The True "New Eve": Ben Wildflower's Magnificat And The Second Creation Story,
2023
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
The True "New Eve": Ben Wildflower's Magnificat And The Second Creation Story, Mary L. Parks
Obsculta
Images of the Virgin Mary have provided comfort to Christians for almost two thousand years. Many of these images have depicted the Mother of God as gentle, demure, pure, and obedient. Ben Wildflower’s woodcut, Magnificat, imagines another side of Mary’s story. This paper considers the second creation story, “New Eve” typology, and church teaching about current social and environmental issues to demonstrate why Magnificat is an ideal portrait for the true “New Eve”.
The Nature And Importance Of Christian Spirituality,
2023
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
The Nature And Importance Of Christian Spirituality, Gilbert Perez
Obsculta
This short work is a meditation on Exodus 3:11, where Moses asks God who he is to do what God has commanded. Spiritual Theology has to do with the persons' interior life and its importance to theology and Christian life as a whole. Many Christians cannot explain in detail about their spirituality and it poses many problems as much as many opportunities what it can mean for Christian life if it is better understood.
Blessed, Broken, And Shared,
2023
Boston College
Blessed, Broken, And Shared, Joseph Penny
Obsculta
This paper seeks to boldly confront the evils of racism while simultaneously pointing to a renewed baptismal ecclesiology and a praxis of radical communion as a way forward. Venturing into the unknown, we will persevere onward to the road less traveled by briefly charting the Catholic Church's historical cooperation with White Supremacy. We will also celebrate the wisdom gleaned from Black and Latin American communities and their seemingly mundane yet deeply sacred rituals.
Christ In You Is Your Hope Of Glory: Exploring Colossians In The Sunday Lectionary,
2023
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
Christ In You Is Your Hope Of Glory: Exploring Colossians In The Sunday Lectionary, Maggie Nadalin
Obsculta
This paper was submitted in the Fall of 2022 as an assignment for LTGY 421: The Liturgical Year and the Word of God, exploring the use of Paul's letter to the Colossians in the lectionary cycle.
Widening The Lens From Genesis 19:5 To Genesis 18 And 19: A Remedy For Transmitted Blindness,
2023
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
Widening The Lens From Genesis 19:5 To Genesis 18 And 19: A Remedy For Transmitted Blindness, Kelly Olson
Obsculta
This article is the product of an exercise in scriptural interpretation. The text of Genesis 18 and 19 were chosen due to an awareness of a common theme propagated by culture and the desire to better understand the content of the text using tools of interpretation that connect ancient text with contemporary human experience in hopes to open access to a diverse population that nurtures and elevates creation rather than divide and harm marginalized populations.
Two Churches, One Vision: Sacred Architecture As A Reflection Of Benedictine Values And Liturgical Reform,
2023
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
Two Churches, One Vision: Sacred Architecture As A Reflection Of Benedictine Values And Liturgical Reform, Katheryn Wethli
Obsculta
This piece compares the architecture of the worshipping spaces of Saint Benedict's Monastery's Sacred Heart Chapel and Saint John's Abbey Church; presenting how the worshiping spaces uplift their monastic communities’ Benedictine values and demonstrate their monastic call towards evangelizing the Gospel in the modern world, highlighting the liturgical reforms of the mid-20th century.
Isaiah 7:10-25: The Climax Of The Messianic Expectation,
2023
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
Isaiah 7:10-25: The Climax Of The Messianic Expectation, Thong K. Tran
Obsculta
Is there a man called Messiah who was promised by God? Did he come? Or will he come? Isaiah gave the most straightforward prophecy — Isaiah 7:10-25 — about him. Since then, a lot of efforts have been made to figure out "Who is he?" However, to acknowledge Jesus as the only fulfillment of the messianic expectation, a possibly correct interpretation is not enough. One also needs a leap of faith.
Incarnate Spirits: The Embodied Roots Of Worship,
2023
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
Incarnate Spirits: The Embodied Roots Of Worship, Henry O. Widdicombe
Obsculta
Spirituality is “how the Spirit of Jesus enables Christians to grow into fullness with God in this life and in particular historical circumstances.” The role of the community is definitive in shaping the spirituality of an individual and the interior dynamism of spirit is contextualized by incarnate experience. This piece employs the thought of Bernard Lonergan, SJ bolstered with the work of two Lonergan scholars, Ian Bell and Timothy Brunk, on the notion of a “worshipful” pattern of experience.
Teresa Of Avila's Inward Journey To Spiritual Growth,
2023
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
Teresa Of Avila's Inward Journey To Spiritual Growth, Anne Cahill
Obsculta
This essay describes the basic structure of Teresa's understanding of spiritual growth as depicted in her seven "dwelling places" in the Interior Castle. It places emphasis upon where God invites our cooperation (cooperative grace) and where God acts alone(operative grace). It includes how this spiritual growth affects our prayer, and our relationships with other people.
The Role Of Darkness And Trial In Spiritual Growth As Described In The Cloud Of Unknowing,
2023
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
The Role Of Darkness And Trial In Spiritual Growth As Described In The Cloud Of Unknowing, Carrie O'Neil-Smith
Obsculta
This essay was written in Professor Michael Rubbelke's class titled "Growing into God: Spiritual Development in the Christian Tradition." The piece looks at darkness and trial and three resulting fruits of spiritual growth: humility, knowledge of one's true nature, and an experience of God's pure love as described in the fourteenth century work The Cloud of Unknowing.
How To Talk About God: Origen And Gregory Of Nazianzus On Divine Transcendence And Theological Language,
2023
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
How To Talk About God: Origen And Gregory Of Nazianzus On Divine Transcendence And Theological Language, Coleman S. Kimbrough
Obsculta
This article discusses the doctrine of God of the early Church Fathers Origen and Gregory of Nazianzus. According to these two theologians, the tension between God's transcendence and God's immanence conditions the language we use to name and describe God. Such "God-talk" is necessarily limited by the ontological divide between the human and the divine. Using Origen and Gregory as reference points, I examine how the precise and careful use of apophatic, cataphatic, and analogical language is necessary to properly account for both God's eternal nature and God's work in the material world.
Nonviolent Communication: A Foundational Skill For Ministry,
2023
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
Nonviolent Communication: A Foundational Skill For Ministry, Mary L. Parks
Obsculta
A need for more formation has been identified during the continental phase of the Synod on Synodality. Furthermore, a conference of the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative has observed a lack of time devoted to nonviolence in existing Catholic formation. This paper will demonstrate how incorporating Nonviolent Communication (NVC) into formation will meet these needs.
Keeping Covenant: The Story And Scholarly Scrutiny Of David And Goliath,
2023
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
Keeping Covenant: The Story And Scholarly Scrutiny Of David And Goliath, Peter Tran
Obsculta
The story of David and Goliath is a tale of courage, duty, and faith in God. What is taken for granted, however, is whether or not David was actually the one who killed Goliath. Some critical scholars have begun to question the long-standing claim that David defeated Goliath. So, who really killed him and what are the theological implications? A thorough examination will shed light on this question.
Jesus' Identity As "The Son Of God" Revealed In The Narrative "The Transfiguration Of Jesus" (Mark 9:2-8),
2023
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
Jesus' Identity As "The Son Of God" Revealed In The Narrative "The Transfiguration Of Jesus" (Mark 9:2-8), Hang T.H. Nguyen Op
Obsculta
This article is an exegesis of the narrative “The Transfiguration of Jesus” in Mark 9: 2-8, the powerful evidence of Jesus’ full identity as the “Son of God” and the manifestation of His glorious state that are inseparable from his suffering, death, and resurrection. His final triumph must take place in and through his suffering and death. Thus, we, as his followers, are invited to participate in the future triumph and glory of God by following his “way” to gain the promised glory.
Self-Revelation Of God In Jesus Christ As Love And The Kingdom Of God In Walter Kasper's Jesus The Christ,
2023
College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
Self-Revelation Of God In Jesus Christ As Love And The Kingdom Of God In Walter Kasper's Jesus The Christ, Hang T.H. Nguyen Op
Obsculta
This article is an examination of the Christology of Walter Kasper, a German Catholic cardinal and theologian. Through his work of Jesus the Christ, Kasper shows God’s self-revelation as love in the person Jesus Christ – the earthly and the exalted Jesus, who brings to human beings the message of his Kingdom, in which they can attain salvation, joy, peace, and justice.
Eschatology And Christian Ethics: An Argument For Disabled Beatitude,
2023
College of the Holy Cross
Eschatology And Christian Ethics: An Argument For Disabled Beatitude, Marco Peter Spataro
Religious Studies Honors Theses
Catholic eschatology studies four elements of the afterlife: Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell. The primary purpose of this paper will be to evaluate the prerequisites for beatification, the state of being for souls elevated to heavenly status. This paper will seek to argue in favor of disabled beatification, particularly for the souls whose mental illness prohibited their use of right reason in this life, through an examination of malignant theology, mental illness, a Catholic definition of God, and the implications such a definition has on the wider study and care of the mentally ill. I will then suggest a path …
A Friend Who Does Me No Good: Aphorism In Matteo Ricci’S On Friendship,
2023
Macalester College
A Friend Who Does Me No Good: Aphorism In Matteo Ricci’S On Friendship, Maximilian Chan Weiher
Asian Languages and Cultures Honors Projects
This paper argues that Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) designed his aphoristic compilation, Jiaoyou Lun 交友論–On Friendship (1595)–to serve the Jesuit mission of converting the Chinese to Catholicism and express the conflict he may have felt exploiting friends to forward the Jesuit mission. Utilizing friendships to allow for greater social influence was central to the Jesuit proselytization strategy in China. However, Ricci’s moral education from youth taught him to judge utilitarian friendships as immoral. The extant scholarship regarding Ricci’s On Friendship fails to acknowledge the significance of the aphoristic form to this work. To illuminate the value of aphorism …
Interpreting San Cecilio: Ritual And Discourse In A Granadan Celebration.,
2023
University of Louisville
Interpreting San Cecilio: Ritual And Discourse In A Granadan Celebration., Martha M. Popescu
College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses
The romería de San Cecilio is an annual, local short pilgrimage and celebration of the patron saint of Granada, a city in Andalusia, Spain. The romería takes place at the Abbey of Sacromonte, a monastery built on top of the site where San Cecilio’s remains were found as part of the famous discoveries of the Lead Books of Granada in the late sixteenth century. These books were ultimately declared to be Islamic forgeries, yet the romería persists today as a granadino, or Granadan, tradition. Consisting of both a Mass at the Abbey as well as a popular celebration, the …
Hildegard Of Bingen – 12th Century Feminist Mystic,
2023
Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School
Hildegard Of Bingen – 12th Century Feminist Mystic, Robert F. Stamps
Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies
Hildegard of Bingen is one of history’s remarkable people. Born into German nobility in 1098, Hildegard began having mystical visions at an early age and saw God as light. Hildegard chose a spiritual life and entered a religious cloister at fifteen. There she was educated, studying many subjects, including Latin and music. In 1136 Hildegard became the prioress. The confines of the cloister did not stop Hildegard from becoming a major theological force. She wrote books on theology and medicine, authored plays, and composed music. Theologically, Hildegard contributed to the development of the theological construction of the concept of purgatory. …
Karl Rahner And Vatican Ii: A Sacramental Vision Of The Church,
2023
Loyola Marymount University
Karl Rahner And Vatican Ii: A Sacramental Vision Of The Church, Geoffrey Watson
Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies
This paper is an exploration of Karl Rahner’s theology, his relationship to Vatican II, and the legacy of the council. In it, I examine not only Rahner’s role in the council but also the way in which his thinking has helped move the church from a Eurocentric, hierarchical institution, concerned mainly with its own sense of authority and holiness, to a more collegial, global church that embraced its identity as a community of sinners. First, I examine the sources behind the council texts, specifically Rahner’s transcendental Thomist background, as well as his specific understanding of grace and the role of …
