Instruction
In chapters 7-9 of their Catholic Theology: An Introduction, Bauerschmidt & Buckley describe prayer, sacraments, and the moral life in ways shaped by the trinitarian and christological vision of chapters 1-6. They thus attempt to display the integrated character of Catholic Christian theological thinking. Write a paper making an argument displaying the way in which, in Bauerschmidt & Buckley’s Catholic theological understanding, prayer, sacraments, and the moral life are related to each other. Further, show the way in which this connection relates to, or flows from, the trinitarian doctrine and christology of the councils of Nicaea and Chalcedon. That is, how are prayer, morality, and sacraments all connected to each other in the saving work of the Trinity in the world? Feel free to be creative in your approach, and to be as specific as possible. For example: -How might the eucharist relate to a certain virtue or an aspect of the moral life, and how are these both manifestations of the Trinity and dependent on the hypostatic union? -Or, how might the saving work of the Trinity, as it activates grace through a certain sacrament, energize the human moral life operatively and co-operatively? -Or, how might a certain sacrament depend on and manifest the incarnation of Jesus Christ in a way that, by the work of the Holy Spirit, provides grace for a Christ-shaped moral life? -Or, how does prayer depend on the person and work of Jesus Christ, and how does it respond to, and result in, the Spirit’s work in the world? -Or, is there a particular moral issue you are passionate about or wrestling with, and which B&B address in passing by implication through their discussion of morality and the virtues? How might a particular sacrament, as an expression of the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, shed light on faithful Christian witness in the face of this issue, quandary, and/or virtue? You are free to use Scripture and class lectures as sources in addition to Bauerschmidt & Buckley, yet, Bauerschmidt & Buckley is to be your primary text. No outside research necessary.6-7 pages, 12 point font, double spaced, standard margins.