volume 2 Obsculta 2009 Contents Editorial Comments 2 Tribute to Dietrich Reinhart, OSB, Dale Launderville, OSB 3 A Voice in the Wilderness, Victor Klimoski 4 Saint John Chrysostom and Social Justice, Joel Cassady 5 Divided Land, Jacumba, CA, December 2008, Jeffrey P. Regan (photo) 12 Goodness Gracious, Athanasius, Chris Ángel 13 Wisdom Christology in Origen and Elizabeth Johnson: A Supplementary Discourse, Adam Paul Koester 14 Vista d’una cupola dal cortile del doge, Ælred Senna, OSB (photo) 19 Variation on a Theme: Intertextuality in the Illuminations of the Gospel of Luke, Laura Kelly Fanucci 21 You Were Chosen, Kelly Marie Prosen 31 Gospel: Feast of the Holy Family (Luke 2:22-40), Kathryn Janssen 32 Blue Waters of the Atlantic, Watch Hill, RI, July 2008, Jeffrey P. Regan (photo) 33 All Creation Groans: A Comparison of Feminist and German Existential Theology of Romans 8:18-25, Jeffrey R. Reed 34 All the World is Church: The Christian Call in Henri de Lubac, Benjamin M. Durheim 38 Evening Prayer at the Chapel of Holy Wisdom, Natalie Perl Regan 43 We Cannot Give If We Do Not Have, Peggy Kelley 44 Companions, Ælred Senna, OSB (photo) 47 Forgetful But Not Forgotten: Parish Pastoral Care of Dementia Sufferers, Annette Kestel, PBVM 48 List of Contributors 56 obsculta 1 Jason Ziegler, Genevieve L. Mougey, Lauren L. Murphy Those of us who spend a little time at Saint Kathleen, you continue to inspire and amaze us John’s School of Theology•Seminary live charmed with your ability to be so thorough! We greatly ap- lives. Our time here is filled with recognizing the im- preciate your guidance and assistance. portance of intentional relationships: with others, Rose, thanks so much for continuing to be our with the world, with God. Our relationships, when editing and marketing guru! done well, nourish us and give us life. We recognize Vic, grateful hearts recognize what you have these encounters as sacramental because the com- done to make this journal a reality! Thank you for mon thread through all of these relationships is our your ability to see what this means to current stu- constant seeking after God, our attentiveness to the dents, graduates, faculty, staff, and our board. movement of the Spirit in our lives. SOT•Sem faculty and staff, your support for this Obsculta is a vision of people coming together publication means so much. In the classroom you with the express purpose of intentionally sharing encourage us to listen with the ears of our hearts. ideas, resources, and insights with their peers. This This journal presents the effects of that listening. sharing provides solidarity and it strengthens rela- Finally, to the students of the SOT•Sem, you are tionships. The works in these pages are not intended the inspiration for this journal. Your work inspires to be stale papers; they are here to encourage us, to and empowers. Thank you for sharing the results of challenge us, to affirm us. Our theological inquiry, your attentiveness. when done well, fosters relationships, whether this As you read these works, may you be nourished. is done over the dinner table as we compare notes Obsculta. for papers, during times of shared prayer when we keep the needs of others in mind, or after gradua- tion when our acquired knowledge is put to use in whatever ministry we pursue. Because of this, our scholarship and our ministry are also sacramental. As we give to you this second issue of Obsculta, there is much to be thankful for, much to truly be grateful for! 2 obsculta Tribute to Dietrich Reinhart, OSB Dale Launderville, OSB My memories of Brother Dietrich’s involvement operation serves monks or teachers or administra- in the School of Theology•Seminary revolve around tors to the extent that their primary goal is to serve his ongoing care for the well-being of this part of students; the only goal superseding this attention to the university. He was committed to the mission of students is service of God. Dietrich’s hierarchy of the SOT•Sem and would quietly support it during values made him a ready ally of the SOT•Sem. times of stress and strain. As a historian, Dietrich As a monk, Dietrich was devoted to the liturgy. valued the deep roots of the SOT•Sem in the culture His tenure as liturgy director for the abbey was high- of Saint John’s. From the founding of the educa- lighted by a massive revision of the Office books tional apostolate in 1857 with the chartering of Saint for the Liturgy of the Hours. His knowledge of lit- John’s Seminary, theological urgy was shaped in no small way by education was part of the soul his studies in the SOT•Sem. His care of this place. Dietrich knew in getting others involved in the pro- this in terms of lived history cess and of taking extra steps to get as well as of historical facts. it right has enhanced the worship of Experientially, he knew that the monastic community in ways that the way in which Saint John’s continue to manifest themselves. understood what it means to Community is a word that we be Catholic arose out of the frequently hear from undergradu- way worship and work, reading ate and graduate students as well as and reflection, and care for one from staff, faculty, and administra- another happen in this place. tors. Dietrich exemplified commu- For Dietrich, the SOT•Sem nity in a compelling way. He paid was part of the fabric of Saint attention to the people with whom John’s. As president, he was he was conversing. He knew how to obliged to be attentive to the draw them out. The energy he ex- whole of the university and not pended in doing this seemed to arise privilege one part over another. Photograph courtesy of Saint John’s Abbey from his commitment to Saint John’s He did this admirably, but at the same time always as a place in which the people count. At monastic stepped forward with energy to help the SOT•Sem table, he frequently was one of the last to leave the when problems arose. gathering because he had engaged those around him Dietrich is legendary for his capacity to monitor in a discussion about matters of the common life. details while keeping his sights on the bigger picture. He was adamant about keeping business out of the Perhaps it was his aptitude and formation as a histo- monastic refectory so that the other dimensions of rian that cultivated this dual gift of vision and atten- community life might unfold in conversation. In his tiveness. No doubt his heightened awareness of the social gatherings with administrators and faculty, he facts on the ground landed him in many dilemmas. demonstrated a genuine interest in their well-being Characteristically, he was able to move the people as members of the community. involved to help find solutions. He had a way of Dietrich loved monastic life and the educational challenging people to stay involved and do their best apostolate of Saint John’s. The SOT•Sem benefited for the sake of those to be served. In dealing with greatly from his superb leadership of the university faculty and administrators, he repeatedly kept before and his unwavering commitment to Saint John’s. His their eyes the needs of the students. His underlying legacy will live on in the SOT•Sem for many years premise seemed to be the following: this educational to come. obsculta 3 A Voice in the Wilderness Some implied his was a secondhand role, a job for any walk-on. But intent from the start, he studied all the parts under a stern paternal eye. He observed the rites, said the prayers and one day slipped out of town with a walking stick and no change of shirt. What happened next no one knows, years re-forming him from the inside out, emptying the chambers of his heart for visions even he feared. When he returned to the world, his squareness was at odds with its roundness and its love of simple, clever answers. He was a fright to see, a nest for hair, a buckskin shift, feet hard as stone. Thin as a reed, his voice thundered yielding no compromise. People listened, then squirmed. Some turned his way, most not. Many hoped he would eventually find steady work. Victor Klimoski 4 obsculta Saint John Chrysostom Joel Cassady and Social Justice Since the beginning of Christianity, Christ’s fol- himself, when asked on his deathbed to name a suc- lowers have been challenged to stand up for the rights cessor, commented, “It would have been John, had of the poor and to serve them. Indeed, Christ tells not the Christians stolen him from us.”5 his disciples, “You always have the poor with you” Partially due to the urgings of a close friend he (John 12:8). Early Christians faced many of the same studied with who had himself become a religious, issues of poverty that modern Christians confront and partially due to a meeting with Bishop Meletius today. Then, as now, Christians were called upon by of Antioch, Chrysostom began to withdraw from religious leaders to change the very structures that his study of law and pursued an ascetic and religious took advantage of the poor or kept them in poverty. life.6 He was baptized in about 369 by Meletius and One such voice was John Chrysostom. Chrysostom ordained a lector soon afterward. Above all, Chryso- firmly believed that in order to call oneself Christian, stom desired to become a monk and live the full as- one must be mindful of one’s neighbors and care for cetic life.