Divine providence, as traditionally conceived, keeps historical time subordinate to
God’s sovereignty so that the divine plan for it is fulfilled. This article argues that
the starting point for theologizing about providence ought to be the logic of radical
generosity in play when the divine Thou creates historical time as a reality unto itself
by giving it an unprecedented future. Providence does not protect the historically
conditioned universe from this future; it draws the universe into it. The human
experience of grace offers us a paradigmatic example of this.

This article offers a theological vision of how nonviolence contributes to Catholic social teaching, and offers a crosscutting, intersectional praxis related to two destructive waves in the US: the public health crisis of COVID-19 and systemic racism. First, this article will describe some basic intersections of these two waves, and then draw on a theological description of nonviolence to analyze their intersectionality. Finally, this article will illustrate how nonviolence offers a praxis for a more sustainable transformation.

Drawing on the spiritual autobiography of the nineteenth-century Black female preacher Zilpha Elaw, this article argues that it should be included in the canon of Christian mystical texts because it sheds light on questions about race and gender relevant to current conflicts in both church and society. Elaw’s story demonstrates that while the grace of divine union promotes social transformation, it may not immediately free one from structures of sin. Mystical spirituality requires ongoing critical discernment.

In response to the essay by members of the KU Leuven project “Dissenting Church,” I argue that they overlook the metaphysics underlying much of the church’s twentieth-century thought on tradition, leading to unnecessary dichotomies, such as whether tradition changes or is unchanging.

The idea of American exceptionalism has been present through much of American
history. But the idea is often abstracted: The character and purpose of the United
States are rendered as timeless and glorified attributes apart from the sinfulness
and limits of history. In this response to Thomas Massaro’s essay, I examine the
historicized nature of the idea in both a spirit of criticism and construction. If Catholic
social ethics is to contribute to a renewal of the idea of American exceptionalism, it
must do so in an historicized and contextual key.

Given how moral subjectivity and action are constituted within networks of interpersonal and social relations as they negotiate emerging questions and insights, this moral note addresses (a) enduring, individualistic signs of the times in cultural, ecclesial, and methodological contexts; (b) models of agency that center our social and finite dimensions; and (c) what such contexts and scholarship suggest for an agenda for moral agency today. It proposes that deeper attention to the function of internalized structures, the graces of failure and disorientation, and responses to ambiguity are warranted to meet the moment, between the times.

Bernard Lonergan develops a rich theology of prayer in his article “The Mediation of Christ in Prayer.” When his theology of prayer is integrated with his soteriology, theology of history, and argument for theology as a praxis, it reveals the role of prayer in historical recovery and yields a revitalized theology of the cross. More particularly, Lonergan recommends prayerfully encountering Christ’s redemptive deeds in Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises. This encounter cultivates the real apprehension of the mystery of redemption that is both the principle of historical recovery and the heart of a revitalized theology of the cross that neither trivializes evil nor sacralizes violence.

This article argues that the idea of creation provided the early church with an integrative framework by which to contemplate nature. Rather than being understood merely as backdrop to the spiritual life, nature was taken as the site in which the drama of the divine economy was revealed. A retrieval of this stance could have value for the contemporary church. This will be explored with reference to a recent ecumenical initiative for a “Feast of Creation” across worldwide communions.

This article serves as an often-overlooked reference point, containing, for example, rich concepts that are attested in Emmanuel Falque’s lesser-known works. However, this article is important because it helps readers grapple with the shape of his thought, not only as it incorporates key elements of Catholic spirituality but also as it shows how Falque the philosopher sometimes discerns his thought by “thinking with the church” in a very Ignatian sense. Falque believes that writing is a personal disclosure, and his reflections on Pope Francis demonstrate this by highlighting his own interest in the Jesuit and Franciscan charisms.