Notes from Gathered for the Journey Six (6) essays David McCarthy

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I. Scripture and the ChurchAre Catholics ―fundamentalist‖?In this section, McCarthy defends a critical (i.e. using modern exegetical methods)approach to Scripture as outlined in the Vatican II (1965), Dei Verbum: DogmaticConstitution on Divine RevelationThe Incarnation of God in Christ sets the paradigm—the Word of God (Scripture) sharesthe same incarnational paradigm—various authors, diverse cultural settings and so forth.―As Dei Verbum explains, ―:the words of God, expressed in human language, have beenmade like human discourse, just as of old the Word of the eternal Father, when he took toHimself the weak flesh of humanity, became like other men.‖ (DV, #7) p. 45But, the Scripture is acknowledged as ―teaching firmly, faithfully, and without error thattruth which God wanted to put into the sacred writings for the sake of our salvation.‖(DV, #11) p. 46.Serving the Truth of SalvationSo, the deep truth speaks to us, leading to our salvation in the various, diversenarratives we call Sacred Scripture—beginning with the Pentateuch thru thehistories, the prophets from Job thru Maccabees, the Gospels all the way toRevelation.The key is the phrase ―for the sake of our salvation.‖Jesus: ―I am the Way, the Truth and the Life‖―…the biblical word of salvation, precisely through the limitations of human words,reveals God’s full self-communication to us in Jesus Christ. Our human words are themedium of the divine message. Essential to the message of salvation is that our frailhumanity becomes part of the proclamation of the kingdom of God.‖ (Emphasis added, p.46)II. Salvation HistoryWhat is God’s relationship to the World?Now, we turn to the salvation and its narration through time we call ―salvationhistory.‖ We can understand, it seems, why Almighty God, Lord Yahweh in theHebrew Scriptures always identifies Himself as ―the God of Abraham, Isaac andJacob.‖God inspired Holy Scripture—and is the life-giving Spirit in scripture—as ameans to bring His truth to each of His children‘s‘ hearts.[―..the Lord and Giverof Life‖ our Creed]Fundamental Moral Theology Page 2 of 54Class Notes – Father Michael Seger
Note: the emphasis is on the Inspirited Truth and its invitation and call to redemption—salvation, rather than any questions arising from any idiosyncrasiesGod and Creation—the Fall and Redemption:God is not a distant God who occasionally intervenes in a ―closed system‖ we call―the world,‖God is, after all, Creator—and we are creatures.We as creatures, encountering the immensity of all reality sustained by ourLoving Creator, know that this reality will always be ―not entirely graspable (aswe cannot put our minds around the very source of all life itself‖). (47)Adam and Eve—represent each of us in their unique selves.They ―are quick to listen to the serpent who tells us that we are in competitionwith God, that God is keeping divine knowledge from us (Gen.3:5), and that weneed only grasp it surreptitiously and take possession of it on our own.‖ (47)―In a real sense, our primordial sin is to grasp at God‘s creation itself to call itours rather than God‘s. We want to make ourselves. We want to be our ownlords.‖ (47)[Note: The key is that in wanting ―to make ourselves‖ we ignore nature and naturalinclination –and more—given us by our Loving Creator. These innate ends or desiresreveal God‘s Wisdom, drawing us to eternal salvation; helping, ethically shapinghumanity along the way. In our hubris of ―making ourselves‖, we can turn aside fromobjective goodness that beckons our freedom in love]Biblical Story of Salvation—a SurpriseNone of us would have sketched salvation history as we find it in Scripture.Jesus and his Passion, Death and Resurrection strike us as utterly governed by thelogic of Divine Love—beyond our abilities to imagine. (47)Jesus chooses reconciliation rather than easy triumph. ―He overcomes sinthrough what, in terms of worldly power, we are more likely to call losing thanwinning. In worldly terms, we like to name winners and losers, but in the crossthere is reconciliation.‖ (47)Jesus reveals the deep love of God---and invites us to trust in and enter into thislove and to make it our life---Christian ethics—spirituality of discipleship.Community of ReconciliationImportantly, McCarthy underscores this dynamic is found ―in people who are gathered.‖(see book title!)―The people Jesus gathers are called to the task of living out God‘s offer of salvation.‖(48)(Cf. M. Therese Lysaught‘s emphasis on love and liturgy in the 1 st essay of the book—―Love and Liturgy‖)Fundamental Moral Theology Page 3 of 54Class Notes – Father Michael Seger
Page 1: Notes from Gathered for the Journey
Page 5 and 6: --a ―gift from God for the purifi
Page 7 and 8: Well, two historical reasons:1. Fir
Page 9 and 10: considered the real intentions of t
Page 11 and 12: David Cloutier: ―Human Fulfillmen
Page 13 and 14: Tragic Mistake—we instrumentalize
Page 15 and 16: V. Who Loves Me and Whom Do I Love?
Page 17 and 18: Like the person finding the pearl b
Page 19 and 20: Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt --
Page 21 and 22: to Aryanism, a powerful, divisive h
Page 23 and 24: liberal. In other words, it runs th
Page 25 and 26: c. ―Reading‖ may mean tracing t
Page 27 and 28: God’s gift of theological virtues
Page 29 and 30: How God operates in CreationThe iss
Page 31 and 32: Miller draws his conclusions using
Page 33 and 34: Grace in Developing Natural GiftsGr
Page 35 and 36: Dana Dillon and David McCarthy -
Page 37 and 38: Rational Insight into Human Inclina
Page 39 and 40: 6.of social life.‖ (i.e. military
Page 41 and 42: The ―Texture‖ of Human Reason
Page 43 and 44: Kant again—he ―attempted to gro
Page 45 and 46: Truth and Virtue: shaping our consc
Page 47 and 48: William C. Mattison, III ―Moral V
Page 49 and 50: II. Naming and Defining the Four Ca
Page 51 and 52: Mattison keeps the discussion philo
Page 53 and 54:
V. The Significance of Infused Virt
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Notes from Gathered for the Journey Six (6) essays David McCarthy

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