On Becoming a Theologian

[djeter]

http://payingattentiontothesky.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/fr-aidan-nichols.jpg?w=200&h=300Fr. Aidan Nichols

In a post I made yesterday I introduced Fr. Aidan Nichol’s meditation on the the task of Theology – what Theologians do when they do theology.

One of the wonderful things I took away from a fundamental theology class was the idea that as soon as you start down that road of “faith seeking understanding,” you can become a theologian (on your way to becoming a Saint, of course). And this theology that you explore is the product of habit, a way of being and seeing in this world that functions as a part of Christian wonder.

“Theology is the highest of the habits of mind that a Christian man or woman can acquire.” Y. M.J. Congar]. This theological habit of mind, like all aspects of Christian existence, is at one and the same time absolutely ordinary and natural, yet entirely extraordinary and supernatural. It is natural in that it draws on the human ability to study. It is supernatural in that its root and Source is divinely given faith in the self-revealing God.

Here is some more of Fr. Nichol’s writings that led me down this path:

payingattentiontothesky.com/2010/04/12/the-habit-of-theology/

The one on the task of theology follows this one.

dj

 

[angelic06]

A similar idea to Fr. Nichols’:

One thing I got from George Weigel (“Courage to be Catholic”) is that theology is not just religious studies; it is a disciplined effort to understand divine revelation, and consequently it should be done before the tabernacle (for us Latins, anyway) as well as in the study. Now, he was referring to priestly candidates, but I think it is fair to apply it to us who do not aspire to sacred orders or for that matter religious life or even to academic theology. So, in so much as all (I assume) are seeking to understand divine revelation, we should all be doing theology of one sort or another, whether it be through scripture studies, conversations with our pastor or spiritual director, enrollment in formal theology courses, etc.

Paul R. Viola

 

[djeter]

A similar idea to Fr. Nichols’:

One thing I got from George Weigel (“Courage to be Catholic”) is that theology is not just religious studies; it is a disciplined effort to understand divine revelation, and consequently it should be done before the tabernacle (for us Latins, anyway) as well as in the study. Now, he was referring to priestly candidates, but I think it is fair to apply it to us who do not aspire to sacred orders or for that matter religious life or even to academic theology. So, in so much as all (I assume) are seeking to understand divine revelation, we should all be doing theology of one sort or another, whether it be through scripture studies, conversations with our pastor or spiritual director, enrollment in formal theology courses, etc.

Paul R. Viola

Fr. Nichol’s wrote: “The task of theology is the disciplined exploration of what is contained in revelation.” As Weigel identified and my theology course encouraged, we (the laity) should regard ourselves as theologians and develop the habits that lead to a “disciplined exploration.”

dj