Teresianum

Abstract

L’articolo prende in esame alcuni importanti simboli della spiritualità carmelitana: il giardino, la fonte e la grotta. A partire dai riferimenti biblici, si evidenziano gli sviluppi dell’utilizzazione di tali simboli nella tradizione carmelitana. Senza la pretesa dell’esaustività, si propongono diversi significati attribuiti ai diversi simboli da alcuni dei maggiori autori carmelitani.

Abstract

Garden, Fountain, Cave. An Essay on Carmelite Poetic Symbolism

This article examines some of the important symbols of Carmelite spirituality: the garden, the spring and the cave. Beginning with biblical references, the essay sheds light on the different developments in the use of these symbols within the Carmelite tradition. Without claiming to be exhaustive, it exposes the different meanings attributed to these symbols by major Carmelite authors.

Abstract

Per obbedienza ai suoi direttori spirituali, Edith Stein vive “nel mondo” circa dodici anni, benché convinta della sua vocazione alla vita claustrale nel Carmelo; sa che l’essenziale è fare la volontà del Signore là dove ci si trova. Insegnante, il suo stile di vita testimonia questa sua fedeltà: nella cura di procurarsi le necessarie competenze, nella dedizione al suo compito non da funzionaria ma da vera formatrice, nel radicamento della sua attività in una robusta vita di preghiera. Da sempre, si era sentita chiamata non tanto all’insegnamento quanto alla ricerca scientifica in campo filosofico; ormai credente, dapprima le sembra che questa attività “terrena” non abbia senso, che si debba vivere fissi in Dio. San Tommaso e santa Teresa d’Avila la distolgono da questa idea: il primo con l’affermazione decisa del valore della realtà e dell’attività terrena, sulla base della dottrina filosofico-teologica della creazione; la seconda, insegnandole che più si penetra nell’intimità con Dio, più si deve uscire nel mondo per portarvi la vita divina.

Abstract

Edith Stein in the World, in the Service of the Lord

Although convinced of her vocation to cloistered life in Carmel, Edith Stein lived “in the world” for about 12 years, in obedience to her spiritual directors. Edith was aware of the fact that what is really essential is to do the will of the Lord wherever you are, and her way of life as a professor testifies to her fidelity to her vocation. She was careful to acquire the skills that would truly enable her to contribute to the formation of those she taught, and she was careful to ground her activity in a life of prayer. Edith had always felt drawn more to scientific research in philosophy than to teaching. Once she became a believer, she considered that one should live fixed in God, and the earthly occupation with teaching initially seemed senseless to her. St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Teresa of Avila were influential in bringing her see things differently. Thomas Aquinas contributed to this transition in Edith’s thought through his decisive affirmation of the value of reality and earthly activity, based on the philosophical-theological doctrine of creation. St. Teresa of Avila’s contribution was provided by her teaching, according to which the more one penetrates into intimacy with God, the more one should go out into the world to bring divine life there.

Abstract

En este artículo se analiza el posible influjo que pudo ejercer la escolástica tardía en la propuesta mística de Teresa de Ávila. En un primer lugar, se presenta un contexto histórico sobre la recuperación del concepto de existencia en la Escuela de Salamanca y su posible influencia en Teresa. En segundo lugar, analizamos la cuestión de la humanidad de Jesús en la mística de Teresa en el intento de corregir algunos errores de la mística neoplatónica. De este modo se ve posible el diálogo fecundo entre mística y escolástica tradicionalmente vistas como incompatibles, situando la propuesta de Teresa al respecto como una mística de la Modernidad que llega hasta nuestros días.

Abstract

The Influence of Late Scholasticism on Teresa of Ávila and her «Mystical Theology»

This article analyses the possible influence that late scholasticism may have had on Teresa of Ávila’s mysticism. The article begins with a presentation of the historical context of the recovery of the concept of existence in the School of Salamanca, and examines its possible influence on Teresa. The humanity of Jesus in Teresa’s mysticism is then analyzed, in an attempt to correct of some of the errors of Neoplatonic mysticism. The article hopes to show that, although mysticism and scholasticism have traditionally been considered incompatible, a fruitful dialogue may be established between the two. Teresa’s contribution may be considered a mysticism of Modernity which continues to be valid today.

Abstract

Durant l’année 1906, la dernière de sa vie, Elisabeth de la Trinité découvre les écrits de Jean Ruysbroeck, grâce à la réédition en 1902 de Rusbrock l’Admirable traduit par Ernest Hello et publié pour la première fois en 1869. Les écrits de Ruysbroeck vont devenir pour Elisabeth une nourriture qui ornera bon nombre de ses écrits et qui sera aussi pour elle un appui au long de son cheminement vers sa Pâque. Hello est un traducteur bien connu de la carmélite, car elle connaissait aussi la réédition de 1895 de sa traduction des écrits d’Angèle de Foligno. L’impact de cet ouvrage sur Elisabeth fut également considérable. Une référence à Ernest Hello semble donc être incontournable pour comprendre la réception des écrits de ces deux mystiques par la carmélite. Le présent article propose de replacer l’ouvrage d’Ernest Hello de 1869 au sein de l’histoire de la diffusion des écrits de Ruysbroeck afin de mieux en saisir les fondements méthodologiques et herméneutiques. Ce procédé mettra en lumière la complexité de la démarche du traducteur, et permettra de mieux cerner la conception et l’organisation de cet ouvrage qui se trouvait entre les mains de Sainte Elisabeth durant les derniers mois de sa vie. Notre visée sera de montrer comment la singularité d’une traduction, où se conjuguent mystique et littérature, eut une incidence sur la manière dont Elisabeth de la Trinité a accueilli l’oeuvre de Ruysbroeck.

Abstract

Rusbrock l’Admirable (1869) by Ernest Hello. Analysis of the work that allowed Elizabeth of the Trinity to know John of Ruusbroec

In 1906, the last year of her life, Elisabeth of the Trinity encountered the writings of John Ruysbroeck. Her discovery of Ruysbroeck is due to the 1902 edition of Ernest Hello’s translation of Rusbrock l’Admirable, first published in 1869. Ruysbroeck’s works would henceforth become a source of spiritual nourishment for Elisabeth. We find traces of this in many of her writings, and the Flemish mystic’s doctrine was a support for Elisabeth throughout the last stages of her life. Elisabeth had also read the 1895 edition of Hello’s translation of Angela of Foligno’s works, a book which also had an important impact on Elisabeth’s spiritual journey and on her writings. Ernest Hello seems therefore to be a key reference, enabling us to understand how Elisabeth received the doctrine of these two important mystics. The present article places Ernest Hello’s 1869 translation of Ruysbroeck within its historical context in order to shed light on the methodological and hermeneutical basis of his work. This procedure points to the complexity of the translator’s approach, and helps us to better understand the conception and organization of this capital work. We shall aim to show how a specific translation, combining mysticism and literature, influenced Elisabeth of the Trinity’s reception of Ruysbroeck.

Abstract

Marie Guyart de l’Incarnation est un « témoin » privilégié sur la « voie de l’Esprit » par son expérience claire, immédiate et permanente de l’action du Saint-Esprit dans sa vie, et ses écrits sont un témoignage, non moins inspiré, de la conduite de l’Esprit Saint. Toute son existence fut, au sens le plus fort du terme, « un ouvrage de l’Esprit », selon l’heureuse expression du jésuite Claude Dablon, son contemporain. Marie de l’Incarnation n’a pas été seulement consciente de la conduite de l’Esprit, elle a surtout cherché à y correspondre par toute sa vie. Mais l’invitation divine ne s’est pas arrêtée là, elle l’a conduite aussi au partage de son expérience de la vie dans l’Esprit, par la transmission de cette connaissance par connaturalité - la « science expérimentale d’amour » comme la nomme Marie Guyart - qui relève, elle aussi, de l’action de l’Esprit Saint. En écho à l’enseignement du maître spirituel jésuite Louis Lallemant, Marie de l’Incarnation a fait de la connaissance et de l’abandon à la conduite du Saint-Esprit et de ses dons - dans le dynamisme de la conversion-correspondance - la matière essentielle de sa pédagogie de la sainteté.

Abstract

« A Work of the Spirit »: The Pedagogy of Holiness according to Marie Guyart of the Incarnation

Through her clear, immediate and permanent experience of the Holy Spirit’s action in her life, Marie Guyart of the Incarnation is a privileged witness to the « way of the Spirit », and her writings - just as inspired as her life - testify to the Holy Spirit’s guidance at work. As her Jesuit contemporary, Claude Dablon, so aptly put it, her entire existence, was, in the fullest sense, a « work of the Spirit ». Not only was Marie of the Incarnation conscious of being led by the Spirit, she also sought to correspond to the Spirit’s guidance in her entire life. God’s invitation to Marie went further still, and she was brought to share her experience of life in the Spirit through the transmission of the connatural knowledge she had gained - the « experimental science of love » as she calls it -, a further consequence of the Holy Spirit at work in her life. In an echo to the spiritual teaching of the Jesuit, Louis Lallemant, knowledge and surrender to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and his gifts - from within a movement toward conversion-correspondence - provide the essential basis for Marie of the Incarnation’s pedagogy of holiness.

Abstract

L’espressione «laboratorio della libertà» fa riferimento alla preghiera cristiana, che consiste nell’entrare nella preghiera di Gesù, affinché, nel corpo di Cristo, diventi la stessa preghiera di Gesù Cristo. Tale preghiera è uno spazio comunionale, dove la coscienza può diventare retta, giacché vive dalla e nella memoria ecclesiale del Logos Redentore. Grazie alla donazione di Cristo, comunicabile esistenzialmente e sacramentalmente, la forza purificatrice di tale evento ci rende uomini nuovi (divinizzati), la cui trasformazione è la strada affinché il mondo diventi migliore.

Abstract

Christian prayer as “a laboratory of freedom”. A proposal by J. Ratzinger

The expression «laboratory of freedom» refers to Christian prayer, which consists in entering into the prayer of Jesus, so that, in the Body of Christ, our prayer becomes Jesus Christ’s prayer. This prayer is a communal space, where the conscience can become a good and right conscience, living from and in the ecclesial memory of the Redeeming Logos. Through the gift of Christ, which can be communicated existentially and sacramentally, the purifying power of prayer makes us new (deified) men, whose transformation is the way to a better world.

Abstract

S’il y a deux vertus qui sont aujourd’hui totalement incomprises, ce sont bien la douceur et l’humilité. La première, parce qu’elle est confondue avec la mollesse, alors qu’elle s’oppose autant à celle-ci qu’à son contraire le plus évident, la dureté (ou la violence). La seconde, parce qu’elle est confondue au mieux avec la modestie, au pire avec le mépris de soi. Il est d’autant plus urgent de revisiter la signification de ces deux vertus que, en elles, Jésus nous révèle le secret de son coeur : « Je suis doux et humble de coeur » (Mt 11,29). Sous le titre volontairement provocateur de l’article se cache en fait un autre objectif : revaloriser, voire relégitimer la vertu d’humilité et, pour cela, la redéfinir. Notre thèse est la suivante : l’humilité est la vertu qui nous dispose à recevoir les dons, à commencer par le don même qu’est Dieu. Cette affirmation ne manque pas de susciter des objections (1). Pour l’établir, nous nous mettrons d’abord à l’écoute des sources de la Révélation (2), puis nous procéderons à la détermination théologique (3) et, selon l’organisation toujours pertinente de la quaestio disputata, nous résoudrons les difficultés (4). Nous serons alors à même d’en tirer une conséquence en nous affrontant à la question posée par le titre de l’article : à quel genre de vertus rattacher l’humilité, aux vertus morales ou aux vertus théologales ? (5).

Abstract

Humility, a theological virtue ?

Two virtues which are totally misunderstood in our time are the virtues of gentleness and humility. Gentleness, although it is as much opposed to softness as it is to hardness (or violence) - its most blantant contrary - is taken to mean submissiveness. Humility is confused at best with modesty, and at worst with self-contempt. It is of utmost importance to revisit the meaning of these two virtues because, in them, Jesus reveals to us the secret of his heart: “I am gentle and humble of heart” (Mt 11,29). Behind our deliberately provocative title lies this objective: to promote and even to rehabilitate the virtue of humility and, for this, to redefine it. Our thesis is this: humility is the virtue that disposes us to receive all gifts, beginning with the very gift that is God. This assertion does not fail to raise objections. (1) To establish it, we shall first turn to the sources Revelation provides. (2) We shall then proceed to found it theologically and, (3) in accordance with the ever-relevant procedure of quaestio disputata, we shall resolve the difficulties involved (4). We shall then draw our conclusions by answering the question posed in our title: to what type of virtue does humility belong, to moral virtue or to theological virtue? (5).

Abstract

El propósito de este artículo es profundizar en el concepto de conocimiento de Dios partiendo de la relación permanente entre este conocimiento y la experiencia mística del Corazón de Jesús. Esta experiencia se suele reducir a la influencia de santa Margarita María de Alacoque, sin embargo, podemos encontrar textos con características similares desde los comienzos de la mística cristiana. A lo largo de este recorrido histórico podemos observar algunos elementos recurrentes que nos enseñan algunas características propias del conocimiento de Dios.

Abstract

The Knowledge of God and the Heart of Jesus in Mysticism. Spirituality and Theology from the Heart of Christ

This article attempts to gain a deeper understanding of the concept of God’s knowledge. Its point of departure is the perennial relationship between this knowledge and the mystical experiences of the Sacred Heart. This spiritual experience is often associated with Saint Marguerite-Marie Alacoque, and her influence. There is evidence however of spiritual experience bearing similar characteristics in texts from the beginnings of Christian mysticism. This article takes us on a historical tour, where we can observe certain recurrent elements that show us some of the interesting characteristics of God’s knowledge.

Abstract

Teologia, 563

Franco Manni, Herbert McCabe. Recollecting a fragmented legacy (Simon Hewitt), 563

Aaron Pidel, Church of the Ever Greater God: The Ecclesiology of Erich Przywara (Lukasz Strzyz-Steinert, ocd), 565

Rudolf Voderholzer, Zur Erneuerung der Kirche. Geistliche Impulse zu aktuellen Herausforderungen (Lukasz Strzyz-Steinert, ocd), 568

James Alison, Connaitre Jésus (Giovanni Chifari), 570

Teologia spirituale e della vita consacrata, 572

Vincenzo Di Pilato, Discepoli della via. Questioni e prospettive sul metodo della teologia (Giovanni Chifari), 572

Maximilien-Marie Barrié, L’empathie à l’école du Christ. Phénoménologie, neurosciences, accompagnement spirituel (Valéry Bitar, ocd), 576

Xavier Larrañaga (ed.), La missione della vita consacrata in un mondo che cambia (Luca Garbinetto, pssg), 578

Spiritualità carmelitana, 580

Giovanni della Croce, Opere complete (Loretta Frattale), 580

Marc Foley, The Dark Night. Psychological Experience and Spiritual Reality (Iain Matthew, ocd), 584

Jean de Jésus-Marie, Le Paradis de l’Oraison, contemplation et mortification (Silvano Giordano, ocd), 586

Hermann Cohen - Augustin-Marie du Très-Saint-Sacrement, Qui nous fera voir le bonheur? Sermons et autres textes, Le père Hermann. Un converti de l’Eucharistie au XIXe siècle (Silvano Giordano, ocd), 588

Johannes Soreth, Expositio paraenetica in regulam carmelitarum. Ein Kommentar zur Karmelregel (Silvano Giordano, ocd), 591

Laura Quadri, Una «fabula mystica» nel Seicento italiano. Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi e le «Estasi» (1609-1611) (Chiara Vasciaveo), 593

Patrice Jullien de Pommerol, Que rien ne Te trouble. Résonances Coranique d’un Poéme Thérésien (Samuele Sangalli), 599

Sam Hole, John of the Cross. Desire, Transformation, and Selfhood (Steven Payne, ocd), 601

Harm Klueting, Edeltraud Klueting(a cura di), Edith Stein’s Itinerary/Edith Steins intellektueller Weg, Schriften d. Forschungsinstituts d. Dt. Provinz der Karmeliten n. 4 (Michele D’Ambra), 603

Iacopo Iadarola, «Nessuno ha un amore più grande di questo». Contributi carmelitani per una spiritualità dell’offerta della vita (Maria Manuela Romano, ocd), 605