In a TEDx talk at Fordham University, doctoral candidate Paul Schutz talks about Ignatian spirituality and mindfulness in the thought of Karl Rahner, SJ. Schutz says for Rahner:
Heaven, God, these ideas that usually get talked about in church are not about ideas that are floating around up in the sky, but radically present in front of your face in every moment, and the ability to say yes or no to that moment is the God-moment, is the moment of encounter with God.
The talk is about 13 minutes long. If you’re receiving this via e-mail, click through to watch the video Karl Rahner, SJ, and the God-Moment.
The speaker made excellent points. One point was on recognizing each encounter requires a person to make a choice of yes or no to be fully present. In this day of many things vying for our attention its easy to be distracted from the moment of being connected. However practicing mindfulness and understanding staying grounded in the moment is essentially opening myself to an interaction with God.
I enjoyed this talk. Practicing mindfulness and seeing God in all things is something I aspire to but am not terribly successful at it. I like the theory but I need practical suggestions on it. BTW Karl Rahner is way over my head.
Thanks, Maureen!
I want to take this God-moment to say thank you to Paul for his talk on Karl Rahner and Mindfulness. Although I am quite familiar with Ignatius’ idea of “finding God in all things”, somehow listening and pondering Rahner’s thoughts on inspiration really impacted me in a new way. I was especially struck by the idea that everything can be “a positive, salvific experience”. Everything -Wow! And then the idea of being led somewhere (to a life-giving place/space in my mind) really does give one hope for the flourishing of our individual lives and our unfinished universe of which we are a part!
At the end of the video Paul Schutz reads from what he said was Karl Rahner’s final book, a summary of his theology but I did not hear him name the book.
I would like to get a copy if someone will tell me the name of the book. Thank you.
Hi Eugene! The book is called FOUNDATIONS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH. Most of Rahner’s work comes down to us in disparate essays, but FOUNDATIONS is the closest thing we have to a “full statement” of Rahner’s theology – he himself said as much in an interview at the end of his life. It’s not an easy read, but it’s some pretty wonderful theology. Changed my life, for sure!
Thanks very much for posting my talk! The deeply Ignatian dimensions of Rahner’s work stand at the center of my scholarly and pastoral work, and I’m so happy to see my take on Rahner shared here. Thank you!