On Fragments: The Existential Situation of Our Time, “Introduction” The first of David Tracy’s two new volumes of essays is about fragments and also a collection of fragments. As I begin this series of posts on Tracy’s latest published work, I have in mind a few key ideas. They are: fragments, the other, and the infinite, topics among which Tracy’s more recent thoughts have wandered. At the moment I’m thinking mostly of fragments. Dangerous fragments I see three ways Tracy... Read more
Elizabeth Johnson Maps ‘Frontiers in the Theology of God’ My favorite book store is the St. Vincent de Paul in Madison, Wisconsin. There for a dollar I picked up a copy of Elizabeth A. Johnson’s 2007 book Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God. I was visiting my daughter, who posed a couple questions. Why does it say God is living? What does “living God” mean? And, Why are there still new things to say... Read more
The 1950’s was a scary, insane time. I didn’t know then how insane it was, but I knew how scary. My elementary school years pretty much coincided with the “duck and cover” era of civil defense. That phrase told us what to do if there ever happened to be a bright flash in the sky. That would, of course, indicate a nuclear bomb blast nearby. Schools had civil defense drills like fire drills, except instead of going outside we ducked... Read more
Or could a proposal by a Republican writer be more liberal, more Catholic? President Joe Biden proposes an American Families Plan, which may or may not make it, with or without changes, past Republican opposition in Congress. The Catholic Biden diverges from his Church on some issues and is more Catholic than most Republicans on many others. These latter would include the many ways governments support, or could support, families. The Catholic Church has always been supportive of families. For... Read more
I notice something odd about the Prayer of the Faithful that I hear at Sunday Masses. Many of the petitions don’t ask God to do anything. Liturgical Press is a resource for which I have great respect and even a passing relationship. In 2004 they published my book Read the Way You Talk: A Guide for Lectors. They also publish annually a helpful resource for people like me who compose their parish’s Prayer of the Faithful. It’s called Living Liturgy:... Read more
Part 7 On David Tracy’s Fragments, Chapter 6, on Interpretation Theory David Tracy has repeated consistently a description of the task of theology since his early work Blessed Rage for Order. In Chapter 6 of his new book Fragments, he makes the case again for a concept of theology that is shared by many but not all theologians. Theologies, of which there are a plurality, Tracy holds, attempt to “develop mutually critical correlations between contemporary experience and the Christian tradition.”... Read more
The Pillar on Joe Biden, Science, and Two Catholic Issues The new Catholic online source for news analysis, The Pillar, is always an interesting, worthwhile read. Editors JD Flynn and Ed Condon have lots of experience in national Catholic affairs and Catholic journalism. They’ve also published in the secular press. They seem to me to stand pretty solidly in the middle between theological and political conservatism and liberalism with maybe a lean to the conservative side. But then maybe I... Read more
Chapter 5 of David Tracy’s Fragments, Part Two I said in a previous post that I don’t much like infinity. It makes me think of things like size and speed. Most obtrusively, it’s power—not my favorite factor in human relationships. So why would I adore an infinitely powerful God? But still, thinking of God as infinite seems universal if not natural. David Tracy, in his later years of God searching, has increasingly focused on the Infinite, a category he finds... Read more
Imagine a second term for a truly pro-life Donald Trump and a congratulatory phone call from Pope Francis that went like this: President-elect [enter Trump’s name] spoke this morning with His Holiness Pope Francis. The President-elect thanked His Holiness for extending blessings and congratulations and noted his appreciation for His Holiness’ leadership in promoting peace, reconciliation, and the common bonds of humanity around the world. The President-elect expressed his desire to work together on the basis of a shared belief... Read more
On David Tracy’s Fragments, Chapter 5, “Metaphysics, Theology, and Mysticism” How do I write about our infinite God? Besides being only finite, my mind has an extra problem – I don’t like infinity. I remember learning that scientists found the universe wasn’t infinite. I realized then that I liked the world better that way. What’s to like about an infinite world, anyway. It’s not a place to feel at home in. As soon as I learned that the scientific world... Read more
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