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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

The counter to Rahner’s complex, ‘scientific’ 58 theologising: his far more readable bookson prayer, spirituality, and his recorded homilies. Here it seems that Rahner, like IgnatiusLoyola (the founder of the order), writes down what has been helpful in his own spirituallife and invites others to use these writings as a starting point and guide to their ownspiritual journey. It is often noted that Rahner’s first and last books are collections ofprayers—one written at the beginning of his career (Encounters with silence) and onepublished at the very end (Prayers for a lifetime). Modras comments that these twoprayer books are ‘no less important or substantiative than his more scholarly essays’ 59 ,echoing the common sentiment expressed by various Rahner scholars 60 that the essenceof Rahner’s thinking can be accessed through his devotional works; this genre allowsRahner’s underlying intellectual arguments to be expressed more implicitly and hisspecifically Christian vocabulary to be expressed more explicitly 61 .As reading Rahner in both genres reveals the echoes of each in the other, this thesisargues that one theologian is present in two genres: there is never a time when Rahnerwrites with an exclusive bent to intellectual scholarship, or when his intellectual viewsare not an expression of his devotional experience of God.Content—theological compression and unfoldingRahner has a reputation as a theologian of great breadth in the scope of his topicalconcerns. It is also often said that he is not ‘systematic’: it is difficult to identify aparticular theme or structure for his overall work.Although this is true in part, there is also a significant view that Rahner’s multi-faceted,complex project does indeed reveal a centralising principle and locus. Egan explains hisview of this central principle as follows:58 A word that Rahner used in relation to the intellectual demands of Christian theologising.59 Ibid, 205.60 See for example Vorgrimler, Understanding Karl Rahner, 10; D. Marmion, A spirituality of everydayfaith – a theological investigation of the notion of spirituality in Karl Rahner (Louvain: Peeters Press,1998), 41-53; J. O’Donnell, Karl Rahner – Life in the Spirit (Rome: Gregorian University Press, 2004), 8.61 For a discussion on Rahner’s explicit Christian vocabulary in his ‘spiritual’ writings see, J. Bacik, ‘IsRahner obsolete ? – what his critics get wrong’, Commonweal 132 (2) (2005): 23.19
Central to Rahner’s thinking is the notion that what is at the core of everyperson’s deepest experience, what haunts every human heart, is a God whosemystery, light, and love have embraced the total person. God works in everyperson’s life as the One to whom we say our inmost yes or no. We may deny this,ignore it or repress it, but deep down we know that God is in love with us and weare all at least secretly in love with one another 62 .Egan goes on to define Rahner’s central theological view as ‘mystical’ because itattempts to compress, to simplify, and to concentrate all Christian beliefs and practices byindicating how they evoke the experience of God’s loving self-communication to us in63the crucified and risen Christ’ . In a similar vein, Modras proposes thatRahner’s theology of grace—God’s universal self-giving addressing us, oftenanonymously, at the innermost core of our beings—constitutes the unifying thread64that pervades and colours virtually all the rest of his thought .Rahner makes various statements about central aspects of his thinking. He discusses thehistorical notion in Catholic theology of the incomprehensibility of God as taking a moreradical, controlling centre in contemporary theology65 : Rahner’s way of saying that themystical experience of God is a guiding hermeneutic for the interpretation of statementsabout God.Rahner also mentions the approach to thinking that he learned from his philosophicalteacher and mentor, Martin Heidegger.One may perhaps say that it is not specific doctrines that I have taken fromHeidegger, but rather a style of thinking and of investigating which has provedmost valuable. This may be described as a method or approach by which one doesnot examine dogmatic truths as evidence derived from positive sources, but oneseeks to construct a synthesis. One takes the various dogmatic propositions andreduces them to certain fundamental principles 66 .Rahner does not refer to the philosophical Heidegger as a source of theological contentbut as a mentor for a process of thinking about theological content. This processcontributed to what has become known as Rahner’s ‘transcendental approach’ (discussed62 Translator’s introduction to Rahner, I remember, 3.63 Ibid, 4.64 Modras, Ignatian humanism, 228.65 Ibid, 58.66Karl Rahner in dialogue, 1986, 13.20
Page 1 and 2: ‘A Spirituality of silence’An i
Page 3 and 4: Chapter 4: The human experience of
Page 5 and 6: Summary of thesis:This thesis offer
Page 7 and 8: The particular angle from which thi
Page 9 and 10: somewhat superseded by more recent
Page 11 and 12: Rahner: I have nothing against that
Page 13 and 14: One brief but notable spiritual inf
Page 15 and 16: dialectic between these two, has le
Page 17 and 18: odies of knowledge, history and alt
Page 19 and 20: superiors, having decided that he w
Page 21 and 22: High School Week, Rahner began his
Page 23 and 24: Earlier in this chapter, Rahner’s
Page 25 and 26: These anecdotes testify that Rahner
Page 27: As you see, at the top of the carto
Page 31 and 32: Kilby notes that in regard to this
Page 33 and 34: Introduced by Cardinal König to a
Page 35 and 36: influence will continue to spread a
Page 37 and 38: We see from Rahner’s pastoral con
Page 39 and 40: European power 4 , and that he was
Page 41 and 42: Over a period of days and weeks, th
Page 43 and 44: The outcome of this encounter: the
Page 45 and 46: Modras has pointed out that Ignatiu
Page 47 and 48: Rahner the Ignatian spiritual direc
Page 49 and 50: facilitate this joyful and liberati
Page 51 and 52: Rahner’s often-quoted comment tha
Page 53 and 54: The master of the Exercises in no w
Page 55 and 56: Endean argues that Rahner is interp
Page 57 and 58: The Ignatian Exercises—especially
Page 59 and 60: provision of appropriate spiritual
Page 61 and 62: their existential encounter, they a
Page 63 and 64: Chapter 3: Spirituality of silence
Page 65 and 66: which the spiritual pilgrim finds t
Page 67 and 68: Lord, to pray my whole life long wi
Page 69 and 70: Encounters with silence: strictures
Page 71 and 72: a long highway filled by a column o
Page 73 and 74: gaze; they prefer to stay safe, ris
Page 75 and 76: This experience is life’s true es
Page 77 and 78: Christians can experience the full
Page 79 and 80:
Rahner does not claim for himself t
Page 81 and 82:
example, it would limit God to say,
Page 83 and 84:
will and love of God: then the diam
Page 85 and 86:
Echoes of Ignatius’ Exercises are
Page 87 and 88:
Chapter 4: The human experience of
Page 89 and 90:
proximity, the silence that leads e
Page 91 and 92:
‘listening to the freely proffere
Page 93 and 94:
approach; he is not arguing against
Page 95 and 96:
must occur in history—time, space
Page 97 and 98:
The most obvious criticism of Rahne
Page 99 and 100:
Schleiermacher: seeking to build a
Page 101 and 102:
and his meditations in Encounters w
Page 103 and 104:
theological method, and the importa
Page 105 and 106:
spirit dancing together in apprecia
Page 107 and 108:
choosing to enter into the mystery
Page 109 and 110:
may be described as a ‘mysticism
Page 111 and 112:
possibilities but without a definit
Page 113 and 114:
theologie) in which Rahner’s prim
Page 115 and 116:
• around the concept and meaning
Page 117 and 118:
knowledge. For we are not saved by
Page 119 and 120:
silent experience of God—is able
Page 121 and 122:
the immanent life of God’ 120 . T
Page 123 and 124:
Investigations much like the biblic
Page 125 and 126:
abandonment to the eternal life in
Page 127 and 128:
Theology of mystery as dynamic chal
Page 129 and 130:
ecause the phonetic sound of the wo
Page 131 and 132:
alone that enables individuals to f
Page 133 and 134:
Chapter 5: Word and sacrament—exp
Page 135 and 136:
The centrality of scripture, and it
Page 137 and 138:
What makes the words of scripture d
Page 139 and 140:
silence. He felt that the movement
Page 141 and 142:
with humanity—his ‘economic’
Page 143 and 144:
Having discerned their revelatory c
Page 145 and 146:
fulfilment in following the absolut
Page 147 and 148:
Rahner’s transcendental perspecti
Page 149 and 150:
toward which it points. God’s wor
Page 151 and 152:
sacramental: a sign in which God’
Page 153 and 154:
In light of the implications of Rah
Page 155 and 156:
who, like mystics, experience such
Page 157 and 158:
The juxtaposition of two articles
Page 159 and 160:
These two interpretations of Rahner
Page 161 and 162:
Rahner advocates that all believers
Page 163 and 164:
The sacrament of the wordIn reflect
Page 165 and 166:
‘theological aesthetics’. With
Page 167 and 168:
Many things in life act as signs th
Page 169 and 170:
Rahner’s dual commitment to recei
Page 171 and 172:
living human being, and each indivi
Page 173 and 174:
The church is sacramental in the se
Page 175 and 176:
spiritual rhythms that trace direct
Page 177 and 178:
the missionary tasks of the Church;
Page 179 and 180:
unhelpful assumptions that diminish
Page 181 and 182:
expressions of mystagogical 142 ini
Page 183 and 184:
Does this lead Rahner into compromi
Page 185 and 186:
) ) an ongoing contemporary influen
Page 187 and 188:
Hosek shifts the soteriological foc
Page 189 and 190:
Is this vision of silent spirituali
Page 191 and 192:
Being in silence as a way of creati
Page 193 and 194:
word of life and hope within them.
Page 195 and 196:
Level 1:PremoralStage 2:Instrumenta
Page 197 and 198:
These new monastics see the local c
Page 199 and 200:
eliefs that have been tried and tes
Page 201 and 202:
of mature theological reflection co
Page 203 and 204:
ecognised in his Christological ass
Page 205 and 206:
inability or unwillingness of the e
Page 207 and 208:
Kanyini—an Australian Aboriginal
Page 209 and 210:
The film Kanyini demonstrates the c
Page 211 and 212:
estless and always in a hurry to ge
Page 213 and 214:
considered the sole and ultimate au
Page 215 and 216:
We define spirituality as a conscio
Page 217 and 218:
supportive conversation with expres
Page 219 and 220:
A glance at table 4 75 (above), Hug
Page 221 and 222:
In the worldview of contemporary Au
Page 223 and 224:
It certainly seems somewhat disinge
Page 225 and 226:
A good starting point for examining
Page 227 and 228:
Christian contemplative-prayer trad
Page 229 and 230:
Of course, a small number of the vi
Page 231 and 232:
For better or for worse, and despit
Page 233 and 234:
energy, intellect, prayer, love and
Page 235 and 236:
Rahner, K. Karl Rahner - Prayers an
Page 237 and 238:
Kelly, G.B. (ed.). Karl Rahner - th
Page 239 and 240:
Van Vorst, B. ‘Kung and Rahner: d
Page 241 and 242:
Harden, J.A. ‘Ignatian Spirituali
Page 243:
Tyson, P. ‘Contemporary Australia
show all

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

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?