Michel Henry and the Prospect of a Christian Spiritual Inactivism

2021 ◽  
pp. 193979092110361
Author(s):  
Steven Nemes
Keyword(s):  
Spiritual Practice ◽  
Christian Spirituality ◽  
Phenomenological Philosophy ◽  
Presence Of God ◽  
Present Essay ◽  
Spiritual Activism ◽  
Michel Henry

Christian spirituality is often “activist.” It consists in the performance of various actions through which a faithful person attempts to secure the presence of God. The argument of the present essay is that spiritual “activism” cannot actually accomplish this goal. For this reason, it is necessary to seek a foundation for all spiritual activism in spiritual “inactivism.” This means that all Christian spiritual activity must be reconceived as a response to and celebration of a prior presence of God that comes before any performance. The phenomenological philosophy of Michel Henry makes it possible to appreciate how God is so present in the very fact of being alive. This can make the whole of Christian spiritual practice a Eucharist—a perpetual thanksgiving.

Two Ways to God in Thomas Aquinas and Michel Henry

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-187
Author(s):  
Steven Nemes
Keyword(s):  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Existence Of God ◽  
Present Essay ◽  
Michel Henry

Abstract One can discern passages in the writings of the Scholastic doctor Thomas Aquinas and the contemporary French phenomenologist Michel Henry which can be interpreted as putting forth very similar ways for grasping the existence of God. These “ways to God” can be fruitfully compared from the point of view of their philosophical starting points as well as of their consequences for theological epistemology. The purpose of the present essay is to pursue this comparative work and to see what philosophical-theological fruit it can yield.

scholarly journals Finding God in All Things through Poetry

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 190-197
Author(s):  
Novita Dewi
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Spiritual Practice ◽  
Spiritual Exercises ◽  
Common Theme ◽  
Ignatian Spirituality ◽  
The Core ◽  
Presence Of God ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Universe

Poetry is a language of devotion. It is the melody that resonates from one’s pure conscience. Being the most important and richest part of our spiritual practice, people read and write poems to help them gain understanding about themselves, each other, and the world around them. Examining world poetry, mainly from America, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka which  tell about the presence of God, this article attempts to find out how God the Creator is present and represented, focusing as it does on the connection between poetry and spiritual exercises. Each of the seven poems under discussion is read by considering Ignatian Spirituality of which the core is “Finding God in All Things”. The selected poems show that God can indeed be found in three main spots. First, God resides in the universe. The presence of God in nature is a common theme shared by the poets discussed. Second, the speakers of the poems find God within themselves. They find God through discretion. Third, some of them find the face of God in that of other people because humans are created in His image. The poems open an awareness that God is present in the sufferings of others. In conclusion, poetry serves as both prayers and spiritual exercises that can improve people’s inner compassion and justice.

scholarly journals Spirituality and belief: Implications for study and practice of Christian spirituality

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana L. Villegas
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Spiritual Practice ◽  
Christian Spirituality ◽  
John Hick ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Human Culture ◽  
Theoretical Function ◽  
Quest For Meaning ◽  
Sociological Studies

The aim of this article is to show the inherent connection between spirituality and belief and the significance of this for the study and practice of Christian spirituality. John Hick, a scholar of religion, argues that religions arose in human culture in order to offer beliefs and practices that respond to the human quest for meaning and transcendence. Assuming spirituality refers to consciously living life in terms of such beliefs and rituals, then religion’s function in culture is to provide a spirituality. Based on the latter theory, I argue for the importance of theological or confessional reflection regarding contemporary belief, given that theology reflects on the beliefs of a religion and at its best helps persons understand and integrate their beliefs into the living of life at a particular historical-cultural moment. In our contemporary globalised, pluralistic culture the influence on spiritual practice of multiple sources of wisdom is common, as shown by sociological studies discussed in this study. This cultural context calls for identification, understanding and interpretation of the beliefs of Christians, as well as study regarding how these beliefs fulfil the purpose of religion in human culture, namely offering ways of living with suffering, evil and questions about the meaning of life. I argue such study fulfils both practical and theoretical function

scholarly journals Menemukan Tuhan dalam Segalanya: Analisis Spiritualitas Kristiani dalam Puisi

Kurios ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 227
Author(s):  
Novita Dewi
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Spiritual Practice ◽  
Spiritual Journey ◽  
Ignatian Spirituality ◽  
Presence Of God ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Universe

As a language of devotion, poetry can help people gain peace and understanding about themselves, each other, and the world around them. This article explores a number of world poetry that tells about the presence of God. Based on the contemplative relationship between poetry and spirituality, the aim of this study is to examine how God the Creator is present and represented in poetry. Using the hermeneutic-interpretative method of analysis, the research data which include six poems from various countries were analyzed with the conceptual framework being (1) poetry as a prayer and (2) Ignatian Spirituality, i.e., a spiritual practice to affirm that God is present in our world and active in our lives. The reading of the selected poems shows that God can indeed be found in everything. First, God is present in the universe and everything living in it. Second, having gone through various struggles, the characters or speakers in the poems find God within themselves. Third, the face of God is visible in others because humans are created in His image. The conclusion is that studying God's presence in poetry can contribute to the narratives of one's spiritual journey. Abstrak Sebagai bahasa pengabdian, puisi dapat membantu orang memperoleh kedamaian dan pengertian tentang diri sendiri, sesamanya, dan dunia di sekitarnya. Artikel ini membahas sejumlah puisi lintas negara yang mengkisahkan kehadiran Tuhan. Bertumpu pada relasi yang berpatutan antara puisi dan spiritualitas, tujuan studi ini adalah meneliti bagaimana Sang Pencipta hadir dan direpresentasikan dalam puisi. Metode interpretasi hermeneutik dipakai untuk menganalisis data yang berupa enam puisi dari berbagai negara dengan kerangka pikir (1) puisi sebagai doa dan (2) Spiritualitas Ignasian, yaitu latihan rohani yang menegaskan bahwa Tuhan hadir di dunia dan aktif dalam kehidupan kita. Hasil pembacaan sejumlah puisi tersebut menunjukkan bahwa Tuhan sungguh dapat ditemukan dalam segalanya. Pertama, di alam raya dan segala isinya Tuhan hadir. Kedua, setelah melalui pelbagai pergumulan, tokoh atau pembicara dalam puisi menemukan Tuhan dalam dirinya sendiri. Ketiga, wajah Tuhan terlihat dalam diri sesama karena manusia diciptakan sesuai citraNya. Sebagai simpulan, kajian puisi tentang kehadiran Tuhan dapat menambah alur kisah perjalanan spiritual seseorang

scholarly journals The Life-Idealism of Michel Henry

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 87-108
Author(s):  
Steven Nemes
Keyword(s):  
External Representation ◽  
Form Of Life ◽  
Present Essay ◽  
The World ◽  
Michel Henry

The purpose of the present essay is to exposit and interpret the principal contours of the phenomenology of Christianity proposed by Michel Henry in dialog with his theological critics. Against the claims commonly made about him, Henry is not a Gnostic of any sort: neither a monist, nor a dualist, nor a pantheist, nor a denier of faith, nor a world- or creation-denier or anything of the sort. He rather proposes a form of “life-idealism” according to which (i) life is the foundation of the possibility of the world, (ii) life assumes a visible, external representation (viz., the empirical body) in its activities in the world, and (iii) the meaning of the world is that it is the arena in which life pursues the goal of its own perfection and growth. Interpreted in this light, his thought is not Gnostic.

Provocations and Improvisations Concerning Reality: The Encounters of Jacques Derrida and Jean Luc-Nancy

Derrida Today ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-101
Author(s):  
Joanna Hodge
Keyword(s):  
Jacques Derrida ◽  
The Real ◽  
Michel Henry

This essay responds to the Nancean account of presentation, evoked in the opening citation, in order to trace out in Nancy's enquiries a disruption of Husserlian presentation, and a re-thinking of materiality on the edge of classical phenomenology. It stages a non-encounter between the writings of Jean-Luc Nancy and of Jacques Derrida in relation to a third term, the Lacanian conception of the ‘real’. Thereby it can be shown how these writings touch on each other, in response to phenomenology and to psychoanalytical theory, but do not engage. All the same, the claim to be made is that the writings of Nancy and Derrida converge in forming a third option, alongside the secularised phenomenologies of Sartre and Merleau-Ponty and the Christian phenomenologies of Jean-Luc Marion and Michel Henry, by marking up the event of Lacan's reformulation of Freud's psychoanalytical theorising.

The Church as a Sacrament in a Time of Pandemic: The Philippine Experience

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-280
Author(s):  
Rhoderick John Suarez Abellanosa
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Social Instability ◽  
Presence Of God ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Catholic Church

The declaration of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in various provinces and cities in the Philippines did not impede the Catholic Church from celebrating its sacraments and popular devotions. Mired with poverty and various forms of economic and social limitations, the presence of God for Filipinos is an essential element in moving forward and surviving in a time of pandemic. Predominantly Roman Catholic in religious affiliation, seeking the face of God has been part of Filipinos' lives whenever a serious disaster would strike. This essay presents how the clergy, religious and lay communities in the Philippines have innovatively and creatively sustained treasured religious celebrations as a sign of communion and an expression of faith. In addition to online Eucharistic celebrations that are more of a privilege for some, culturally contextualised efforts were made during the Lenten Season and even on Sundays after Easter. This endeavour ends with a reflection on the Church as the sacrament of God in a time of pandemic. Pushed back to their homes, deprived of life's basic necessities and facing threats of social instability, unemployment and hunger, Filipinos through their innovative celebrations find in their communion with their Church the very presence of God acting significantly in their lives.

‘A pinch of unseen, unguarded dust’: The World and Self in Thomas Hardy's Poems

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-66
Author(s):  
Monika Szuba
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
The Self ◽  
Phenomenological Philosophy ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The World ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Recurrent Theme ◽  
Body Subject

The essay discusses selected poems from Thomas Hardy's vast body of poetry, focusing on representations of the self and the world. Employing Maurice Merleau-Ponty's concepts such as the body-subject, wild being, flesh, and reversibility, the essay offers an analysis of Hardy's poems in the light of phenomenological philosophy. It argues that far from demonstrating ‘cosmic indifference’, Hardy's poetry offers a sympathetic vision of interrelations governing the universe. The attunement with voices of the Earth foregrounded in the poems enables the self's entanglement in the flesh of the world, a chiasmatic intertwining of beings inserted between the leaves of the world. The relation of the self with the world is established through the act of perception, mainly visual and aural, when the body becomes intertwined with the world, thus resulting in a powerful welding. Such moments of vision are brief and elusive, which enhances a sense of transitoriness, and, yet, they are also timeless as the self becomes immersed in the experience. As time is a recurrent theme in Hardy's poetry, this essay discusses it in the context of dwelling, the provisionality of which is demonstrated in the prevalent sense of temporality, marked by seasons and birdsong, which underline the rhythms of the world.

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