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Washington Theological Consortium - EcuNotes #17
(March 2003)
Authored by Rev. John Ford, CSC, STD.
MARY IN THE PLAN OF GOD AND IN THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS. By Alain
Blancy and Maurice Jourjon and the Dombes Group. New York/Mahwah,
NJ: Paulist Press, 2002.
Le Groupe des Dombes is an ecumenical association that brings together
twenty Roman Catholic and twenty Lutheran or Reformed theologians
for an
annual discussion of church-dividing topics. The first part of this
book
provides an historical overview of Marian theology and devotion;
next is a
survey of Scripture and Confessions of Faith that thematically portray
Mary
as creature, mother of Jesus Christ, and member of the Church. The
second
part of the book tackles disputed questions: Mary's "cooperation" in the
work of salvation; her perpetual virginity in light of the scriptural "brothers and sisters of Jesus"; the Roman Catholic dogmas
of the Immaculate
Conception and Assumption; and Marian prayers and devotions. After
examining many sources, the Groupe concluded that "theological
and practical
divergences" about Mary are not "irreducible incompatibilities." Although
not everyone will agree with the group's conclusion that full communion
is
possible without the acceptance of the Marian dogmas, nonetheless
this book
succeeds in correcting many mutual misunderstandings and in promoting
ecumenical understanding about the role of "Mary in the Plan
of God."
BLESSED ONE: PROTESTANT PERSPECTIVES ON MARY. Edited by Beverly
Roberts Gaventa and Cynthia L. Rigby. Louisville-London: Westminster
John Knox Press, 2002.
The eleven essays in this collection provide three perspectives
about Mary:
(1) four essays provide insightful vignettes about Mary in each
of the
Gospels; (2) two essays about the role of Mary look at her Motherhood
and
Christian vocation, while two others consider Mary from African
American and
Mexican American perspectives; (3) two essays then consider Mary
as a
woman of faith and an exemplar of divine goodness, while the final
essay
creatively considers Mary in terms of the "Artistry of God."
Although
further discussion seems desirable about some opinions expressed
in this
collection, on the whole, it is a welcome addition to ecumenical-theological
dialogue.
WAY OF THE CROSS: THE PASSION OF CHRIST IN THE AMERICAS. Edited
by Virgil Elizondo. Lanham-Boulder-New York-Oxford: Rowman &
Littlefield, 2002.
On Good Friday in Jerusalem, thousands of pilgrims process along
the Via
Dolorosa the route that Jesus presumably followed to Calvary; the
"Way of
the Cross" is marked by fourteen traditional "stations"
or places where
pilgrims stop for prayer. The present book, originally published
on the
quincentennial of Columbus' "discovery" of the Americas,
provides a doubly
innovative adaptation of the customary Way of the Cross: first,
the stations
are chosen from New Testament accounts of the final hours of Jesus'
life and
so are sometimes different from the traditional stations; second,
the
fourteen meditations and prayers--written by leading theologians
like
Leonardo Boff, Enrique Dussel, Jon Sobrino, Elsa Tamez--reflect
on the
sufferings of the peoples of the "New World" in parallel
to the sufferings
of Jesus. Prefaced by the editor's reflections plus an "opening
meditation"
by Gustavo Gutiérrez and concluding with a short meditation
by Dom Helder
Camara, these meditations, illustrated with evocative wood-cuts,
vividly
re-enact the Way of the Cross as experienced by the poor and oppressed
in
today's world.
The recent issue [110: 2002/III] of the INFORMATION SERVICE of
the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity includes: [1] texts
related to the "Day of Prayer for Peace in the World"
at Assisi on 24
January 2002; [2] the "Common Declaration on Environmental
Ethics" issued
by Pope John Paul II and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I on 10
June 2002; [3] Cardinal Kasper's reflections on the 75th anniversary
of the First World Conference on Faith and Order; [4] a set of brief
status-reports on
ecumenical conversations between the Roman Catholic Church and Adventists,
Anglicans, Disciples of Christ, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Reformed,
World
Council of Churches.
Rabbi David Dalin's lecture on "John Paul II and the Jews"
at Catholic
University on Thursday, March 27, characterized John Paul II as
the pope who has done the most to improve Jewish-Catholic relations.
Dalin traced the
pope's favorable attitude back to his boyhood in Wadowice (Poland)
where
Jerzy Kluger, a Jewish school-mate, was one of his best friends
and later
his guest at the Vatican. Among the actions symbolizing the pope's
favorable attitude towards the Jewish community have been his visit
to the
Jewish synagogue in Rome, his prayers at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem,
and
the Vatican's diplomatic recognition of the state of Israel.
Communications Director Jenny Wade would like to note these upcoming
events:
The second annual Friends of the Consortium Spring Reception will
be held on April 28 at the Dadian Art Gallery at Wesley Theological
Seminary from six
to eight pm. Rev. Dr. David McAllister-Wilson will greet the assembly
and
describe Wesley's ecumenical endeavors and Deborah Sokolove, Curator
of the Dadian Gallery, will be available to comment on the background
and
development of the gallery's latest exhibit, "Moving Towards
Center."
Please call the Consortium office for more information at: 202-832-2675
for
more information.
The Chevis F. Horne Center for Preaching and Worship at Baptist
Theological
Seminary at Richmond is pleased to Present the fifth annual Chester
Brown/Hampton Baptist Church Preaching and Worship Conference, April
28 -
May 1, 2003. Join Dr. Tom Long, keynote speaker and Dr Milburn Price,
worship leader for thought provoking lectures and soul nourishing
worship.
Learn and interact with your colleagues in a variety of break-out
sessions
on worship and preaching led by seminary professors, guest speakers,
and
denominational leaders. Call 804-204-1240 for registration information.
Special commuter rates available.
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