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

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asis only of the tradition of the church. ‘When push comes to shove…theanthropological method gives way to dogma’ 138 .The hierarchical structures of Rahner’s universalism demonstrate his bias towards thecentrality of dogma, as this summary—focusing on understandings in chapter 4 and 5based on the work of Dych, Egan and one of Rahner’s later interviews 139 —reveals. Thereality of all human beings—across cultures and throughout history—‘silently’experiencing a liberating transcendence of spirit, participating experientially as theyrespond behaviourally 140 to their divinised inner longings and yearnings, is a primaryaspect of Rahner’s sacramental vision. Secondly, when viewed positively through thelens of the universal impact of grace through Christ, non-Christian religions are seekingto make their responses to divinised transcendence explicit and cognitive—a sincerethough flawed approach. Thirdly, non-Catholic Christians on the way to an authenticsacramental experience of Jesus in an explicit sense remain not quite there in terms of aflawed or fractured historic connection to the actual events of the Incarnation. Finally,though the Roman Catholic church is far from perfected in grace, and within dogmaticboundaries may learn from the movements of the Spirit within any and all of the othergroupings, it is the closest and most true sacrament of Jesus for the world. Rahner’s ideaof ecumenism is not that the centrist authority of Rome, Roman dogma 141 or the Petrineoffice itself should be held up for debate, but that Rome ought to lessen the impositionand restriction of its influence on the global Christian churches.When Rahner discusses the sacraments as expressions of the foundational sacrament ofthe church, he has in mind the seven formal sacraments of Roman Catholicism as primary138 ‘Rahner’s Christology: a critical assessment’, St. Luke’s Journal of Theology, 4, 25 (1992): 308.139 See Egan, Mystic of everyday, 158-160; Dych, Karl Rahner, 96-98, and Karl Rahner in dialogue, 49.140 Here Rahner is vulnerable to the charge of semi-Pelagianism.141 Rahner notes that the essential point of difference between Protestant and Catholic is simply that ‘for theCatholic theologian the logical explanation of the words of Scripture by the Church can definitely become astatement of faith; whereas for the Protestant theologian it remains basically theology, and it may always berevised and reversed’ Prayers and meditations, 39. For Rahner, such a statement of faith is the fixedstarting point for doing theology so that while such statements may be, and in fact should be, creativelyreinterpreted in different ages and contexts they can never be dismissed or viewed as erroneous in the firstplace.171
expressions of mystagogical 142 initiation into explicit faith. Rahner asserts that theseseven sacraments should be accepted as the action–reflection wisdom of the churchthrough the ages despite the fact that the huge Protestant section of the universalChristian church arrived at a different conclusion long ago. Rahner argues inclusively thatsacramental experience is not defined or limited by reference to these expressions, yetassumes exclusively that the authority of the Roman Catholic position on seven, not two,sacraments is not up for debate. Rahner is the tireless proponent of the idea that RomanCatholic teachings must and should be re-interpreted, re-imagined and expressed in newways, informed by Roman Catholic dialogue with other Christians, non-Christianreligions and the broader, modern, scientific worldview. Nevertheless, for Rahner,Roman Catholic dogma itself must always be the fixed point of departure and return inthe revisionary process.In light of the hierarchical structure of Rahner’s universalism, it is little wonder thatdetractors such as Kung take such deep offence at its perceived paternalism and distancefrom the actual religious consciousness of non-Christians. Kung and Rahner’s historicfalling out was over the issue of the infallibility of the Roman Catholic magisterium 143 ;Rahner’s default to the magisterium is also a stumbling block to the reception of his ideasby Protestant thinkers 144 .Evaluating the criticisms of Rahner’s universal Christian spirituality of silenceTo what extent do the criticisms of Rahner’s idea of a universal, silent experience ofChristian spirituality deter Christians from embracing this aspect of Rahner’s spiritualityof silence?142 ‘Mystagogical’: Facilitating participation in the life of the Spirit as it is expressed in the everyday,explained by Rahner in one interview in the following way: ‘bringing … what we believe into the closestpossible unity with … the act of faith itself, and thus showing what the tenets of faith actually mean for theindividual and society’, Ibid.143 For a fascinating and quite personal account of this see Bruce Van Vorst, ‘Kung and Rahner: duellingover infallibility’ and ‘Follow-up on the Kung-Rahner feud,’ The Christian Century, 88, 20 (May 1971):617-622 & 88, 34 (Aug 1971): 997-1000.144 See, The Cambridge companion to Rahner, 220-221.172
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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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may be described as a ‘mysticism
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possibilities but without a definit
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theologie) in which Rahner’s prim
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• around the concept and meaning
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knowledge. For we are not saved by
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silent experience of God—is able
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the immanent life of God’ 120 . T
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Investigations much like the biblic
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abandonment to the eternal life in
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Theology of mystery as dynamic chal
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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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