This first
section of this blog (maybe a book) talks about Christian Anthropology, that
is, a theological understanding who we are as human beings. What is our origin?
What is our destination? What is our purpose? Regular anthropology is a
material study of who we are. It involves the scientific study of where we come
from historically and geographically. Anthropology helps us to understand why
we are the way we are in terms of our material Truth. For example, material
Truths about humanity like race, language, culture, etc… can be analyzed
through the scientific study of the history of the human person. Theological
Anthropology considers all the material Truths of who we are as the human race
and seeks to understand these Truths within the context of a transcendent
Creator. Because it looks at the material Truth of the human person as it
relates to transcendent Truth, Theological Anthropology uses a Sacramental
Vision to view reality. It is not limited to just material observations or
theological reflections; it uses both to understand who the Authentic Self may
be. Theological Anthropology seeks to understand who we are as a human race by
first seeking to understand the image and likeness in which we are created. Of
course, the problem is we cannot fully understand that which is transcendent.
So, the study of who we are as a human race in terms of regular anthropology
can actually help us to begin to understand the image and likeness of the
Creator. This is the really the first step I take with students in
understanding Sacramentality, and, I admit, it is a bit difficult. But I am
famous in the classroom for “front-loading” my students. I give them some of
the more difficult and complex topics first and I make sure we go relatively
slowly so as not to lose anyone, but at the end of the lesson, if they can
differentiate between Theological and regular Anthropology, they will be more
than prepared for the rest of the class.
Monsignor.
Buchignani’s First Fundamental of Faith looks at the Creator and who the
Creator is, first, and actually ignores humanity. It is an important concept
because it focuses on the most important Truth inside and outside of the
universe: God. Why is this important for us? Well, if we can begin to
understand some of the Truths of who God is and the nature of God, then we can
begin to understand the nature of humanity whom God creates in His image and
likeness. If we know God, we know ourselves.
I might actually
say that Monsignor’s First Fundamental of Faith is not completely accurate.
There is a deeper Fundamental of Faith. Maybe we can call it the Primordial
Fundamental of Faith. To understand how we fit into God’s plan, we
consider the concept of the First Fundamental of Faith. But if we focus on God,
God’s self, we could further say that the “Primordial Fundamental of Faith” is
“God Loves God.” I am not all academics with my students! Sometimes I share personal
stories. Everyone knows that story-telling is, perhaps, the most effective way
to teach a lesson. Pedagogically speaking, it allows students to scaffold or to
create a familiar image to which they can attach newer ideas. Of course, if you
look at storytelling for what it is, analogous reasoning, you will also see how
nicely the method of storytelling fits in with the topic of Sacramentality. I
tell my students a story about the Primordial Fundamental of Faith. My friend
Jennie convinced me once to go to her church for a talk on a warm Wednesday
night when I lived in Atlanta. As a Catholic I am most accustomed to the
traditions and the austere nature of worship. Jennie’s church was a rock
concert in comparison! The lights and the music was energizing and exciting.
The comfortable chairs made the experience more inviting, I suppose, but what I
remember most about the experience was the talk. Long story short, the young
pastor gave a lesson with a simple thesis: God must Love God’s self more than
anything else; if God Loved us more than Himself, then we should worship
ourselves. Makes sense to me. There are some technical theological problems
with this thesis regarding the nature of who we are as human beings made in His
image and likeness, but essentially the lesson is clear: we need to focus on
Loving God so we can grow closer to Him. (As we grow in relationship with God,
we actually grow in knowledge of who we are as human beings). Back to the
Primordial Fundamental of Faith; God Loves God. In terms of Trinitarian
Theology and referring to the Capadocians and, later, Augustine, before and
beyond Creation, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit form the essence of God
as Community and Self-giving Love. That is the nature of the Trinity; that is
the nature of God: Community and Self-giving Love. Augustine would describe the
Trinity as the Lover, the Beloved and the Love between. The Father, the Son,
and the Spirit, respectively. Before humanity, the Primordial Fundamental of
Faith is the perfect Agapic Relationship between the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. This concept is absolutely essential later in this blog (book) as
we discuss what we need to do in order to be our Authentic Selves. If we are
made in the image and likeness of God and if God is Community (Trinity) and
Love (Agapic, self-giving Love), then as we grow to “understand” God as such,
then we grow to understand what it means to be fully human. I am
pleasantly surprised every year, although if it happens every year I shouldn’t
be surprised, at how many of my students know the term Agape. I don’t
always, but sometimes class conversation moves us to discuss agape, philas,
eros, storge… and other vocabulary the ancient Greeks used for “Love”. Essentially,
what is important here is the concept that the Love God has for God’s self is
transcendent. Agape. It cannot be fully defined, as my students gather
from its transcendent nature, but I do suggest to them that we can describe
some attributes of Agape, namely, that it is necessarily self-giving or
humble and it requires at least one other person to be both the Lover and/or
the Beloved. I tell my students, “One cannot Love (Agape) in a vacuum.” I give
them a few minutes to write that chestnut of wisdom in their notebooks.
(High Chisos, West Rim Trail. I am writing about how big God is something like that)
No comments:
Post a Comment