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George Vass 8 argues that Rahner’s understanding of the purpose and function of words inthe unfolding history of revelation and salvation demonstrates the importance of thebiblical texts and themes in his work. According to Vass, Rahner’s core ideas are• as God is essentially hidden and unknowable because divinity transcends timeand space, God takes the initiative and discloses himself within time and spacethrough ‘intra-mundane realties, one of which is the word’;• God’s speaking to humans through words does not mean that the words areable to fully convey the personhood of God—words from God do not containGod himself; the words individuals speak never fully and completely revealtheir depth and complexity; however, in the act of speaking, individuals openthemselves up to another person—the words act as hints and pointers towardsthe mystery of each individual’s dynamic reality;• God chooses to open up his life to human beings through the medium of alanguage they are able to grasp: human words; however, in grasping thelanguage, individuals have not grasped God—the words are gifts that leadindividuals towards a participation in the dynamic reality of the mystery ofGod’s personhood 9 .Vass understands Rahner’s view—that words contain an implicit message about themeaning of an encounter with silence—to mean that the spiritual seeker does not masterknowledge about ‘God’ through words. He also asserts Rahner does not regard anencounter with silence as a personal experience of God that bears no relationship towords. Rather, Rahner claims that the words of scripture facilitate a sense of participationin the divine life by prompting human awareness of God and the nature of his dispositiontowards human beings. Vass demonstrates that Rahner’s theology of silence is not atheology without words but a theology that redeems the function of words in the dynamicunfolding of the spiritual life.8 G. Vass, A theologian in search of a philosophy – understanding Karl Rahner, Vol. I (London: Sheed &Ward, 1985), 95.9 Ibid, 96-97.127
What makes the words of scripture distinct from other words in the sense of their uniquespiritual capacity for leading the spiritual seeker into a participation in the life of God?Karl-Heinz Weger 10 says that, for Rahner, the words of scripture are unique in theirspiritual capacity because they are the objectivisation of the life and faith of the earlychurch. Rahner argues that the apostles of Christ experienced the direct revelation of Godin their actual relationship with the historical Jesus; they proclaimed the essentials of theirexperience to a broader audience. As their listeners experienced this proclamation as asaving personal encounter with the living Christ, they formed the Christian church.Biblical authors wrote down aspects of the proclamation and the spiritual experiences ofthe early Christian communities. Over an extended period of time the church, reflectingon its lived spirituality, discerned particular writings as worthy of canonical status. Theoriginal authors of the canonical books were not conscious of their being inspired—theywanted to establish a faithful record of what they felt it was important to say for thesalvation of their readers and hearers. They were not ‘mindless secretaries’: their thoughtsand words were influenced by their particular historical and cultural context. Every singlephrase or idea is neither necessarily inspired nor ultimately revelatory. However,Christians trust that, in willing the church into existence, God also willed into existencean accurate record of the essential historical words and deeds necessary for the salvationof each and every generation 11 .Weger’s explanation demonstrates that Rahner’s view of the scriptures is a spiritualtheological perspective. The words the church has discerned as the true and authenticwitness to the historical climax of God’s revelation are the faithful record of the livedencounter with divinity as experienced by the original witnesses and those to whom theoriginal message was proclaimed. In the words of Rahner himself, ‘[t]he New Testamentmust…be understood as an expression in writing of an already reflective early10 K.-H. Weger, Karl Rahner – an introduction to his theology, Trans. Smith, D. (New York: SeaburyPress, 1980), 180-181.11 Rahner also views the Old Testament scriptures as revelatory in that they show a progression in salvationhistory, pointing to the grace that is to come and has now arrived in Christ as perpetually witnessed to bythe whole life of the Church, see, ‘The word and the eucharist’, in Theological Investigations Vol IV,Trans. Smith, K. (London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1966), 273.128
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‘A Spirituality of silence’An i
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Chapter 4: The human experience of
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Summary of thesis:This thesis offer
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The particular angle from which thi
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somewhat superseded by more recent
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Rahner: I have nothing against that
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One brief but notable spiritual inf
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dialectic between these two, has le
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odies of knowledge, history and alt
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superiors, having decided that he w
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High School Week, Rahner began his
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Earlier in this chapter, Rahner’s
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These anecdotes testify that Rahner
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As you see, at the top of the carto
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Central to Rahner’s thinking is t
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Kilby notes that in regard to this
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Introduced by Cardinal König to a
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influence will continue to spread a
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We see from Rahner’s pastoral con
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European power 4 , and that he was
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Over a period of days and weeks, th
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The outcome of this encounter: the
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Modras has pointed out that Ignatiu
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Rahner the Ignatian spiritual direc
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facilitate this joyful and liberati
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Rahner’s often-quoted comment tha
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The master of the Exercises in no w
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Endean argues that Rahner is interp
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The Ignatian Exercises—especially
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provision of appropriate spiritual
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their existential encounter, they a
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Chapter 3: Spirituality of silence
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which the spiritual pilgrim finds t
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Lord, to pray my whole life long wi
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Encounters with silence: strictures
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a long highway filled by a column o
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gaze; they prefer to stay safe, ris
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This experience is life’s true es
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Christians can experience the full
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Rahner does not claim for himself t
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example, it would limit God to say,
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will and love of God: then the diam
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Hosek shifts the soteriological foc
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Is this vision of silent spirituali
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Being in silence as a way of creati
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word of life and hope within them.
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Level 1:PremoralStage 2:Instrumenta
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These new monastics see the local c
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eliefs that have been tried and tes
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of mature theological reflection co
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ecognised in his Christological ass
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inability or unwillingness of the e
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Kanyini—an Australian Aboriginal
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The film Kanyini demonstrates the c
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estless and always in a hurry to ge
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considered the sole and ultimate au
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We define spirituality as a conscio
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supportive conversation with expres
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A glance at table 4 75 (above), Hug
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In the worldview of contemporary Au
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It certainly seems somewhat disinge
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A good starting point for examining
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Christian contemplative-prayer trad
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Of course, a small number of the vi
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For better or for worse, and despit
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energy, intellect, prayer, love and
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Rahner, K. Karl Rahner - Prayers an
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Kelly, G.B. (ed.). Karl Rahner - th
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Van Vorst, B. ‘Kung and Rahner: d
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Harden, J.A. ‘Ignatian Spirituali
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Tyson, P. ‘Contemporary Australia
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