Theology has been described as “faith seeking understanding,” and ecclesiology is the study of the Church. IgnatianSpirituality.com does not pretend to cover either of these areas in any kind of systematic fashion. Instead, we highlight some leading thinkers in these fields whose focus comes from an Ignatian perspective.
Theology of Ignatian Spirituality
Ignatian Spirituality and Theology (PDF)
By Bernard Sesboüé, SJ
Ignatius knew that one cannot go backwards, so he supported a living theology which knows how to confront new questions. Bernard Sesboüé discusses the work of 20th century Jesuit theologians including Léonce de Grandmaison, Pierre Rousselot, Yves de Montcheuil, Henri de Lubac, Hugo Rahner, and Karl Rahner. He shows how their work enriched Catholic theology, addressing the issues of the modern world.
Postmodern Spirituality and the Ignatian Fundamentum (PDF)
By Tim Muldoon
Ignatian spirituality offers an invitation to change society by becoming a changed person within society. It can lead the postmodern person to come to know God through a greater knowledge of oneself. The Ignatian fundamentum can be seen as an attentiveness to God who is constantly working with us to co-create our lives.
Struggling and Liberative New Spirituality (PDF)
By Thoonunkaparambil K. John
The author calls for Jesuits to recognize their special vocation to mediate God’s correcting and reconciling intervention through the unheard voice of the deprived so that all listen to God and accept his offer of reconciliation.
The Ignatian Exercises in the Work of Hans Urs von Balthasar (PDF)
By Werner Löser, SJ
Text of a lecture at Boston College, January 28, 1999. Von Balthasar unfolded three concepts around which the theology of the Exercises revolves: choice, indifference, and obedience. The lecture includes discussion of how it was characteristic of von Balthasar’s work that he situated the Exercises within the history of theology and spirituality.
Karl Rahner, SJ
Karl Rahner, SJ (1904–1984)
By Jim Campbell
Biographical introduction to the 20th-century theologian.
Karl Rahner: Theologian of the Graced Search for Meaning
Edited by Geffrey B. Kelly
Limited preview on Google Books includes the complete introduction to Karl Rahner’s life and the central concepts of his theology, and a significant portion of his essay, “On the Need and Blessing of Prayer.”
A Spirituality of Everyday Faith
By Declan Marmion
Limited preview on Google Books includes the complete bibliography, Chapter 1 on “The Notion of Spirituality,” and a portion of Chapter 2 on “The Notion of Spirituality in Karl Rahner.”
Ministry in Community: Rahner’s Vision of Ministry
By Jerry T. Farmer
Limited preview on Google Books includes complete bibliography, a significant portion of Chapter 1 on “Early Ecclesiological Reflections,” and a portion of Chapter 2 on “Vatican II Period: Ecclesiology.”
