Man uttered by God : personalistic essence of christian contemplation according to T. Merton

Godawa, Marcin (author)

In search of understanding of a human being throughout the history, from the perspective of Christian spiritual theology contemplation should be especially highlighted. The contemplative capacity (vita contemplativa) renders the inmost reality of a man. The analysis of Thomas Merton’s work New Seeds of Contemplation portrays contemplation as “the highest expression of man’s intellectual and spiritual life” (Merton 1961, 1) and wholly personal identity of a human. The aim of this article is to present the personal essence of contemplation. The content, arrived at by use of tools of spiritual theology, shows the interpersonal essence of contemplation, where the concept of the true self (spiritus) is especially emphasised. It will be explained by Merton’s apprehension of a man as “God’s utterance” and as a personal contemplative response to Him. Finally, some correlations between the personal contemplation and contemporary thought (Levinas, Marion, Luckmann, Rosa) will be pointed out to suggest the vital productivity of Christian experience.

• Language: English
• Keywords: person, true self, contemplation, God, man, dialogue, phenomenology
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: TEOF - Theological Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2023
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: Str. 637-648
• Numbering: Letn. 83, [št.] 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-164208
• UDC: 130.122:27-1
• ISSN on article: 0006-5722
• DOI: 10.34291/BV2023/03/Godawa
• COBISS.SI-ID: 179243267
• Publication date in RUL: 17.10.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Bogoslovni vestnik : glasilo Teološke fakultete v Ljubljani
• Shortened title: Bogosl. vestn.
• Publisher: Teološka fakulteta
• ISSN: 0006-5722
• COBISS.SI-ID: 8745472

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Človek, ki ga je izreka Bog : personalistično jedro krščanske kontemplacije po T. Mertonu

Abstract

Pri iskanju razumevanja človeka skozi zgodovino je treba z vidika krščanske duhovne teologije posebej izpostaviti kontemplacijo. Kontemplativna zmožnost (vita contemplativa) izrisuje človekovo najglobljo resničnost. Analiza dela Thomasa Mertona Nova semena kontemplacije kontemplacijo prikazuje kot »najvišji izraz človekovega intelektualnega in duhovnega življenja« (Merton 1961, 1) – in osebno identiteto človeka. Namen prispevka je predstaviti osebno bistvo kontemplacije. Vsebina, do katere smo prišli z uporabo orodij duhovne teologije, izpostavlja medosebno bistvo kontemplacije, kjer je še posebej poudarjen pojem pravega jaza (t. i. spiritus). To pojasnjujemo z Mertonovim dojemanjem človeka kot ‚Božjega izreka‘ in kot osebnega kontemplativnega odgovora nanj. Na koncu izpostavljamo nekatere korelacije med osebno kontemplacijo in sodobno mislijo (Levinas, Marion, Luckmann, Rosa), da bi nakazali življenjsko rodovitnost krščanske izkušnje.

• Keywords: oseba, resnični jaz, kontemplacija, Bog, človek, dialog, fenomenologija