BENEATH THE WORDS - University of St. Michael's...
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D R . COLLEEN SHANTZ UNIVERSITY OF IN THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO ST. MICHAEL’S COLLEGE THE LETTERS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL ARE THE FIRST evangelistic documents in Christian history. In what ways might they have inspired “a life transfigured by God’s presence,” as Pope Francis puts it? The gospel as Paul presents it is more than ideas; the letters appeal to fully embodied people. For example, when Paul hears about the divisions in the assembly of Christians in Corinth he responds with a ritual: 20 For when you meet together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with your own meal, and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 1. MAKING THE ORDINARY SACRED In the earliest years of Christianity, memories of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection were shaped into narratives and rituals for use in the assemblies. In this passage, Paul’s places the Corinthians’ meal within the structure of Jesus’ last meal. In so doing he: — Links their communal eating to Christ’s meal practice (v. 23) — Places the Corinthian meal in the metaphysical time of God’s salvation (from the present “until he come”(v. 26) — Makes eating (not speaking) the means by which they proclaim the pascal mystery (v. 26) 2. CONNECTING LIVES TO ONE ANOTHER Paul makes the remarkable claim in this passage that the treatment of other people affects the health of the Corinthians: he says they are sick because of failing to properly observe their ties to one another (v. 30). Recent research in medical anthropology and social psychology recognises how actively a person’s biology is tied to those around them. The physical presence of others affects our autonomic nervous systems, including heart rate and neurochemicals: — To wait for one another thus increasing the awareness of the physical presence of others — To speak and move in unison, syncing their physiologies — To reimagine the members as a single collective, the body of Christ (v. 29) 3. TRANSFORMING EMOTIONAL EVALUATIONS Popular opinion often portrays reason and emotion as if they were opposites. In fact, a wide range of contemporary studies are demonstrating the deep mutual dependence of the two. Emotion is considered an appraisal system. It draws on our life experience and provides an automatic evaluation along with readiness to respond. But sometimes our emotions fall out of alignment with the situation around us and healthy religious communities can shape it into more constructive forms. The structure of the Lord’s supper generates new appraisals of the agency of Corinthians. They perceive their eating as neutral; the ritual highlights the many ways that they affect the world around them: — Their form of eating directly reflects the value of others (v. 22) — Christ’s self-giving models a pattern of love that extends beyond the table (vv.24, 27-29) “Jesus wants evangelizers who proclaim the good news not only with words, but above all by a life transfigured by God’s presence.” pope francis evangelii gaudium, §259 HOW RITUALS SHAPE HUMAN GOODNESS BENEATH THE WORDS
Transcript of BENEATH THE WORDS - University of St. Michael's...
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ST. MICHAEL’SCOLLEGE
THE LETTERS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL ARE THE FIRST evangelistic documents in Christian history. In what ways might they have inspired “a life transfigured by God’s presence,” as Pope Francis puts it? The gospel as Paul presents it is more than ideas; the letters appeal to fully embodied people. For example, when Paul hears about the divisions in the assembly of Christians in Corinth he responds with a ritual:
20 For when you meet together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with your own meal, and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.
1. MAKING THE ORDINARY SACREDIn the earliest years of Christianity, memories of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection were shaped into narratives and rituals for use in the assemblies. In this passage, Paul’s places the Corinthians’ meal within the structure of Jesus’ last meal. In so doing he:— Links their communal eating to Christ’s meal practice (v. 23)— Places the Corinthian meal in the metaphysical time of God’s salvation (from the present “until he come”(v. 26)— Makes eating (not speaking) the means by which they proclaim the pascal mystery (v. 26)
2. CONNECTING LIVES TO ONE ANOTHERPaul makes the remarkable claim in this passage that the treatment of other people affects the health of the Corinthians: he says they are sick because of failing to properly observe their ties to one another (v. 30). Recent research in medical anthropology and social psychology recognises how actively a person’s biology is tied to those around them. The physical presence of others affects our autonomic nervous systems, including heart rate and neurochemicals: — To wait for one another thus increasing the awareness of the physical presence of others— To speak and move in unison, syncing their physiologies — To reimagine the members as a single collective, the body of Christ (v. 29)
3. TRANSFORMING EMOTIONAL EVALUATIONSPopular opinion often portrays reason and emotion as if they were opposites. In fact, a wide range of contemporary studies are demonstrating the deep mutual dependence of the two. Emotion is considered an appraisal system. It draws on our life experience and provides an automatic evaluation along with readiness to respond. But sometimes our emotions fall out of alignment with the situation around us and healthy religious communities can shape it into more constructive forms.
The structure of the Lord’s supper generates new appraisals of the agency of Corinthians. They perceive their eating as neutral; the ritual highlights the many ways that they affect the world around them:— Their form of eating directly reflects the value of others (v. 22)— Christ’s self-giving models a pattern of love that extends beyond the table (vv.24, 27-29)
“Jesus wants evangelizers who
proclaim the good news not only with
words, but above all by a life transfigured by God’s presence.”
pope francisevangelii gaudium, §259
HOW RITUALS SHAPE HUMAN GOODNESS BENEATH THE WORDS
“The first setting in which faith enlightens the human city is
the family.”pope francis
lumen fidei, §52
PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL ACADEMIC PROJECTION
PATRICIA DAL BEN
Zdravko and Rachael
Extended family
Italian heritage
Roman Catholic
Dance
Vocation
Languages
Toronto
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts, York University
Bachelor of Education, York University
In progress Master of Theological Studies, University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto
DELUSIONS, DREAMS AND DESIRES
Personal, professional and academic demands
Art and Theology
Administration
Catholic Education in Canada and beyond
Pedagogy, practice and practical partnerships
Further studies…
TEACHER
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
Elementary and Secondary
Special Education Specialist
Academic Consultant: Religious Education and Faith Formation
Archdiocese of Toronto
WFMP & Youth
Pearson: Growing In Faith, Growing In Christ
OrdinandiUNIVERSITY OF
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PROBLEMATIC The following questions are central to democratic and ecclesial self-identity in the twenty-first century:
(i) Is democratic citizenship compatible with Christian formation? (ii) What are the moral foundations of democratic practice? (iii) What is the role of religion in public discourse? Alternative answers to such questions are highly contested and often reflect mutually exclusive accounts of human nature. How do we adjudicate between these accounts?
THE LIBERAL-COMMUNITARIAN DEBATE Contemporary political philosophers and theologians on both sides of the contemporary liberal-communitarian divide: — criticize the classical liberal tradition for its commitment to rationalism and individualism— share a commitment to tradition-dependent conceptions of knowledge and selfhood
Each side offers different diagnoses of and responses to modernity: (i) communitarians such as Alasdair Macintyre and Stanley Hauerwas regard the rise of constitutional democracy as an instance of civilizational decline — commend disengagement from democratic practice and the post-modern retrieval of premodern teleology
(ii) liberals such as John Rawls and Richard Rorty distinguish between the deficient self-understanding of classical liberalism and those features of democratic practice capable of rehabilitation— post-metaphysical or pragmatic retrievals of democratic practice that respect cultural and religious diversity
It is my contention that both sides in this increasingly stale debate are at least partially correct but that their shared commitment to post-modern presuppositions impugns their capacity to defend their basic claims or to harmonize the complementary insights present on both sides.
BERNARD LONERGAN ON POLITICAL DECLINE AND RETRIEVAL It is my contention that certain features in the work of Bernard Lonergan can supply the basis for a two-part response to this contemporary impasse:
(i) Lonergan’s historical narrative of decline— series of methodological oversights that culminate in the post-modern presuppositions that hinder rationally compelling resolution of the liberal-communitarian debate
(ii) Lonergan’s ‘modern’ retrieval of Aquinas — open-ended and empirically verifiable foundations for democratic practice compatible with cultural and religious diversity — the importance of the modern ‘turn to the subject’— transposition of natural law – thin conception of the good — transposition of sanctifying grace – transcultural phenomenon; love and democratic renewal
“Sometimes we hear: a good Catholic is not interested in politics.
This is not true: good Catholics immerse themselves in politics by
offering the best of themselves so that the
leader can govern.”pope francis
morning meditation, sept. 16, 2013
THE POLITICS OF DECLINE AND RETRIEVAL bernard lonergan’s foundations for democratic practice
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PURPOSEThe purpose of this project is to recover a relationship of Christians with Earth by rethinking what it means to be a community founded on the mission of Jesus while recognizing the needs of the ecological crisis. Historically, ecotheologians have attempted this by appealing to the cultivation of friendship between humans and the rest of creation but this falls short by simply advocating an attitudinal shift while lacking meaningful action. As the health of Earth continues to decline, we find ourselves in a dire situation that requires a total reinvention of the human and how the human relates to the rest of the world, which necessarily requires a reinvention of spirituality that recognizes all things as interconnected and infused with a unifying, attractive force that shapes all life. This shift in focus to the wider Earth community makes the Ecozoic erathe new mission field for Christians where our relationships focus on sustainability and integrity in relationship.
THESISTherefore this project advocates for a change in the understanding of what it means to be human in the Ecozoic era, prioritizing communal relationships that seek the renewal of the world. Earth, from the beginning, is created by God in the divine image and headed toward eschatological fulfillment in Christ, led by the Holy Spirit, which has already begun in Christ’s resurrection from the dead. We must acknowledge that Earth, like us, is already living this newness of life in the resurrection, which will know completion in the eschaton, and that right now Earth is in need of redemptive healing. As human beings, we must also recognize our appropriate place in the Earth community and, like the disciples, embrace our missional vocation to participate in this resurrection life by seeking a transformed future for all creation through our actions with each other and the other-than-human world.
METHODThe method employed in this project is a synthetic model that draws upon Thomas Berry’s vital empiricism and mythological framework based on human history, narrative, and tradition; and Edward Schillebeeckx’s inductive approach that gives primary importance to narrative and crit-ical engagement with God and others. Berry discusses the revelation of Earth as primary teacher that directs humans toward appropriate, viable living on the planet essential for maintaining our existence. This is complemented by Schillebeeckx’s emphasis on the importance of the res-urrection for informing Christian life today as a historical community of faithprioritizing the spiritual goal of renewing the world as we seek a better future. The two, taken together, provide a more complete vision for one another; Berry brings Schillebeeckx into conversation with the twenty-first century and Schillebeeckx provides Berry with a strong theological foundation for promoting this vision among Christians today.
“God is love. It is not a sentimental, emotional
kind of love but the love of the One
who is the origin of all life, the love of the
Son who dies on the Cross and is raised,
the love of the Spirit who renews human
beings and the world.”pope francis
angelus address, may 26, 2013
THE VIABLE HUMAN WITH EARTH resurrection in the ecological age
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MISSION STATEMENT In expressing our concern for the ecological crisis, the Institute seeks integrative methods for contributing to the healing of the Earth in all of its life systems. The Elliott Allen Institute for Theology & Ecology (EAITE) is a collaborative teaching and research institute that offers a Certificate of Specialization in Theology and Ecology in each of the graduate programs of the Faculty of Theology at the University of St. Michael’s College, part of the Toronto School of Theology in the University of Toronto. Interdisciplinary by definition, the Institute facilitates serious contact between the theological disciplines and the scientific, cosmological, and cultural paradigm shifts that are shaping our times.
EARNING A CERTIFICATE OF SPECIALIZATION IN THEOLOGY AND ECOLOGYOnce a student is enrolled in any of the graduate programmes at the Toronto School of Theology, she or he can apply to the Institute to establish a personal path toward attaining a certificate of specialization in theology and ecology. Certain courses that satisfy the requirements of the student’s graduate programme can concurrently satisfy the requirements of the specialization in theology and ecology.
SOME OF OUR GRADUATESDr. Heather Eaton, St. Paul’s University, Ottawa, ONDr. Jai-Don Lee, Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South KoreaDr. Kwang-Sun Choi, Honan Theological University and Seminary, Gwangju, South Korea Dr. Leon Chartrand, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OHDr. Catherine Wright, Wingate University, NCDr. Linda Gregg, Villa St. Joseph, Coburg, ON
BOOKS AND FILMS FROM EAITE Anne Lonergan and Caroline Richards, eds., Thomas Berry and the New CosmologyStephen Dunn and Anne Lonergan, eds., Befriending the EarthThe Universe Story (film)Canadian Passionist Tribute to Thomas Berry (film)The New Ecotheologians (film)
“All need … an ‘ecological conversion,’ whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the
world around them. Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a
secondaryaspect of our Christian experience.”pope francis
letter for the establishment of world day of prayer for the care of creation, sept. 15, 2015
THROUGH THE ELLIOTT ALLEN INSTITUTE FOR THEOLOGY & ECOLOGY (EAITE), ST. MICHAEL’S SEEKS TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO THE HEALING OF THE EARTH IN ALL ITS LIFE SYSTEMS, AND EXPRESS ITS CONCERN FOR THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS OF THE PLANET.
COLLABORATIVE ECOLOGICAL HEALING
