What type of Catholic Theological Ethics do we need to develop as the 21st century unfolds?
Echoing the insight that the first lesson of life is to prepare for death, we investigate Grief to uncover the embodied, experiential claims of human connectedness. In that light, we investigate the rich philosophical contributions of Levinas, Butler, Honneth and Fraser on Vulnerability and Recognition. With these ontological, moral and theological claims, we explore the birth of Conscience as the acknowledgement of guilt, but through a theological anthropology that is constitutively social, looking at matters of collective responsibility and restoration. Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God then becomes the pivot to hear the Call to Discipleship. The three remaining lectures address a connected and collective understanding of humanity in terms of the structures of Grace and Sin, Virtue, and Communion of Saints, the Works of Mercy, and the Beatitudes.
James F. Keenan, SJ, is the founder of Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church as well as Boston College's Canisius Professor, Director of the Jesuit Institute and Vice Provost for Global Engagement.
