Introductory notes for readers of this thesis - Theses - Flinders ...

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spiritual direction allows for the ongoing prophetic spiritual impact of the biblical text,empowered by the Spirit, to recreate the inner life of the reader/hearer. This is a work ofprimacy, immediacy and intimacy that should not be frustrated, interrupted or muted bypreconceived doctrinal agendas. Rahner is against the silencing of the word by religiousagendas that operate as a barrier between the external word of grace and the silent, innergraced narrative of the supernatural existential.Rahner advocates that an efficacious human experience of the biblical text is asacramental possibility because the silent word of grace and the presence of the Spirit isalready an intrinsic component of the human condition. In preaching or reading theconceptual word, grace meets grace, and an unconscious yet familiar holy mystery beginsto find its voice, enabling a more deliberate and truly mutual participation in the rhythmsof the divinised life. The preached or read word does not bring the presence of God. Itawakens listeners/readers to the present reality of God as the existential centre of theirbeing. When conceptual external word acts as a living witness to historical revelation, thesilent inner witness of believers’ experiences of God greets individual believers asfamiliar friends. In this greeting, the primordial unconscious dialogues with the form andsubstance of actual revelatory words and events of universal salvific impact. The spiritualoutcome is that individuals are able to live in a unifying congruence of intellect, spirit andwill, expressed in and through an everyday experience of love for God and theirneighbours. Such an awakened spiritual existence produces a silent spiritual activism, agospel without words, that inevitably creates the community of the Church and permeatesthe broader human society with the aroma of kindness, justice and mercy.Rahner advocates an immersion in listening silence for those who aspire to the preachingministry. Immersion in silence is staying in a state of contemplation until word, theologyand culture penetrate the silent, sacred heart. This enables preachers of the word tofunction as existential exegetes, and facilitates the spiritual process whereby the spokenword of historical revelation interprets, shapes and forms the silence of the inner wordinto a conscious participation in the trinitarian life.151
Rahner advocates that all believers practise the simple Christian spirituality tradition ofstaying with the word long enough in silence and in solitude for true quiet and listening tobegin. Only then, when the dust storms of the anxious thoughts and urgent demands havebeen allowed to settle, are individuals able to see through the haze of the finite to theglory of their infinite horizon of existence in God. In these moments of silence andstillness believers emulate the silent Mary; unlike the distracted Martha 85 , they will beable to hear the word speaking about issues of eternal significance.In this sense, the biblical texts become the safe guide to any person who wishes toexplore the meaning of the inner life. Who dares look deeply into the dark recesses of theunconscious and deeply hidden inner drives and agendas of their own existence? Whodares to look frankly and clearly at the person within, the living, honest realty of thecreature underneath and behind the everyday social persona? According to Rahner, it isthe silent presence of God himself who enables believers to find light in the deepestdarkness of their psyches and to learn to love the vulnerable creature within. It is,however, the word that empowers the exploration of mystery with the capacity to discernthe substance of light and life, God and self. The word illuminates the difference betweenopen doors and blind alleys, distinguishes wisdom from false enticements, and separatesthe substance from the shadow. Believers may enter safely into the listening silencebecause the word comes with them and enables them to meet and recognise the true innervoice of the present Spirit.Finally, and most importantly, Rahner’s explanation of the dialogue between externalword and existential grace provides the Christian with the hermeneutic key to the silenceof God. In Encounters Rahner models the task of all Christians: interpreting God’ssilences. It is one thing to hear from God a word of encouragement in difficult times.God’s encouraging word comes in a variety of ways—a line from a sermon, a word ofwise counsel from a friend—and is interpreted subjectively. Most Christians will discerntimes and places in their lives when they believe that God has ‘spoken’ to them with atimely word in a desperate situation.85 See Luke 10:38-42.152
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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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Echoes of Ignatius’ Exercises are
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Chapter 4: The human experience of
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proximity, the silence that leads e
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‘listening to the freely proffere
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approach; he is not arguing against
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must occur in history—time, space
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The most obvious criticism of Rahne
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Schleiermacher: seeking to build a
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and his meditations in Encounters w
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theological method, and the importa
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spirit dancing together in apprecia
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choosing to enter into the mystery
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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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