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

Being in silence as a way of creating sacred space for the direct and immediateexperience of GodKarl Rahner models for the Christian community a way of doing theology that involvessolitude and time spent in reflection. His spirituality of the everyday is illuminated by hisexperience of the silence and solitude of the Ignatian spiritual retreat. His prayerfultheology and his theologising prayers emerge from the places of sacred silence where hefinds the courage to openly and honestly face the mystery of his own existence. Rahner’sprayer language shows that he is willing to take the time to wrestle with God in theinfinite spaces where, eventually, he finds hope and salvation in the personal experienceof the deeply existential ‘word’ of divine love. Others find spiritual meaning in Rahner’sprayer language precisely because his words convey the wisdom of the desert. His wordsare both ‘into’ and ‘from’ the silence and beckon others also into the mystery of retreat asboth an actual practice and as a way of being everyday.A rhythm of connection between proclamation and contemplationKarl Rahner models a way of offering spiritual direction inviting others into the silence.In this sense he models a spiritual leadership that doesn’t always have to be in control anddoesn’t need to dictate the outcomes of spiritual growth. His words come from silence,beckoning others into silence, and allowing the ‘creator to deal directly with thecreature’ 3 . In this sense, proclamation becomes a resource for immediate encounter withGod rather than the proscription for how and what must happen.The mutual nature of spiritual directionIf the essence of the spiritual life emerges from direct encounter with God that occurs at alevel deeper than words, then the words that come from such an encounter will beexpressed by many voices. Rahner’s idea of the dynamic element in the church envisagesa community engaged in a dialogue of mutual submission members speak with each otherabout their reflections on the immediate encounter. Tradition is involved in thisconversation and maintains an authoritative but not exclusive role. The Holy Scripturesand the sacraments are involved as resources and witnesses to the broader global realityof divine presence in and through all things. From silence and into silence humans ascend3 To use the terminology of Ignatius.182