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

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spirituality of St. Ignatius and his first and (arguably) most significant book of prayers,Encounters with silence. Chapters four and five focus on the further development of theconcept by focusing on his academic theology of mystery and of word and sacrament.The final chapter focuses primarily on the potential conversations between the conceptsof Rahner’s spirituality of silence and various approaches to and understandings ofspirituality within the broader contemporary culture.It should be noted that contemporary Rahner scholarship increasingly views synergies ofmeaning between Rahner’s devotional spiritual writings and his complex academictheology. Therefore it should not surprise the reader to find that the ongoing developmentof the concept of spirituality of silence in relation to the later chapters echoes, reinforcesand expands on the insights drawn from his biography, spiritual roots and primary textrather than introduces radically new and different ideas. The purpose of including themore laborious exegesis of Rahner’s academic theology is the conviction that thetheological basis of spiritual effect is important 4 and that a holistic sense of Rahner in allof his dimensions is necessary for a balanced view. In addition it may also be said that animportant dimension of Rahner’s spirituality is reflected in the great lengths that he wentto in assisting the Church in re-framing its understanding of a truly authentic way ofbeing spiritual in a contemporary world. In this sense, his complex theologizing may beunderstood as an authentic expression of his spiritual zeal as well as a delicate anddemanding intellectual exercise.This thesis offers a positive interpretation of Karl Rahner from the conviction that his lifeand work offers a most important spiritual legacy that ought to be made broadlyaccessible. That being said, this thesis does not ignore the various and inevitabletheological criticisms associated with his work and seeks to include some where relevantin the conversation. Clearly, not everything that Rahner said and did is immediatelyrelevant and even legible to the contemporary Christian or spiritual seeker. It is no doubttrue that many of Rahner’s philosophical constructions of the existential spiritual life are4 Whilst Rahner himself consistently advocated the importance of a spirituality of experience his life andwork exemplify his view that developing and understanding a coherent theology of the spiritual life was initself an important and necessary part of engaging both God and humanity with the whole person.iii
somewhat superseded by more recent developments of thought and by the sheer reality ofthe knowledge explosion in our information age. As with any historical leader inChristian thought and practice, even one whose passing is as relatively recent as Rahner’s(1985), there can be no simple ‘cut and paste’ application of their thought. There is,however, something about this Roman Catholic theologian that profoundly speaks todeep longings in our time and culture for meaningful connection to the sacred andtranscendent. It is the profound hope of this author that in some small way this text mightbecome the basis of a bridge between a great spiritual director and a contemporaryculture so desperately in need of a renewed connection to the sacred element of humanexistence.iv
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: The particular angle from which thi
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 and 28: As you see, at the top of the carto
Page 29 and 30: Central to Rahner’s thinking is t
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
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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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ecause the phonetic sound of the wo
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alone that enables individuals to f
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Chapter 5: Word and sacrament—exp
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The centrality of scripture, and it
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What makes the words of scripture d
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silence. He felt that the movement
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with humanity—his ‘economic’
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Having discerned their revelatory c
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fulfilment in following the absolut
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Rahner’s transcendental perspecti
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toward which it points. God’s wor
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sacramental: a sign in which God’
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In light of the implications of Rah
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who, like mystics, experience such
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The juxtaposition of two articles
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These two interpretations of Rahner
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Rahner advocates that all believers
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The sacrament of the wordIn reflect
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‘theological aesthetics’. With
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Many things in life act as signs th
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Rahner’s dual commitment to recei
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living human being, and each indivi
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The church is sacramental in the se
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spiritual rhythms that trace direct
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the missionary tasks of the Church;
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unhelpful assumptions that diminish
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expressions of mystagogical 142 ini
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Does this lead Rahner into compromi
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) ) an ongoing contemporary influen
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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
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
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