THE HUMAN SIDE
In Robert Bolt’s play “A Man for All Seasons,” Rich, who is enamored with the glory of court life, pleads with St. Thomas More for a court appointment.
More replies, “Why not be a teacher? You’d be a fine teacher. Perhaps even a great one.”
“And if I was, who would know it?” Rich asks.
“You, your pupils, your friends, God. Not a bad public, that … Oh, and a quiet life,” More replies.
For those seeking a glorious life, why not think about becoming a theologian?
When we celebrated the feast of St. Bonaventure in July, it once again reminded me of theology’s awesomeness.
St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas lectured in their respective colleges at the University of Paris. Retired Pope Benedict XVI stated that for Thomas, theology is both “theoretical, it seeks to know God ever more, and it is practical: It seeks to orient our life to the good.”
Bonaventure emphasizes a third dimension of theology: wisdom. Bonaventure wrote that “to know that Christ died ‘for us’ does not remain knowledge, but becomes necessarily affection, love.” He saw theology’s purpose as to love and benefit the pursuit of the Christian life.
Philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato influenced Bonaventure’s and Thomas’ theology, and fired our imagination on who God is. Why, for example, did God create the world? Why did the omnipotent God become incarnate? How do we participate in God’s universal love?
Theology challenges the mind, but more so, it touches the heart. When Bonaventure wrote “The Life of St. Francis of Assisi,” he saw in Francis a theology of the poor and wondered why Francis considered serving the poor the epitome of life.
When Francis’ hands, feet and side mirrored Christ’s crucifixion, Bonaventure asked what Christ’s act of surrender meant for us. When we look upon the wood of the cross, do we envision it a tree filled with the mystical fruits of Christ’s life?
Theology addresses the very essence of life through doctrines, spirituality, liturgy and moral law.
As science, medicine and the exploration of space advances, moral law in particular is especially needed to address ethical and moral challenges they present. Where in science, for example, is the line to be drawn to preserve dignity of life?
What will guide those who govern our God-given existence? Where do we find those who should be proclaiming that the world is not ours to do what we will with it, but that ultimately, we are its stewards?
If these theological challenges fire up your imagination, be a theologian; not a bad world to be in, and oh, it is not a quiet life.
