Karl Rahner – Every Day Mystic.

German Karl Rahner (5th March 1904 to 30th March 1984) was a Jesus-follower who thought deeply about God, who experienced God deeply within the Christian tradition (and the Ignatian sub-tradition). Fellow Jesuit Harvey Egan has referred to him as “the mystic of everyday life.” Helping people experience, more deeply experience, or recognise their everyday experiences of God, is a significant challenge facing many a church today. In many ways the new age / new spirituality practices have filled the gap between the worlds of enlightenment science and a Christian tradition that has to varying degrees ‘sold out’ to cold, clinical, rationalism. Ironically this new age or new spirituality has so saturated mainstream culture it has ceased to be a fringe phenomenon, whereas the church is increasingly fringe and marginalised. As many of us recognise, people today are looking for ‘spirituality’ (whatever that might mean to them). This interest in "spirituality" is filling both a need and a vacuum.

“…Participants [in this 'new spirituality] have discovered that they can draw upon a diverse range of spiritual practices and techniques to give direction to their lives. They can create their own rituals, rites and ceremonies without recourse to institutional forms of religion like church…”

Anyway, back to Rahner. I was warmly encouraged (while on an Ignatian retreat), last year, by American Fr. George Drury S.J. to read Rahner. What do I like about Rahner? – Here’s my response to a comment by Maggi Dawn yesterday:

"I'd ditch Barth too in favour of Rahner. I love his integration of great theology, the everyday life, spiritual formation, and a life lived deeply in relation to God. He puts theology in its right place, it's no mere intellectual exercise...it appeals in a multi-sensual way. Not simply to the rational..."

Harvey Egan, author of the wonderful book, Karl Rahner: The Mystic of Everyday Life writes in his preface:

Perhaps the secret of Rahner's appeal is his synthesis of two elements: critical respect for the Christian tradition and unusual sensitivity to the questions and problems of contemporary life. He never doubted the Christian tradition's ability to speak to the "catechism of the human heart." If revitalized, even the oldest fossils of the Christian faith could become the keys to unlock the various locks in the human person to release contemporary human authenticity.

Impelled by his Ignatian mysticism of joy in the world--of finding God in all things and all things in God, Rahner's theology moves in two directions. He compresses all Christianity into three mysteries--Trinity, incarnation, and grace. He also unfolds these mysteries into every dimension of human life, even into a "theology of everyday things"--a theology of work, of seeing, of laughing, of eating and sleeping, and of walking and sitting…he is more a sapiential than an academic theologian [note, whenever, I hear the word “sapiential” I think of the wonderful work of Princeton’s Ellen Charry]…[he was] a priest who constantly surrendered to God’s loving incomprehensibility through a life of self-giving love, a theologian whose thinking was inseparable from his own spiritual life…[his] theological thinking…flowed from his spiritual life and [his] spiritual life was nurtured by his powerful Christian thinking…”

Rahner is a Jesus-following exemplar of the highest order for me. In 12-days time many will celebrate the 20th anniversary of his death.

Comments

[+ Alan]

I've been thinking about reading Rahner for a while now - both Karl and Hugo. I've drawn so much from Merton, it's probably time I draw a bit from things that fed him - to read not only Merton, like some "fan" but to read what helped to form him into who he was, praying God's Grace be facilitated through these avenues to help form me as well. Thanks for the reminder Father Paul.

[Paul Fromont]

Thanks for the comment Father Alan. Can I suggest, start with Egan's book. 60% of it references Rahner's writing, which I must say, for me, isn't always the easiest of reads...rewarding and rich, but not easy. Enjoy.

[+ Alan]

Thanks Paul - I may do that. You know, I actually started on the Merton trail with a book about Merton and Prayer I think - long time ago. Pax vobiscum.