Department

Seminary/School of Divinity

Date

Summer 8-2019

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Theology (M.A.)

Type of Paper/Work

Thesis

Advisor

Christopher J. Thompson

Second Advisor

William B. Stevenson

Third Advisor

Kenneth D. Snyder

Abstract

This paper examines Laudato si’ and a few of its key themes as they pertain to Christian spirituality and self-awareness. In particular, it focuses on the notion of “ecological conversion,” by which, Pope Francis writes, the person’s encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in her relationship with the world. It is, as already mentioned, an extension of the Catholic moral principle of solidarity to include not just other human beings, but also all of God’s creatures, who belong to one ontological family. But more than just a new development in the Church’s body of social teaching, ecological conversion has profound implications for Christian spirituality because it proposes a re-fashioning of the person’s most deeply held convictions about God, creation, and herself. Its particular relevance is the present “technocratic paradigm,” which Pope Francis names as one of the root causes of the ecological crisis. Ecological conversion is, for men and women who have been instructed by technocracy, a path of conversion and deep interior renewal.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

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