ‘imago dei’ is most perfectly expressed and put into action through the prayer of the believer. The Incarnation is central to this claim, as through it Christ becomes the central model of life in the image and likeness of God for all humanity. In him one sees the life given over to continuous relationship with God, serving through his prayer at all times. Living out this relationship, which is most fully achieved through prayer, becomes a universal vocation, the goal of our lives, fulfilling our humanity and role within creation.
In support of this view, this paper analyzes Hans Urs Von Balthasar’s Prayer. He roots his argument for pursuing prayer in the experience of the Son and presents it as the model through which we can be saved. Christ, through the Incarnation, becomes the recapitulator, the paradigmatic human who we are called to emulate and mirror. In our changing religious and political climate, there is a renewed need in the Church for Christians to pursue and live this vocation to prayer. Two scripture sources, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and Luke 11:8-10, offer instruction on the way we can fulfill our human dignity with prayer. Read together, they reveal two paths: prayer as service and prayer as a persistent act. The goal of our lives on earth and our fulfillment as imago dei is found in prayer as contemplation, service, and an unceasing relationship with God.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-12-17 18:09:08
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9143
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 6 No. 1 (2015): Engaging the Person and the World: Theological Perspectives on Creation and Society
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9144
2021-09-11T08:13:53Z
lumenetvita:Symp
"151217 2015 eng "
2329-1087
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Manifesting the Sacred: John La Farge’s The Lampbearer as a Model for Catholic Presence in the World
LaBadie, Benjamin
What does it mean for the Church to be in the world? In this paper, I propose that it means for the Church to be sacred, i.e., all Catholics are called to live sacredly. How is the sacred defined? To answer this question, I look to the American artist, John La Farge (1835-1910), whose works are currently being displayed at Boston College's McMullen Museum. The exhibition examines La Farge's "lifelong efforts to visualize the sacred." Given this, I offer a theological reflection on La Farge's painting of the Wise Virgin in order to elucidate what it means to live sacredly: being in tension between the transcendent and the imminent. In other words, to live sacredly means to be attentive, patient, and faithful to the ultimate coming of God's kingdom, yet also to be present, patient, and concerned with the practical worldly challenges of today. This sacredness begins to manifest God's love and kingdom on Earth even if there is still a longing for God’s full glory which is not yet present. This is how the Church is to be in the world. The Church should be attentive to the numerous challenges on Earth while remembering her ultimate end is union with God in Heaven. To forget this latter point would make the Church a mere NGO detached from God while to forget the former would make the Church an arthritic institution detached from those who suffer. Therefore, all Catholics are called to live in the tension between the transcendent and the imminent.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-12-17 18:09:08
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9144
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 6 No. 1 (2015): Engaging the Person and the World: Theological Perspectives on Creation and Society
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9145
2021-09-11T08:13:11Z
lumenetvita:Symp
"151217 2015 eng "
2329-1087
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Nothing in This World Is Indifferent to Us': The Primacy of Encounter and the Intersubjectivity of Nature
Robertson, Anna
“We’re moving from one plane of reality to another,” says Terry Tempest Williams in an interview with Yes! Magazine, “and what is required of us is spiritual.” Many people alive in the United States today have grown up bombarded by the seemingly futile refrain that if we don’t cut back on x (activity) in y (years), z (catastrophe) will ensue – with x becoming broader in scope, y becoming smaller in number, and z becoming more horrific with each passing year. Among the natural responses to such daunting and repetitive premonitions are anxiety and anguish: “Accept the anxiety, embrace the deeper anguish,” suggests Robert Jensen, “and then get apocalyptic.” Drawing upon Laudato si, liberation theology, and eco psychology, this paper argues for the importance of encounters (increasingly scarce) with the natural world, human and other-than-human, as a necessary spiritual practice grounding a commitment to ecojustice in times which are indeed end times of sorts. In a consideration of theological anthropology, I suggest, along with ecopsychologist Will Adams, that our subjectivity is indeed an intersubjectivity, arising out of our ethical response to not only the human other but also the other-than-human. We are by nature relational beings, and we must remember that this relation is not only relevant in human-human relationships. Liberation theologians have articulated the foundational nature of the encounter with poor – an experience which at once inspires awe, evokes mercy, and demands action – in grounding liberative praxis. Likewise, the encounter with nature, when its intersubjectivity is considered, grounds a praxis of ecojustice. Finally, understanding apocalypse in its etymological sense as “unveiling,” I argue for the role of the apocalyptic imagination, in making possible sustained exposure to such encounters, which entail both joy and despair. “Expect the end of the world,” writes Wendell Berry, “Be joyful though you have considered all the facts…Practice resurrection.”
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-12-17 18:09:08
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9145
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 6 No. 1 (2015): Engaging the Person and the World: Theological Perspectives on Creation and Society
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9146
2021-09-11T08:12:32Z
lumenetvita:Symp
"151217 2015 eng "
2329-1087
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Inculturation and the Guadalupana
Shea SJ, Henry
In his recent Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis emphasizes “the importance of understanding evangelization as inculturation. Grace supposes culture,” he writes, “and God’s gift becomes flesh in the culture of those who receive it” (EG 115). Expressing themes that have recurred throughout his life and ministry, Francis proceeds to lauds the role of popular piety in the life of a people, maintaining that its accessible, incarnate features exemplify the embodiment of an evangelical faith in culture. Echoing Aparecida, Francis describes popular piety as a “spirituality incarnated in the culture of the lowly” and “the people’s mysticism” (EG 124).
It would be difficult to find a more significant example of the convergence of these themes than the celebrated image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to which Francis himself expresses devotion. What is it about this symbol that has captivated the hearts of so many? Using Francis’ words in Evangelii Gaudium as a point of departure, this paper analyzes the Guadalupan image and event as a potential model for inculturation. It focuses upon three key features of the image from which can be gleaned broader principles for inculturation, namely: (1) its interlacing of cultural and revelational symbols in such a way that the cultural symbols are affirmed as well as transformed, (2) the use of inculturated symbol as a way of maximizing what Rahner refers to as “the overplus of meaning” communicated through “primordial” words and symbols that evoke deeper, transcendental aspects of human experience, and (3) finally the use of inculturated symbol to mediate interpersonal faith-encounters that can be shared through the renewed culture and the bonds of community.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-12-17 18:09:08
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9146
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 6 No. 1 (2015): Engaging the Person and the World: Theological Perspectives on Creation and Society
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9147
2021-09-11T08:11:54Z
lumenetvita:Symp
"151217 2015 eng "
2329-1087
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Technocentrism, Disembodied Relationship, and Sabbath
Papula, Marissa
As developments in technology present us with new opportunities for efficiency and connection, digital communication and our growing dependence on the internet are increasingly blurring boundaries between work and rest, between “real life” and the “lives” we share on social media platforms. Our text messages substitute for time together. Our best news is shared via email or in photos posted for all to see, rather than embraces and champagne toasts. Our deepest secrets are poured anonymously onto the Internet for others’ consumption. We text, email, scroll, and post our way through meetings, meals and milestones, multitasking, somehow creating more time and yet realizing our opportunities for refreshment and authentic relationship are shrinking as our expectations for productivity are ever expanding. We are privy to the life events of our high school teammates, but are unable to verbalize our suffering in the presence of another, face to face, sans a keyboard.
My writings critique this growing phenomena through a lens of theological anthropology. Our technocentrism is deeply contouring how we live, how we relate to one another, and how we engage in work and leisure, and prompts us to ponder what our dependence on technology means for us as human beings. Through a theological exploration of human relationship and Sabbath, I will explore how technocentrism is thwarting our theosis, both individually and societally, and offer suggestions for how we can best appropriate technological advances in communication toward better bearing the image of God in our familial, social, and professional lives.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-12-17 18:09:08
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9147
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 6 No. 1 (2015): Engaging the Person and the World: Theological Perspectives on Creation and Society
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9148
2021-09-11T08:11:11Z
lumenetvita:Symp
"151217 2015 eng "
2329-1087
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Rediscovering and Reshaping the Notion of "Neighbor"
Engbwang SJ, Bernard
In the realm of Christian faith, the notion of “neighbor” represents a “gate for salvation.” In this work, my aim is to shed light on the necessity of rediscovering and reshaping what is meant by “neighbor” in the context of current worldwide challenges. In fact, it is a truism to say that our world is crossing one of the most critical periods of its evolution: Global warming, migrations crisis, terrorism, etc, all contribute to a complex situation. In the specific context of United States, there are racial and gender issues, gun violence, and other unique issues to take into account. All those critical situations reflect what we may call “crisis of neighborhood.”
I propose in this paper, based on the Book of Genesis, a specific definition of neighbor: a helper desired by God to fulfill human person’s existential anxiety. In fact, in Gn 2:18, the declaration by God that it is good for the man not to be alone points to the necessity of having a neighbor. Here is the origin of neighborhood. Besides, it seems worthwhile to underline here the fact that the woman was not the first helper to be created. By way of reshaping, I aim to extend the notion of neighbor beyond a human person. In the NT, the notion is covered by the religious and social accent. The fact that Jesus extended its meaning beyond the community of Covenant to fit his message of love may pave our way even to the extent of a cosmic level, to deal with ecological issues. In that sense, plants and animals might be integrated in that notion.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2015-12-17 18:09:08
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9148
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 6 No. 1 (2015): Engaging the Person and the World: Theological Perspectives on Creation and Society
eng
Copyright (c) 2015 Lumen et Vita
oai:ojs.ejournals.bc.edu:article/9312
2016-04-23T04:54:34Z
lumenetvita:ART
oai:ojs.ejournals.bc.edu:article/9313
2016-04-23T04:54:34Z
lumenetvita:ART
oai:ojs.ejournals.bc.edu:article/9314
2016-04-23T04:54:35Z
lumenetvita:ART
oai:ojs.ejournals.bc.edu:article/9315
2016-04-23T04:54:35Z
lumenetvita:ART
oai:ojs.ejournals.bc.edu:article/9316
2016-04-23T04:54:35Z
lumenetvita:ART
oai:ojs.ejournals.bc.edu:article/9317
2016-04-23T04:54:34Z
lumenetvita:ART
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9318
2021-09-11T08:10:27Z
lumenetvita:ART
"160422 2016 eng "
2329-1087
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Speaking of God in Stand Your Ground Times
Douglas, Kelly Brown
Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas is Professor of Religion at Goucher College where she holds the Susan D. Morgan Professorship of Religion. She is widely published in national and international journals and other publications. As a leading voice in the development of a womanist theology, Essence magazine counts Douglas “among this country’s most distinguished religious thinkers, teachers, ministers, and counselors.” Her groundbreaking and widely used book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective (1999) was the first to address the issue of homophobia within the black church community. Dr. Douglas has been a pioneering and highly sought after voice in regard to addressing sexual issues in relation to the black religious community. She has been very active in advocating equal rights for LGBT persons.
Her latest book, Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God (2015) examines the challenges of a “Stand Your Ground” culture for the Black Church and all black bodies. Other books include The Black Christ (1994), What’s Faith Got to Do With It?:Black Bodies/Christian Souls (2005),and Black Bodies and the Black Church: A Blues Slant (2012). Dr. Douglas is also the co-editor of Sexuality and the Sacred: Sources for Theological Reflection (2010).
Douglas is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Denison where she earned a bachelor of science summa cum laude in psychology. She went on to earn a master of divinity and a doctoral degree in systematic theology from Union Theological Seminary (New York City). Rev. Douglas was ordained at Ohio’s St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in 1985. She received the Anna Julia Cooper Award by the Union of Black Episcopalians (July 2012) for “her literary boldness and leadership in the development of a womanist theology and discussing the complexities of Christian faith in African-American contexts.”
Rev. Douglas was an Associate Priest at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. for over 20 years. She currently serves at the Washington National Cathedral.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2016-04-22 22:25:02
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9318
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 6 No. 2 (2016): Sacramental Vision and Rejuvenating Word: Embodying Theological Conversations with a Troubled World
eng
Copyright (c) 2016 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9320
2021-09-11T08:09:37Z
lumenetvita:ART
"160422 2016 eng "
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Contemplating the Christ Child for Imagining a Christian Educational Vision that Liberates Children
Pang, Alfred
As theological educators, how are we responding to the death and suffering of the world’s children caused by human agency? Are we moved beyond anguish to be indignant at the various forms of injustice committed against children? To what extent has theology made room for children as its subject in today’s troubled world? This paper considers how the Christ Child, as a focus of contemplation, can be formative in shaping our theological, moral, and pedagogical imagination for children’s liberation. It retrieves and interprets the significance of the Christ Child in John Baptist De La Salle’s Explanation of the Method of Interior Prayer and his Meditations, arguing for their contemporary relevance in nourishing a Christian educational vision that makes room for the rights of children to be taken seriously.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2016-04-22 22:25:02
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9320
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 6 No. 2 (2016): Sacramental Vision and Rejuvenating Word: Embodying Theological Conversations with a Troubled World
eng
Copyright (c) 2016 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9321
2021-09-11T08:08:50Z
lumenetvita:ART
"160422 2016 eng "
2329-1087
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The Groaning of Creation: Expanding our Eschatological Imagination Through the Paschal Mystery
King, Chelsea
One of the most difficult challenges facing belief in the Christian God is the problem of evil. How can there be a benevolent, omniscient, and omnipotent God, who allows pain, suffering and death in the world? Various theodicies have been constructed to address this question, and historically theologians have pointed to the Fall to explain such pain and suffering. However, theology in a post-evolutionary context is faced with a new challenge; the problem of pain and suffering is amplified by the millions of years of suffering and pain that have occurred before the advent of human beings. Today, the theologian must wrestle with the claim that pain, suffering, and death not only precedes human beings, but are in fact instruments in the very process of creation itself.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2016-04-22 22:25:02
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9321
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 6 No. 2 (2016): Sacramental Vision and Rejuvenating Word: Embodying Theological Conversations with a Troubled World
eng
Copyright (c) 2016 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9322
2021-09-11T08:08:02Z
lumenetvita:ART
"160422 2016 eng "
2329-1087
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Aggiornamento and Dialogue: Some Ambiguity from Gaudium et Spes
Briola, Luke
At the heart of ecclesial mission, and thus of theology, is a diligent reading, discernment, and elevation of the signs of the times in the light of Jesus Christ. Such was the imperative of the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et spes, that has today been freshly received in the papacy of Francis. Precisely in order to attentively listen to those yearnings of the world, the word of the Council and arguably of Francis’s entire pontificate has been dialogue. Meanwhile, alongside excitement and hope, confusion and controversy continues to surround the legacy of the Council and the assessment of Pope Francis. The most recent Synod on the Family has demonstrated as much. This paper suggests that one of the issues-under-the-issues is the precise meaning of “dialogue,” an ambiguity that can be traced back to Gaudium et spes itself. After considering the positions of Joseph Ratzinger and Edward Schillebeeckx vis-à-vis Gaudium et spes, this paper suggests that, in actuality, two conceptions of dialogue are present in the church’s pastoral constitution. This conciliar ambiguity regarding the precise meaning of dialogue between church and world—whether a bold one-sided kerygmatic proclamation of the Gospel sine glossa or a more reciprocal two-sided mutual learning—is undoubtedly one source of confusion in any discussion of ecclesial mission today and thus merits our further attention. This paper briefly proposes that three fundamental theological questions offer some aid to resolve this key tension in Gaudium et spes: the role of eschatology in the church’s life; the relationship of nature and grace; and where, what, and who the church is. To continue to receive the Council’s teaching on dialogue is essential—the church’s missionary mandate from Christ depends on it.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2016-04-22 22:25:02
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9322
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 6 No. 2 (2016): Sacramental Vision and Rejuvenating Word: Embodying Theological Conversations with a Troubled World
eng
Copyright (c) 2016 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9323
2021-09-11T08:07:26Z
lumenetvita:ART
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Prophet at the Bedside: A Model for Hospital Chaplaincy
Hatgas, Jonathan
In The Prophetic Imagination, Walter Brueggemann describes the role of the prophet as one who will “nurture, nourish, and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception to the dominant culture around us.” Engaging in this understanding, I will raise the image of prophet as a model for hospital chaplains. Because of the complex reality of hospital chaplaincy, I will focus on working with families of patients “actively dying” a foreseeable death.
The primary marks of the prophet are to be a disruptive force, to guide people toward a communal identity, to act as mediators between God and the people, and to orient the community toward the promised land or renewed covenant with God. Moses exemplifies these characteristics and concretizes them in the Exodus story, providing chaplains with an exemplar to aspire to. The Exodus story also offers a resonant narrative for families with elderly members in the hospital. There are many possible emotional connection points throughout. Families, like the Israelites, are groups of people held together by common ancestors and a common history. Both groups had triumphs and struggles. Maybe putting their loved one in the hospital seemed like an escape from the bondage of home care, but now they find themselves in the desert, aimless with faith faltering, and hope of a promise waning. They find themselves wary and doubtful.
Prophetic chaplains can challenge the U.S. culture of invincibility and disposability while leading families through “the desert”, giving them a glimpse of the promised land, and ideally opening a space for them to strengthen in a shared identity.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2016-04-22 22:25:02
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9323
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 6 No. 2 (2016): Sacramental Vision and Rejuvenating Word: Embodying Theological Conversations with a Troubled World
eng
Copyright (c) 2016 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9324
2021-09-11T08:06:53Z
lumenetvita:ART
"160422 2016 eng "
2329-1087
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Violence and Community: Collective and Cultural Trauma in Black America
Yu, Michael
The relationship between law enforcement and predominantly black communities has been characterized by mistrust, violence, and victimization. Recently, this issue has entered into the national conversation, sparked by the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Samuel Dubose, Tamir Rice, Laquan McDonald, and countless other black individuals. The present paper presents the experience of black communities in the United States as an experience of collective and communal trauma. First, collective trauma is conceptualized and distinguished from individual trauma writ large from a sociological perspective with Ignacio Martin Baró and Jeffrey Alexander. Communal trauma is a phenomenon that is different than individual trauma because of its social and communal implications. Next, the experience of black communities in light of consistent patterns of police violence is named as collective trauma. Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow will be used, as well as Atlantic correspondent Ta-Nehisi Coates. The final section proposes a pastoral response to the communal trauma of Black communities, divided into two parts. The first is a look inwards towards organized Christianity’s complicity in the terrorism of Black communities and the benefits that are gained from their subjugation, and the second looks outwards, proposing a stance of solidarity, courage, and righteous indignation that actively works towards the liberation of marginalized communities.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2016-04-22 22:25:02
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9324
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 6 No. 2 (2016): Sacramental Vision and Rejuvenating Word: Embodying Theological Conversations with a Troubled World
eng
Copyright (c) 2016 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9847
2021-09-11T08:06:10Z
lumenetvita:Symp
"170418 2017 eng "
2329-1087
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Aesthetics of Text: Creative and Transfigurative Langue (in Theory)
Rugg, Stephen P.
Theory remains a dirty word in Biblical Studies; deconstruction often is received with glazed glances of irrelevance or outright rejection. I propose to offer a philosophically relevant and theologically potent reading of Genesis 1:1 based on the trivium disciplines of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. This reading will echo the Transfiguration of Jesus in the synoptic Gospels.
The weight of interpretation will focus on the use of the Hebrew direct object marker (אֵת) as a visual symbol of langue (roughly, language); אֵת is composed of the first (aleph) and last (tav) consonants, allowing for it to be a merism for the alphabet and a symbol of language. The rhetorical disarticulation of grammar allows for a transformative reading of a biblical description of creation: “At the beginning [of time] God created langue, the heavens and the earth with langue.” The combination of time and langue establishes parole (speech), which becomes instantiated in the speech-act of the Divine through the breath/spirit of God: “Let there be light,” etc. The text, and indeed its very letters, becomes the locus for an aesthetic reflection that offers theological relevance to all linguistic arts. The “ever excelling” bubbling of language transforms human creativity into a divine imitation and transfigures the world in its wake.
We can insist that the grammatical reading of the Genesis text remains, as does the logical presentation of creatio ex nihilo. But, informed by Roman Jakobson and Paul de Man, rhetoric offers the opportunity to break open the text, revealing potential meaning in both the visualization of symbolic form and in the openness of the text to transcendence. The rhetorical wounding allows the text to become an open mouth (Derrida), ever speaking and evading the enclosure of grammar and logic.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2017-04-18 12:05:14
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9847
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 7 No. 1 (2016): The Aesthetics of Transfiguration: Beauty, Embodiment, and Creation
eng
Copyright (c) 2017 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9850
2021-09-11T08:05:09Z
lumenetvita:Symp
"170418 2017 eng "
2329-1087
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Kierkegaard in the Garden: The Interiority of God's Wonder and Praise
Moon, Catherine
Is there an interior aesthetic? Can each and every human being turn inward and behold a beauty and nobility that leads them to the face of God? Or are aesthetics a purely outward manifestation of the beauty and order that points to the ultimate Creator? In this essay, I plan to expound on how God in all His grace and love might have made himself known in His essence to the whole of humanity in the most intimate way not simply by the more objective, sterile mode of reason, but by the subjective passionate mode of beauty. First, I will look at Genesis 1:10 in the Greek of the Septuagint, “καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεός, ὅτι καλόν” as a manner of demonstrating that God marveled at Creation, before he created the first human being. He took the time to perceive its beauty and nobility. Through this I plan to look at the relationship between wonder and beauty and how the interplay of those two yields truth. When God saw that His Creation was good was that an interior aesthetic of His own or a mediation of Himself? To sort this out, I plan to look at Soren Kierkegaard in his Concluding Unscientific Postscript to show that interiority and the subjective do possess and partake in the kind of possession that allows one not only to see God or His attributes, but enables one to abide in Him through the Spirit.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2017-04-18 12:05:14
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9850
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 7 No. 1 (2016): The Aesthetics of Transfiguration: Beauty, Embodiment, and Creation
eng
Copyright (c) 2017 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9853
2021-09-11T08:04:07Z
lumenetvita:Symp
"170418 2017 eng "
2329-1087
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The Discounted Face of the Pornographic Other
Hoy, Andrew
French phenomenologist, Emmanuel Levinas, responds in Ethics and Infinity that, “[T]he relation to the face is straightaway ethical. The face is what one cannot kill, or at least it is that whose meaning consists in saying: ‘thou shalt not kill.’” For Levinas, it is the face of the Other which issues a cry that “I” become responsible for her. The face is signification, pointing to the transcendent and saturating mystery of the Other, yet is beyond the reduction of visual perception. It is the objective of this paper to apply Levinasian thought, the ethical response to the face of the Other, to the injustice associated with the production and commodification of pornographic images and videos. As the abuse of pornographic materials is an injustice, a failed response to the cry of the Other, it begs the question, “Does the pornographic Other even possess a face?” Subliminal as it may seem, this question is nonetheless essential to address in the consideration of pornographic injustice.
This paper argues that in the case of the abuse and exploitation of the Other within the pornographic industry, the pornographic Other possesses a face which issues a cry to recognize the inviolable mystery of the Other and to become responsible for him or her. Pornography, by its very nature, discounts the face of the Other, not rendering the face unknowable, but never giving the face a chance to be known. From the beginning of the abuse, the pornographic viewer reduces that which cannot be reduced, the face, to an object for use, a direct violation of the ethical cry of the Other.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2017-04-18 12:05:14
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9853
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 7 No. 1 (2016): The Aesthetics of Transfiguration: Beauty, Embodiment, and Creation
eng
Copyright (c) 2017 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9854
2021-09-11T08:02:45Z
lumenetvita:Symp
"170418 2017 eng "
2329-1087
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Subversion, Substance, & Soteriology: The Redeeming Womb in Julian of Norwich’s Revelations
Carroll, Gabriella
This essay examines how the soteriology in Julian of Norwich’s work, Revelations of Divine Love, proves doubly radical, for it disrupts the traditional metanarratives of the Middle Ages not only by calling for a universal salvation, but also by revealing how this salvation is rooted in the female body—a stance that prefigures the postmodern theological movement. The first part of this essay offers an overview of postmodern theology as a “new kind of consciousness,” and how Julian facilitates this new awareness through her use of (both physical and social) bodily images in her text. During the Middle Ages, the female body was viewed as a “category of social pollution,” and thus something to be feared, regulated, and controlled. However, through her image of the hazelnut, Julian identifies both the importance and necessity of the female body for the salvation of humanity, as she reveals Mary’s womb as the root of Christian salvation. The second part of this essay offers “case studies” of how Julian employs this “redeeming womb” narrative throughout the rest of her text. Drawing upon the Parable of the Lord & Servant, Julian demonstrates how, if Christ had not fallen into the depths of the Virgin’s womb, there would be no resurrection, and thus no universal salvation. By “falling” into Mary’s womb, Christ was thus able to return our “failed” sensual soul back to God in ultimate, essential union. Through her Revelations, Julian ultimately reverses the ideological coding of her time: the traditionally deemed “inferiority” and “impurity” of the female body is completely inverted, as she depicts the female body so important and valuable that Christian salvation is rooted in its substance. It is through this “reversal” that Julian can be seen as a prefiguring founder of the postmodern theological movement and, more specifically, the mother of postmodern feminist theology.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2017-04-18 12:05:14
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9854
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 7 No. 1 (2016): The Aesthetics of Transfiguration: Beauty, Embodiment, and Creation
eng
Copyright (c) 2017 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9856
2021-09-11T08:00:59Z
lumenetvita:Symp
"170418 2017 eng "
2329-1087
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Rehabilitation for the Paralytic Man? John 5 and an Aesthetics of Ambiguity
Dechant, James
The healing of the paralytic man in John 5 features what one commentator calls “one of the least defined characters in the Gospel.” When approached by Jesus and asked if he wants to be made well, the paralytic man responds indirectly about why he has not yet been healed (which could either arouse pity or come off as evasive); after his healing and second encounter with Jesus, he goes away and “tells the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well” (which could be read as either brave witness or collaboration with an enemy). Most Johannine commentaries look unfavorably upon the man, though recent interpretations show more sympathy in light of the character’s low social status.
In this paper, I argue that the man’s function in the story remains intentionally ambiguous in order to create a condition of uncertainty in the reader, one that leaves him/her with an undetermined experience of the text. This narrative technique allows readers to participate in the ambiguity experienced by the characters themselves. Our struggle to understand the man’s post- healing actions is not unlike his own struggle to comprehend his new state.
Ambiguity then is not a textual obstacle to be overcome but a meaningful encounter with the text, to be welcomed. It ensures that our faith response is not predetermined. By renouncing certainty and embracing this “aesthetics of ambiguity,” we open ourselves to a potentially more transformative encounter with the Word. The inscrutability of the paralytic man should not frustrate us; it should affirm our own struggle to respond appropriately to radical new realities.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2017-04-18 12:05:14
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9856
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 7 No. 1 (2016): The Aesthetics of Transfiguration: Beauty, Embodiment, and Creation
eng
Copyright (c) 2017 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9857
2021-09-11T07:59:41Z
lumenetvita:Symp
"170418 2017 eng "
2329-1087
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Eucharistic Creation: Symbol, Meaning, Infinity
Hale, Mattison
Christian theology finds in the Eucharist its most ancient and primary intercessory link to the presence of Christ. It is here, the Faith teaches, that the risen Lord can be ritually and truly encountered. The precise nature of the encounter, however, has been explored and explained variously over the past two millennia. Louis-Marie Chauvet in Symbol and Sacrament has proposed a postmodern account of being rooted in Eucharistic symbolic exchange. However, Chauvet's position inherits certain weaknesses from his sources, Heidegger and Derrida. Certain of these can be amended by approaching the question from the perspective of theological aesthetics. This paper attempts to raise possible aesthetic contributions to Eucharistic theology in light of Chauvet by drawing on David Bentley Hart’s work, The Beauty of the Infinite: The Aesthetics of Christian Truth. While Chauvet rightly highlights the symbolic mediacy of human access to being, Hart's aesthetic theology can be used to supplement Chauvet's account particularly in its explanation of gift and desire. Beginning with the analogia entis, Hart proceeds to explain creation in terms of analogia delectationis and finally analogia verbi. This provides a basis for understanding all of being Eucharistically; the mirror of being is the Sacrament itself. Thus “creation” describes not only a former event at the beginning of time, but a particular relation to the Creator.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2017-04-18 12:05:14
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9857
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 7 No. 1 (2016): The Aesthetics of Transfiguration: Beauty, Embodiment, and Creation
eng
Copyright (c) 2017 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9858
2021-09-11T07:59:09Z
lumenetvita:ART
"170418 2017 eng "
2329-1087
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Deification, Ethics, and Hermeneutics
Brown, Derek
This paper challenges ontologizing readings of Athanasian deification by dialoging with Jacques Derrida’s essay, Rams: Uninterrupted Dialogue – Between Two Infinities, the Poem. For Derrida, every relationship is marked by the trace of death: we know that one of us will die before the other. From this, Derrida develops an account of relationship, and ultimately friendship, that rests on trust and promise, on fidelity: I trust that you will carry on our relationship after I am gone, and I promise to do the same for you. Insofar as our relationship is a trusting one, then, it turns out that death marks an "inaugural cut," wherein I am opened to the possibility of relationship, to the possibility of carrying. Death is necessary, and yet horrible. I argue that this reading of death as constitutive of relationship is crucial to understanding the role of Christ’s death in Athanasius’s account of deification. In short, Christ’s death—and the sacramental offering of his body that follows—allows deification to be thought relationally, and so ethically. That is, we participate in the Trinity when we carry the risen Christ in ourselves. At the same time, this carrying is only possible because Christ is carrying us. This account troubles the dominant ontological, “Alexandrian,” categorization of Athanasius in two ways: Most basically, it argues that Christ’s death is not marginal to Athanasius’s theory—this contrary to ontologist readings that place too heavy and lopsided a focus on the “Incarnation.” More pronouncedly, it rejects the notion that, for Athanasius, receiving salvation is a passive reception of Christ’s incorporation of humanity—of an event that could only be interpreted and “understood” after the fact. The theological register pertinent to Athanasian deification is not one of interpretation and ontology, but is one of carrying, hospitality, and relationship.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2017-04-18 12:16:26
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9858
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 7 No. 2 (2017): Memento Mori: Death, Desire, and the Aporia of Finitude
eng
Copyright (c) 2017 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9859
2021-09-11T07:58:40Z
lumenetvita:ART
"170418 2017 eng "
2329-1087
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Metaphysics and the Existential Problematic of Human Finitude
Nutter, Taylor
Rather than being of little practical importance, the metaphysical underpinnings of a given horizon determine the character of its existential problematic. With the breakdown of classical metaphysics concomitant with the modern turn to the subjective, the existential problematic of finitude as ultimate horizon arose. According to this subjective turn, the human person can no longer engage the world as though it were in itself constituted by transcendently grounded meaning and value. Standing within this genealogical lineage, Martin Heidegger undertook a phenomenological investigation into the existential constitution of the human person which defines authenticity in terms of finitude. For the early Heidegger, human life is essentially ‘guilty’. This guilt, however, is not the traditional cognizance of one’s sinfulness, but the foundational Nichtigkeit (‘nullity’) of life and its attendant possibilities in the light of the ultimate finality of death. Authenticity, then, consists of a resolute working out of one’s life in the face of such inevitable finality. For the later Heidegger, the finite horizon of a particular epochal disclosure gifts Being to thought and determines it thereby. Authenticity in this case consists of giving oneself over to be appropriated by an event of Being. In contrast, Lonergan understands authenticity as being true to that primordial love which beckons us to intellectual probity and responsibility in working out life’s possibilities. This essay will illustrate how Lonergan’s analysis of the intentional structure of human conscious operations stands as a corrective to Heidegger’s early existential analysis of human being-in-the-world and later thought about Being. While Lonergan defines authenticity as loving openness to transcendent Being, Heidegger, because of his forgetfulness of the subject in her conscious operations, does not allow for a transcendence which stands beyond any finite horizon.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2017-04-18 12:16:26
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9859
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 7 No. 2 (2017): Memento Mori: Death, Desire, and the Aporia of Finitude
eng
Copyright (c) 2017 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9860
2021-09-11T07:58:06Z
lumenetvita:ART
"170418 2017 eng "
2329-1087
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Resurrection and Death From Rabbinic Understandings to the Theology of Edward Schillebeeckx
Zhai, Yujia
My paper will explore the understanding of death and resurrection in Judaism through the selections from biblical and rabbinic corpus and reflect on its relevance to Catholic theology on the same subject matter. The diverse, unsystematic, and contextual characters of Jewish remarks on death and resurrection suggest that these remarks are rooted in the more fundamental concern regarding covenantal relationship and ethical living. Resurrection is mostly presented as an extended reflection of Jewish concern for the justice and righteousness in this world, following the traditional Jewish hermeneutical principle “kal vahomer.” Death, likewise, is understood as indicative of the condition of the living world as well as contributive to the development of Jewish religious traditions and identities. Thus, in Judaism, death is neither completely negative nor utterly overshadowed by the sure hope of resurrection. In some significant ways, the Jewish understanding of death and resurrection correspond to 20th century catholic theological reflections. Edward Schillebeeckx, for example, suggests that belief in resurrection does not argue away the realty of death but rather let death be death. As a free gift of God to those who trust, resurrection makes sense of human death, rather than simply declaring it powerless or inconsequential. Thus, Schillebeeckx asserts that it is important to focus not just on Jesus's final resurrection but also on Jesus’ entire life which led up to his death. Jesus’ death itself is an invitation to the participation of Jesus’ entire life, and is therefore also a hermeneutical opening for the development of Christian religious traditions and identities. In conclusion, though Jesus’ death and resurrection are unprecedented and unparalleled revelations, they should not supersede a Jewish understanding of death and resurrection or render them primitive. Rather, death and resurrection are a signature component of the common root of Christianity and Judaism.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2017-04-18 12:16:26
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9860
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 7 No. 2 (2017): Memento Mori: Death, Desire, and the Aporia of Finitude
eng
Copyright (c) 2017 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9861
2021-09-11T07:57:30Z
lumenetvita:ART
"170418 2017 eng "
2329-1087
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Blood, Blood Everywhere and Not A Drop To Drink: How Jesus’ Blood Fulfills the Law
Moon, Catherine
Christianity is based in blood, thereby that death can never be forgotten. Blood begins with Genesis to have the dueling significance of life and death. For one’s blood is one’s life, and yet blood is the price for sin. From the very beginning blood poured out represents humanity’s imminent death brought even closer by the onslaught of sin and its weariless pursuit of life. Until Christ fulfills his new covenant, the exchange of blood for blood is endless and the death that permeates blood prevails over life. In this essay, I will analyze how Jesus’ blood fulfills the Law and frees humanity from sin and death. First, I will see how blood is understood and portrayed in the covenant of Noah, then the covenant of Abraham, and finally in the Law of Moses, so that the fullness of what it means for God to pour out His blood and die, so humanity may ultimately live and not be forever separated from Him can be fully known. This will also further unpack and clarify what the practice of communion and activity of the mass effects in human beings according to piece of human history it fulfills, forever partakes, and from which it came into being.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2017-04-18 12:16:26
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9861
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 7 No. 2 (2017): Memento Mori: Death, Desire, and the Aporia of Finitude
eng
Copyright (c) 2017 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9862
2021-09-11T07:56:55Z
lumenetvita:ART
"170418 2017 eng "
2329-1087
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“Judging Shepherd of Thy Sheep”: Christ and the Role of Mercy in the Dies Irae
Monaco, John A.
The 13th century Latin hymn, Dies Irae, is one of the better-known Roman Catholic liturgical sequences, famous for its seemingly-dark portrayal of the Day of Judgment (“Day of Wrath”). Once a staple element of the Requiem Mass, this text has now been relegated to relative obscurity, finding life only in concert halls, where grandiose musical settings of Mozart’s & Verdi’s “Requiem Mass” are performed. In its absence, the Dies Irae is now synonymous with a bleak, medieval theology fixated on death and judgement.
However, upon deeper examination, it seems that the “Day of Wrath” can also be read as a “Day of Mercy.” Sorrow for past transgressions and preoccupation with eternal hell constitute only one element of the hymn. Far from being focused on sin and death, the Dies Irae also establishes the vital connection between Christ’s mercy for sinners and the mercy each Christian is called to share with one another. This is seen through the numerous Scriptural allusions which fill the hymn, including those referencing that ‘final day’, when Christ is said to “judge the living and the dead.” In pleading to be on the right side during the separation between the metaphorical “sheep and goats,” the author acknowledges the significance of Christ and His command to love the “least of these” on the Day of Judgement (Matthew 25:40). The Dies Irae contains both a call for mercy and a call to mercy, the latter of which distinguishes itself as the litmus test of salvation.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2017-04-18 12:16:26
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9862
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 7 No. 2 (2017): Memento Mori: Death, Desire, and the Aporia of Finitude
eng
Copyright (c) 2017 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/9863
2021-09-11T07:56:14Z
lumenetvita:ART
"170418 2017 eng "
2329-1087
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Life and Death in the Body of Christ
Studt, S.J., Eric
Focusing on 1 Corinthians, I argue for a literal reading of Paul’s understanding of life and death in the body of Christ. Recent research carried out by Dale Martin and Troels Engberg-Pedersen has uncovered a Stoic notion of pneuma in Paul’s writings. That is to say, Paul understood pneuma as a material substance that allows for life, perception, and knowledge. Paul believed that human beings are born with a fleshly pneuma, but God’s pneuma is given at baptism. Those possessing God’s pneuma literally see a different reality and are materially bound to other believers. Since for Paul the risen Christ is a pneumatic body, believers are also materially bound to Christ to form a single pneumatic body, the body of Christ. The body of Christ is not a metaphor, but an actual material body that is made up of God’s pneuma. Ultimately, to have a share in God’s pneuma means eternal life with the risen Christ and existence apart from God’s pneuma means death. This paper treats 1 Cor. 11:17-34 as a case study. In this pericope Paul warns that the body of the Lord acts as a poison, causing sickness and death, to those who participate unworthily in the Lord’s supper. “Unworthiness” here refers to the factionalism that was plaguing the Corinthian community. Paul believed that the Corinthians were literally killing the body of Christ—as well themselves individually—by tearing apart the corporate pneumatic body of believers through factionalism. In short, for Paul factionalism means death.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2017-04-18 12:16:26
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/9863
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 7 No. 2 (2017): Memento Mori: Death, Desire, and the Aporia of Finitude
eng
Copyright (c) 2017 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10498
2021-09-11T07:55:37Z
lumenetvita:ART
"180601 2018 eng "
2329-1087
dc
Interior Reconciliation: Adopting a Posture of Peace
Campbell, Kieran
Peacemaking is always complex. Too often this complexity proves so burdensome that those involved find themselves paralyzed, unable to locate an appropriate starting point for the process of reconciliation. This essay proposes that “interior reconciliation”— in which individuals address and engage the interior dissonances that expose them as both sinful and graced—provides a helpful first step in the process of “exterior reconciliation” between individuals, communities, and nations. Efforts of reconciliation, which are in every case complicated, remain unsustainable if the individuals involved are not able to reconcile themselves with themselves as such. I suggest three important movements—declaration (acknowledging sinfulness and gracefulness as realities of the human experience), detection (continually locating the presence of sin and grace), and disposal (surrendering sinfulness and offering gracefulness to God)—which, in the company of the Spirit, provide what I hope will be a useful and realistic framework for the journey of interior reconciliation.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-06-01 00:00:00
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10498
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 8 No. 1 (2017): Reconciliation: Suffering, Grace, and Healing the Wounds of Division
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10499
2021-09-11T07:55:05Z
lumenetvita:ART
"180601 2018 eng "
2329-1087
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Eucharistic Reconciliation: Reconciling Broken Selves by Consuming Christ’s Broken Body
Heeder, Megan
The Eucharist, the healing Body of Christ, is a major source of grace paramount to the process of reconciliation. Paradoxically, for those who suffer from eating disorders, a prime source of grace is found in the Eucharist, a broken Body whose effects are imparted through eating. Exploring the reconciliation of one who struggles with eating disorders to herself, others (the Church) and the divine via the Eucharist’s grace is a largely unexplored area rife with hope. Eucharistic grace has the potential to bear great fruit in the process of recovery, reminding the person who she is, that for which she is created, the depth of Christ’s love, and her communal belonging. These graces respond to areas psychology identifies as problematic for those with eating disorders; recovery requires a reconciliation back to the self and others, especially the body of the Church, and carries implications for the Church’s vocation of love.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-06-01 00:00:00
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10499
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 8 No. 1 (2017): Reconciliation: Suffering, Grace, and Healing the Wounds of Division
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10500
2021-09-10T07:47:54Z
lumenetvita:ART
"180601 2018 eng "
2329-1087
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Liberating Oppressors: The Toughest Task of Full Reconciliation
Karanovich, R Zachary
The process of reconciliation is necessarily centered on the victim. But Jürgen Moltmann rightly states that, “Oppression always has two sides. ” Insofar as one can envision the tasks of liberation and reconciliation to be at least parallel, a premise that this paper acknowledges, then liberation too must be forward thinking. To redeem the past, Moltmann argued that we must not only seek the liberation of the oppressed, but also the liberation of the oppressor. The preferential option for the victim is indeed necessary, but so too is the transformation of the oppressor. While this application of liberation on the side of the oppressor is not always warmly received by liberation thinkers, Jon Sobrino also stated the need for a continued openness to the oppressor as essential to reconciliation and the liberation spirituality. This paper will draw on theological, literary, and historical sources as well as current events to explore the status of this sometimes controversial question of the liberation of the oppressor and its place within the goal of reconciliation.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-06-01 00:00:00
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10500
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 8 No. 1 (2017): Reconciliation: Suffering, Grace, and Healing the Wounds of Division
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10501
2021-09-10T07:47:10Z
lumenetvita:ART
"180601 2018 eng "
2329-1087
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Sacramentum Pacis: The Eucharist as the Sacrament of Peace
Monaco, John
This paper will examine the nature of the Eucharist as a “sacrament of peace”, a sacrament by which the Christian believer is reconciled to Christ and the Church. While, properly-speaking, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the ordinary means of this activity, one sees that the Eucharist provides a healing balm for sin, enflames the soul with the fire of charity, and reveals itself as both a symbol of peace already realized and a sign of peace yet to come. This “sacrament of peace” bestows God’s peace to the Church, which, in turn, commissions the Christian to embody this peace through works of mercy and initiatives of justice. Through this, we see the social and missional implications for a community centered around the Eucharistic table. Helpful to this investigation will be the Eucharistic theology of the late Orthodox theologian, Alexander Schmemann and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-06-01 00:00:00
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10501
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 8 No. 1 (2017): Reconciliation: Suffering, Grace, and Healing the Wounds of Division
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10502
2021-09-10T07:46:28Z
lumenetvita:ART
"180601 2018 eng "
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Job’s Suffering: A Hypostatic Cry
Moon, Catherine
In this essay I will examine Thomas Aquinas’ and Gustavo Gutierrez’s respective commentaries on the Book of Job. I will look into how they reconcile Job, the exemplar of unmerited suffering, back to God. First I will analyze what the two theologians understand the central question of Job to be, then I will look into how they frame this question, how they interpret the speeches and the whirlwind, and then finally what they propose the answer to the suffering of the innocent to be.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-06-01 00:00:00
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10502
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 8 No. 1 (2017): Reconciliation: Suffering, Grace, and Healing the Wounds of Division
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10503
2021-09-10T07:45:48Z
lumenetvita:ART
"180601 2018 eng "
2329-1087
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Aquinas and Alison on Reconciliation with God
Sextro, Elizabeth
This paper compares the concept of reconciliation in the works of Thomas Aquinas and James Alison through a soteriological lens. For both authors, the problem of sin confronts humanity with grave implications for our salvation that cannot be fixed on our own; therefore, Christ must enact a new way for humanity to live in right relationship with God. The paper examines Thomas and Alison’s anthropologies through the lens of three questions regarding salvation: What does sin do to the human?; What does Christ have to do because of sin?; and finally, What does Christ enable humans to do in order that we may participate in reconciling ourselves to God?
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-06-01 00:00:00
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10503
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 8 No. 1 (2017): Reconciliation: Suffering, Grace, and Healing the Wounds of Division
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10504
2021-09-10T07:45:15Z
lumenetvita:ART
"180601 2018 eng "
2329-1087
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Feeding Mara: An Examination of Redemption in the Book of Ruth
Valentine, Chesirae
Traditionally understood as an exercise in feminist theology or political storytelling, the Book of Ruth’s ministerial potential remains untapped. Ruth acts as more than a feminist icon or political example when she redeems Mara — she acts as the hands of God. Though often read through a historical or feminist lens, I propose that the Book of Ruth is primarily a liberation text, answering Ignacio Ellacuría’s question: “What must I do to uncrucify [the suffering]?” When Naomi becomes Mara, she becomes representative of every person who has suffered under systemic oppression. Ruth, by meeting Naomi in her pain and answering it, becomes representative of God. The path to Naomi’s redemption then becomes the path the Church might tread to serve, liberate, and comfort those who are systematically oppressed.
Ruth ultimately redeems Naomi through three actions. First, by pledging solidarity of experience with Naomi, Ruth promises to trust Naomi/Mara’s experiences as valid and worthy, and does not presume to narrate Mara’s suffering. Second, by listening to and providing for Mara’s needs, Ruth does not presume to pity, but rather to understand and liberate Mara’ s immediate suffering. Third, by trusting Mara’ s needs and experiences, Ruth can comfort Naomi through creating a new system: a new family through Obed. By creating a new space where Mara is freed from her bitterness, Naomi can exist once again.
The Book of Ruth becomes a parable that explores the way God’s compassion may work in and through human systems to redeem the oppressed. This article explores that parable, and begins to answer how the Church — as God’s earthly hands — might begin to do this work for systematically oppressed people.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-06-01 00:00:00
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10504
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 8 No. 1 (2017): Reconciliation: Suffering, Grace, and Healing the Wounds of Division
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10505
2021-09-10T07:44:35Z
lumenetvita:ART
"180601 2018 eng "
2329-1087
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Love as Seeing in Truth: Sartre and Stein on Self-Constitution
Cloutier, Chase
Realizing who I am and who I am called to be depends in part on my relation to others. Others empathizing with me significantly impacts my self-understanding and character formation. The possibility of a positive encounter is vital because of its role in self-constitution. Both Jean-Paul Sartre and Edith Stein recognized the great import of the gaze of another in the realization of one's own personhood and personal development. However, due to different appraisals of the meaning of human life, Stein evaluates the ultimate import of intersubjective experience as positive whereas Sartre deems it negative. Sartre characterizes interpersonal relations as necessarily combative and conflictual: in order to realize one's full stature and freedom, one must objectify the other so as to escape the other's dominating look. For Sartre the only look one can receive is a look of hatred which attacks and steals one's dignity. On the other hand, Stein proposes that the look of the other has the power to reveal the true and full potential of the self, even counteracting false self-appraisal. A look or attitude of love from another can reveal one's capacity for virtue and initiate one along this path of virtue. In order to overcome the wounds of cultural commodification of the person, we must approach one another in love. Though Sartre offers a particularly incisive diagnosis of “fallen” intersubjectivity and interpersonal relations of objectification, Stein's thought can work to correct and complete his insights on the look of the other, offering a basis for understanding “redeemed” interpersonal relationships in a civilization of love.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-06-01 00:00:00
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10505
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 8 No. 2 (2018): Love and Ecstasy: Emptying the Self, Encountering the Other
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10506
2021-09-10T07:43:37Z
lumenetvita:ART
"180601 2018 eng "
2329-1087
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A Loving Kind of Knowing: Connatural Knowledge as a Means of Knowing God in Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologica
Duke, Meghan
In his exegesis of Romans 8:15-16, Thomas Aquinas asks how it is that the Holy Spirit bears testimony in us that we are the children of God. He responds that the Spirit bears testimony “through the effect of filial love he produces in us. ” At least in some circumstances, Aquinas suggests, we can come to know God through our experience of loving him. But Aquinas, following a long tradition, teaches that we love things insofar as we know them as good (cf: I-II, q.9, a.1, corpus and ad.3). How then can love give rise to knowledge?
Aquinas’s teaching in the Summa Theologica on the Holy Spirit’s gift of wisdom provides a key to this question. The gift of wisdom makes use of the love of charity to know God (II-II, q.45). Charity, by making us “connatural” with God, can give rise to knowledge of God. I will then consider how the Holy Spirit’s gift of wisdom relates to the science of theology. The gift of wisdom, however, does not offer an independent or parallel path to knowledge of God, but rather, depends on faith and is the perfection to which the science of sacred is oriented.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-06-01 00:00:00
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10506
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 8 No. 2 (2018): Love and Ecstasy: Emptying the Self, Encountering the Other
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10507
2021-09-10T07:42:54Z
lumenetvita:ART
"180601 2018 eng "
2329-1087
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Ecstatic Hymns: The Hymn’s Role in Encountering Mystery in Liturgical Worship
Heeder, Megan
The Mass’s music enables us to encounter God by being drawn out of ourselves by beauty. Thus, hymns form us ecstatically by engaging the intellectual, physical, and spiritual elements of our human nature to better know and love God as Mystery and Beauty Engaging the whole human person, singing enables us to offer God all of ourselves and so encounter God as Mystery. Drawing on the work of Hans Urs von Balthasar writes, this paper will reflect on how the beauty of song invites us into the Mystery of Beauty: God. Singing a hymn of praise is a transformative experience of beauty, which draws us out of ourselves, placing us in a posture in which we can encounter and be formed by God, and so more fully be able to encounter God, others, and ourselves.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-06-01 00:00:00
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10507
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 8 No. 2 (2018): Love and Ecstasy: Emptying the Self, Encountering the Other
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10508
2021-09-10T07:42:11Z
lumenetvita:ART
"180601 2018 eng "
2329-1087
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Encountering Christ: Karl Barth and Mysticism
Holmes, Austin
By virtue of his insistence on the once and for all revelation of God in Jesus Christ, Karl Barth’s theology has sometimes been perceived as hostile to mysticism and contemplative spirituality. Allegedly, the significance of ongoing encounters with God is lost under the weight of the proclamation of Jesus Christ as the decisive moment of God’s dealing with humankind. A closer reading of Barth, however, reveals a different story. Interestingly, no serious survey of Barth’s thought on mysticism exists. This paper will seek to address this gap in scholarship by briefly exploring Barth’s relationship to mystical theology through engagement with his work, especially on 1) Union with God, 2) existentials of the theologians, and 3) Barth’s ecstatic socialism. Contrary to the general assumptions, Barthian theology represents an undeniably rich, and modern, mystic sensibility. Aside from challenging scholarly misrepresentations of Barth, the paper raises the question of how dogmatic theology and religious experience came to treated separately in the historical development of the church and theological scholarship.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-06-01 00:00:00
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10508
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 8 No. 2 (2018): Love and Ecstasy: Emptying the Self, Encountering the Other
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10509
2021-09-10T07:41:29Z
lumenetvita:ART
"180601 2018 eng "
2329-1087
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I Didn’t Know that I Was Starving ‘Til I Tasted You: 18th Century Moravian Women’s Ecstatic Experience of Bridal Mysticism in Communion and Marital Sexuality
Wilkening, Ann-Catherine
Against recent moves to exoticize Moravian sexual practices, this project is an attempt to understand how sexuality and religion intersect and relate to each other in Moravian piety and theology. In the mid-18th century, Moravians practiced a deeply sensual and erotic form of bridal mysticism. Christ, the bridegroom and lover of the believer, became uniquely tangible to the Moravian in their experience of Holy Communion, as well as in sexual encounters with their spouse. This paper examines the realization of this union in the experience of Moravian women through their spiritual autobiographies (Lebenslauf) as well as the manuals for sexual intercourse in the 18th century Moravian Choir Instructions. During communion, women consumed the body of their eternal bridegroom with their own bodies, drawing close to Christ and nourished themselves through the ritualized breaking and bleeding of Jesus for their salvation. Moravians also understood marital sexual intercourse to be a blessed, liturgical act ordained by God and was it therefore an extremely ritualized act in which a husband represented Christ and a wife the Church. In encountering their husbands, Moravian women could encounter Christ. Sex was carefully directed to ensure its sacredness as well as the comfort of the couple.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-06-01 00:00:00
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10509
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 8 No. 2 (2018): Love and Ecstasy: Emptying the Self, Encountering the Other
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10870
2021-09-10T07:40:46Z
lumenetvita:ART
"181231 2018 eng "
2329-1087
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The Küme Mongen and the Reign of God
Del Villar, M. Soledad
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
This paper attempts to offer a theological reflection that compares two concepts from two different religious traditions that deal with a similar concern: guiding humanity and the cosmos to flourishing and abundant life. On the one hand, I will consider the Küme Mongenthat comes from the Mapuche people of Chile and Argentina. On the other hand, I will consider the concept of the reign of God, so central to the Gospels and re-articulated frequently in Christology, specifically, Latin-American liberation theology. First, I will explain the context from which Küme Mongenemerges and give an account of the central ideas of this concept. Second, I will give an account of the treatment of the reign of God in J.A. Pagola and J. Sobrino’s Christology. Finally, I will explore the possible connections between the Mapuche vision of fruitful life and the Kingdom of God, opening possible paths for mutual learning and understanding between the Mapuche and the Christian religious traditions.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-12-31 00:00:00
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https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10870
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 9 No. 1 (2018): Theology and Ministry Today: Engaging Faith and Culture
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10871
2021-09-10T07:40:09Z
lumenetvita:ART
"181231 2018 eng "
2329-1087
dc
Hope Endures: Reading the Boston Marathon Bombing Through the Lens of Christian Hope
Heeder, Megan
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
Moral tradition teaches that there are particular clarifying events which aid the renewal of moral freedom, the pursuit of the good, and the promotion of justice. The Boston Marathon bombing is one of those events, inviting theologians to consider what a sacramentally-oriented systematic theology offers society via faith and culture’s engagement. Viewing the Boston Marathon bombings through Moltmann’s lens of Christian hope shows seeds of it in the community’s response: it was forward-looking and called people to action; it anticipated a justice connected to the reign of God; and it called people into communities of hope, like those of the disciples. Engaging the community’s response and individual stories from the bombing which embody these three aspects of Christian hope offer a sacramental vision of hope with the potential to give life to a largely secularized culture.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-12-31 00:00:00
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10871
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 9 No. 1 (2018): Theology and Ministry Today: Engaging Faith and Culture
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10872
2021-09-10T07:39:28Z
lumenetvita:ART
"181231 2018 eng "
2329-1087
dc
On Neurotheology? Why Engage Empirical Studies on Theological Concepts
Manalili, Michael Mookie C.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
Boston College School of Social Work
Neurotheology can open new spaces of exploration and synthesis for human understanding. In his systematic book, Neurotheology (2018), Andrew Newberg compiles research of science that touches upon the sacred, making a strong case for an approach open to both neuro- and -theology. The following paper deals with the insights, methodology, and implications of this multidisciplinary approach. The first portion defines ‘neurotheology’ and its current scope for research. The second portion argues for the benefit of this systematic approach, which utilizes the scientific method and Hegelian sublation. The final portion explores the implications for humanity and for epistemology, particularly in the post-modern, post-religious milieu and for science as an emerging amicus theologiae. The hope of this project is to engage our ‘big questions’ once more in their complexity – to curiously explore experiences and creation, in order to peek into the efficacious Mystery we call God.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-12-31 00:00:00
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10872
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 9 No. 1 (2018): Theology and Ministry Today: Engaging Faith and Culture
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10873
2021-09-10T07:38:52Z
lumenetvita:ART
"181231 2018 eng "
2329-1087
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Sin, Iniquity, and Transgression: A Case for Using Psalm 51 as Prayer
Susanto, Erwin
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
In this paper, I argue that Psalm 51 is a paradigmatic penitential prayer that is uniquely fitting for prayers of repentance and spiritual reflection, especially in the context of the recent sex abuse scandals in the Catholic Church. I begin by giving a treatment of the tripartite concept of sin in the Old Testament that is central for the psalm through exploration of the three Hebrew root wordsḥṭ’, ʿwn and pšʿ, which are commonly translated as “sin,” “iniquity” and “transgression.” Following that, I identify five remedies for sin in the psalm and discuss them in light of other books in the Old Testament. I conclude by showing how the psalm is paradigmatic, and I offer a brief theological implication for the Catholic Church in the context of the scandal.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-12-31 00:00:00
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10873
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 9 No. 1 (2018): Theology and Ministry Today: Engaging Faith and Culture
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/10874
2021-09-10T07:38:18Z
lumenetvita:ART
"181231 2018 eng "
2329-1087
dc
An Essay in Praise of Scholastic Theology
Holmes, Austin
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
This essay attempts to give the Scholastic Theology of the High Middle Ages due praise by inhabiting its beautiful intellectual architecture. Among the core features observed are Scholasticism’s methodological vitality explained as an exegetical-humility with patristic roots, the animating principle of desire for union with God, and a conception of Christian doctrine as fundamental to the divine work of human salvation. Rather than engage directly with Scholasticism’s fashionable modern enemies, the essay proceeds in successive steps as a lectio magistrorum (“reading of the masters”). Anslem of Canterbury, Hugh of St. Victor, Peter Abelard, Bonaventure, and Thomas Aquinas represent the primary sources of interest. The goal is simply to generate reconsideration of medieval theology through an introduction to atypically studied aspects of a few figures.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2018-12-31 00:00:00
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/10874
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 9 No. 1 (2018): Theology and Ministry Today: Engaging Faith and Culture
eng
Copyright (c) 2018 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/11121
2019-05-18T23:56:01Z
lumenetvita:Ed.
"190518 2019 eng "
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Editorial Note
The Editors
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2019-05-18 16:56:01
Editorial Notes
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/11121
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 9 No. 2 (2019): Preaching and Living the Gospel
eng
Copyright (c) 2019 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/11123
2021-09-10T07:37:45Z
lumenetvita:ART
"190518 2019 eng "
2329-1087
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The Orations of the Cappadocian Fathers on Lepers
Calleja, Carlo
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry (Brighton, MA)
The aim of this paper is to understand what might effectively serve to exhort the practice of the virtue of solidarity with the socially alienated. Three orations on lepers: one by Gregory of Nazianzus, and two by Gregory of Nyssa, will be studied. The methods used to engender the virtue of solidarity with the lepers in these orations will be analyzed. Redefining classical Greek virtues in a Christian theological framework; sensitizing the listeners by appealing to emotions through the use of concrete examples; attempting to restore alienated kinship by retrieving kinship language; and encouraging a tangible encounter with lepers prove to be important elements. How the Gregorys appealed to non-Christians will also be considered. I conclude that through these three orations, the Gregorys teach us that the conviction to cultivate the virtue of solidarity is inculcated by engaging closely with those whose identity appears different from one’s own.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2019-05-18 16:56:01
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/11123
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 9 No. 2 (2019): Preaching and Living the Gospel
eng
Copyright (c) 2019 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/11125
2021-09-10T07:37:08Z
lumenetvita:ART
"190518 2019 eng "
2329-1087
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“To Evangelize the Poor”
Kelly, James E.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry (Brighton, MA)
In this essay, I will examine the scriptural basis for Origen’s interpretation of Luke 4:18-19 as an allusion to Jesus’ identity as savior, not as a call to social justice. I argue that this interpretation is consistent with the intentions of the gospel writer. The essay begins with an analysis of the gospel writer’s redaction of Mark 1 in Luke 3-5. Based on that redaction, I hypothesize that Luke intends to emphasize Jesus’s identity with the anointed one mentioned in Isaiah 61:1-2. This excerpt from Isaiah not only gives Luke 4:18-19 its Christological significance but also clarifies Luke’s understanding of poverty in relation to the Gospel. I then examine Origen’s application of the Lucan passage for his pastoral purposes. To conclude, I suggest that we, like Luke and Origen, read Scripture Christocentrically in order to better facilitate the church’s encounter with Christ during the liturgy.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2019-05-18 16:56:01
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/11125
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 9 No. 2 (2019): Preaching and Living the Gospel
eng
Copyright (c) 2019 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/11127
2021-09-10T07:36:31Z
lumenetvita:ART
"190518 2019 eng "
2329-1087
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Poetry as Antidote to Toxic Certainty
Kershaw, Matt
Yale Divinity School (New Haven, CT)
In examining the discursive environment surrounding the Great War (1914-1918), one finds a familiar reduction of reality into flat and mutually exclusive binaries written in what Robert Graves called "Newspaper Language." In this article, I suggest such discursive flattening to be both unproductive and dehumanizing, employing the term "toxic certainty" to refer to language used by a given partisan over and against the perceived other, where the rhetorical force of an assertion is taken to be the proof of that assertion. To counter dehumanizing discourse both in and out of the pulpit, I suggest a remedy in an alternate reading of James 1:22, where preachers can aspire to be "poets of the word," rather than just self-deceiving hearers. This idea is developed through an examination of the poetic efforts to humanize the full reality of the Great War undertaken by Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2019-05-18 16:56:01
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/11127
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 9 No. 2 (2019): Preaching and Living the Gospel
eng
Copyright (c) 2019 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/11129
2021-09-10T07:35:49Z
lumenetvita:ART
"190518 2019 eng "
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A Christian Habitus
Kopack, Austin C.
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Hamilton, MA)
What is the relationship between preaching and living the Gospel? It is within the daily habits of those attempting to live out the Gospel together that preaching becomes intelligible and applicable. Sound preaching alone will fail to produce a transformed people whose lives reflect the teachings of scripture. This paper brings together the linguistic philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein and the theological anthropology of James K. A. Smith in order to develop an affective pedagogy that takes seriously the socially dependent nature of human persons. The social account of language proposed in the later Wittgenstein suggests that the meaning of concepts arises amongst pre-linguistic, embodied, communal practices. Theological language cannot be detached from its concrete expressions in the world because its meaning is dependent upon a communal form of life in which those concepts make sense. James K. A. Smith builds upon this pragmatist tradition to present a theory of doctrine and preaching grounded in liturgical practices that does justice to human physicality and characterizes all human practices, religious or otherwise, as structures of habitual formation with particular teloi. The Gospel, then, is not just a truth we learn to believe but a way of life that we come to embody contra competing “cultural liturgies.”
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2019-05-18 16:56:01
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/11129
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 9 No. 2 (2019): Preaching and Living the Gospel
eng
Copyright (c) 2019 Lumen et Vita
oai:ejournals.bc.edu:article/11131
2021-09-10T07:35:13Z
lumenetvita:ART
"190518 2019 eng "
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Raised Imperishable
Page, Kaylie G.
Yale Divinity School (New Haven, CT)
Christians live in light of eternity: we anticipate a future glory yet to be unveiled, but we also have some level of participation in that glory in the present. What shape should that anticipation and participation take? In other words, how does the resurrection influence ethical choices in the present? This paper draws on the work of historical and modern theologians to consider what effects the resurrection of the body has on Christian life in the present. It argues that the nature of embodied life in the resurrection affects our view of and our behavior towards our own bodies, the body of the church, and the bodies of other people in the world. While the paper sketches the outlines of an ethic based on the bodily resurrection in each of these areas, its main concern is with the spiritual attitude that informs and results from these ethical choices. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer observes, Christian ethics that focuses on the resurrection tends to fall into one of the two traps of otherworldliness or secularism. However, when attention is given to the spiritual effects of a resurrection-oriented ethic, both of these pitfalls can be avoided. Living in light of the resurrection sharpens our anticipation of heavenly glory, but it also proves our inability to attain that glory by our own power, forcing us to rely ever more on God as the source of our salvation. Thus, although living with reference to the resurrection of the body has positive influence on our ethical choices, the primary impact of such a life is to drive the Christian back to the Gospel.
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
2019-05-18 16:56:01
application/pdf
https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/lumenetvita/article/view/11131
Lumen et Vita; Vol. 9 No. 2 (2019): Preaching and Living the Gospel
eng
Copyright (c) 2019 Lumen et Vita
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