Monday, July 20, 2009

Mystic Monday: Theological Detour: Karl Rahner


I am writing to you from my vacation here in beautiful Landisastercaster California, where we are staying. It's not so bad here, except for the temperature being in the 100's during the daylight hours, and not much to do or see.


Did I tell you that mrangelmeg is on a campaign to get us to go to the Borax museum? I rest my case)


Today for Mystic Monday I would like to take you to visit with a dear friend of mine from Gradual School, Dr Karl Rahner. I realize dear children that Karl Rahner, strictly speaking doesn't qualify as a mystic, but:

a) I am on vacation, and
b) this is my blog and I get to do what I want and
c) this being the year for priests I wanted to share with you something that was printed in the bulletin from Sacred Heart, the parish we are attending out here, which we really love.



Anyway, I have been a fan of Rahner ever since I had to read him in my Intro to Theology class. His theological writings are elegant and easy to understand, and at times border on poetic language, which is a great accomplishment for someone who first wrote in German one would think. The piece I want to share with you is a bit about the men who are called to the vocation of priest:


"The priest is not an angel sent from heaven, he is a man chosen from among men, a member of the Church, a Christian. Remaining man and Christian, he begins to speak to you the word of God. This word is not his won, no, he speaks because God has told him to proclaim His word. Perhaps he has not entirely understood it himself, perhaps he communicates it poorly, but hie believes and despite his fears, he knows that he must communicate God's word to you . For must not someone say something about God, about eternal life, about the majesty of grace in our sanctified being; must not someone speak of sin, of judgement and of the mercy of God? So my dear friends, pray for him. Carry him so that he might be able to sustain others by bringing to them the mystery of God's love revealed in Christ Jesus."


Pax

3 comments:

Suzanne said...

Father Don is a fan of him..he has used several of his writings in homilies. This writing sounds very much like something he has probably read and taken in..so to speak.

Suzanne said...

Father Don is a fan of this man.
He has used several writings of his in homilies. There was one I recall he read at Midnight Mass one year and it was beautiful!

Suzanne said...

I cannot tell if you are getting my comments..if you are, then you just got two on Father Don and Rahner. Ha!