Research Article

Dei Verbum and the Roots of Synodality

This article shows how Pope Francis’s notion of “synodality” brings together central tenets of the comprehensive vision of the Second Vatican Council. The article proposes that the roots of synodality can be found, above all, in Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum.

De Lubac and Suárez: A Reappraisal

Because of his hostility to pure nature theory, Henri de Lubac has typically been viewed as opposing Francisco Suárez’s metaphysics. His proximate target was the neo-Suárezianism to which he was exposed during his Jesuit formation. Suárez was the Jesuit order’s intellectual founding father and his ideas continued to shape Jesuit philosophy and theology, sometimes in opposition to neo-Thomism. Although de Lubac contested Suárez’s promotion of new and modern theology, Suárez positively informed his approach to key topics: appetite and its end; nature, desire, and the supernatural; the perfection of nature; essences as unique existents; eclecticism; and political resistance.

El Cristo Roto: The Inverse Mutuality of the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and in the Poor and Afflicted

Catholic Christian faith affirms that Christ is present both in the Eucharist and in the poor and afflicted. Yet theological reflection on the relation between these modes of presence remains considerably less developed than their prominence in the lived practice of the faithful would suggest. On an epistemic level, the same eyes of faith and love that recognize Christ in the Eucharist perceive Christ in the poor and afflicted, and vice versa. But this reciprocity issues in different, even contrary responses. Whereas the first mode of presence mediates the riches of participating in divine life and calls for worship and celebration, the second exhibits a privation that calls perceivers to unbind and repair the plight that provoked its appearance. As mutually entwined, both modes work in tandem to induce the church from inverse directions toward the just peace and reconciled love of the whole Christ.

A Most Novel Continuity: Correlating the Theologies of History of Bernard Lonergan and Henri de Lubac

In terms of their interests and methodologies, Bernard Lonergan and Henri de Lubac seem at first blush to be incommensurable worlds apart. Closer examination shows their basic positions on the theology of history to be not only compatible but also complementary. Both place Christ’s redemptive act as the constitutive meaning of history, with all that follows as the expansion of this act through Christ’s Mystical Body. De Lubac’s account of Christ as the bestower of novel meaning provides a more intensive christological focus to Lonergan’s construal of the unified continuity of human agency. Lonergan, in turn, provides greater theoretical controls of meaning to the Lubacian account.

Purely Penal Law: A Reconsideration

The concept of purely penal law, as developed by the Spanish Jesuit Francisco Suárez in the early seventeenth century, argues that promulgated law is neither morally binding upon the citizen nor conceived as a moral requirement by legislators. Rather, the law is strictly punitive in its intent and function. The theory, which grants the individual the right to determine law’s rational and moral significance, touched off a heated debate that has been renewed at various times in history yet has not resurfaced since the mid-twentieth century. This article argues for the veracity and legitimacy of the concept in light of contemporary legal and penal dynamics. It also argues that the Catholic Church should take notice of its insights in its understanding of the relationship between church and state.

To Dream in North and South America: Reflections on the Sixtieth Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech

This article reflects on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech delivered
sixty years ago in Washington, DC. It begins by pointing to the concept of “dream”
as it is understood in current language and how Dr. King used it in a theological way.
Next, the essay compares this with what Pope Francis has frequently said about
dreams, including his own. Reflecting on King’s words and the sense that the dream
he spoke about is still not a reality but a horizon of hope that stimulates struggle,
the article presents a comparative study of racism in the United States, according
to King, and Brazil, where structural racism permeates the whole society, delaying
indefinitely the dream of equality and justice. I also show how liberation theology has
been a helpful element in the struggle to keep the dream of equality alive. I

Rethinking Gregory of Nyssa’s Mystical Theology: The Role of Hostile Powers in Homilies on the Song of Songs

The aim of this article is to rethink the way scholarship conceives Gregory of Nyssa’s so-called mystical theology by directing attention to his account of hostile powers in the Homilies on the Song of Songs. In recent decades, debates on “divine darkness” have governed scholarly readings of Christian progress in the homilies. However, through his allegorical commentary, Gregory also provides an extensive account of the history, ontology, and activity of the devil and demons, while also instructing Christians on how to defeat them. According to this account, only Christ is victorious in the proper sense. Therefore, believers must participate in Christ’s victory by journeying the way of the Homilies on the Song of Songs. This begins with baptism and continues with self-knowing, prayer, pure thoughts, and correct worship. Therefore, these homilies—communicating Gregory’s vision of “divine darkness”— also provide an extensive account of how to overcome adversarial powers whose goal is to prevent the bride’s union with God.

New Horizons for Justice in Theologies of Childhood and Children

Catholic theologians have called for a more robust theology of childhood and children in light of global clergy sexual abuse. While affirming the need to develop more substantive theological reflection about children, I express concern that Catholic thought on this topic has been adultist, solely reflecting adults’ perspectives and concerns to the detriment of children. To relate to children justly and engage in theological scholarship that fosters a child-safe culture, theologians must undergo a conversion to a childist orientation and methodology. This article examines how Karl Rahner’s theology reflects adultist aspects common to the broader Christian tradition but also offers positive resources for inspiring conversion. Drawing on Rahner’s theology, Margaret Farley’s account of justice, and my child-centered research, I offer preliminary ideas on the features and benefits of a childist orientation in theology.

“This Is Not Our Culture”: Probing the African Bishops’ Use of the Cultural Argument

In their response to the declaration Fiducia Supplicans, many African bishops used culture as an argument to reject the possibility of blessing same-sex couples. This article probes and shows the extent of the inconsistency of the appeal to culture by the African bishops. It uses the issue of polygamy as a point of contrast: appeals to African culture are never used to justify this widespread practice among Africans or any pastoral flexibility toward it. The article also compares Vatican II’s understanding of culture (Gaudium et Spes) with that of the African bishops. It shows that the African bishops’ understanding of culture tends to be narrow and focused on the past. Finally, the article looks at culture as a source of Christian morals and demonstrates that culture can be only a secondary source.

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