Dogmatics

The Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini (No. 12) uses an expression of the patristic and medieval tradition, Verbum Abbreviatum. The expression appears in Isaiah 10:23 and Romans 9:28, and it has received various interpretations throughout history; among them, the identification of Verbum Abbreviatum with Jesus Christ stands out. This paper aims to study this Christological interpretation in depth, highlighting a triple dimension: Begotten Word, Incarnate Word, Confessed Word. The sacrament of the Eucharist gathers together these three aspects: it is humble presence, the body of Christ and a confession of faith; making Jesus Christ present, abbreviated Word, the Eucharist is also Verbum Abbreviatum.

With his encyclical Spe Salvi (2007), Benedict XVI offers to the Church an original reflection on Christian hope. A number of theological comments have been written, reading Spe Salvi from diverse perspectives. However, not so many have penetrated properly into the identification between Hope and Jesus Christ, which can be found in several Spe Salvi's places. The present work aims to a Christological reading of Spe Salvi, relying on Ratzinger's former theological work and the recent teaching of the Pontiff. After criticizing the insufficient conceptions of Christian hope, Jesus Christ is introduced as the hope «made flesh», the one who illuminates the inherent paradoxes in the human existence. Jesus Christ is also the «setting» in whom the Christian can pray to the Father; Christian action is made possible only in Christ; he allows every man and woman to join their sufferings to the Crucified; finally, the Final Judgment appears as a personal meeting with Jesus Christ. Therefore, the three «settings» of the hope underlined by the encyclical (cf. SpS 32-48) have an unmistakable Christological root. The process of personalization and Christological concentration of hope is completed by the life of the saints, who reflect in a diverse way the Light that shines in Christ's face. They are the best «proof» of Christian hope.

Sobre el Padre, que mas se puede decir? La mayoria evitan hablar de El, llenos de prejuicios y vencidos de antemano por las ideas que se hacen naturalmente de El. Estas palabras, pronunciadas en el siglo IV, parecen escritas para nuestro tiempo: el renovado impulso de la teologia trinitaria en los ultimos decenios no se ha visto acompanado por un avance proporcional en la teologia del Padre. El ano del Padre, fijado por Juan en la preparacion del Gran Jubileo del ano 2000 ha iniciado un cambio en esta tendencia: una nueva teologia del Padre esta naciendo. El presente estudio se asoma al Misterio del Padre de la mano de Gregorio Nacianceno (329-389), autor de la frase inicial. El Teologo, como es conocido en el Oriente cristiano, ofrece una sintesis trinitaria personal de gran originalidad, en la que se integra al Padre en la confesion de una Trinidad completa, por la perfecta divinidad de los Tres. En polemica con Eunomio, senala la naturaleza del nombre de Padre: Padre es nombre de relacion. Tal relacion se expresa con una doble terminologia: el Padre es principio el Hijo y el Espiritu Santo, pero principio unico (la monarquia del Padre); al termino comun de principio, acompanan dos titulos especificos: el Padre es el que genera al Hijo y emite el Espiritu Santo. A la teologia o vida intima de Dios, corresponde la economia, su presencia salvadora para el hombre: hombres y mujeres experimentan a Dios Padre como su creador, pedagogo, medico y amigo (filantropo).

Vatican II (LG 4) defines the Church as «a people united by the unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit»; from this formulation, native to Cyprian of Carthage, post-Council ecclesiology often talks about «Church of Trinity». It is, therefore, a new and traditional perspective at the same time, whose history has not been enough studied. This paper aims to mark the basic milestones of the Trinitarian view of ecclesiology, from its origins until today.

The present work focuses on the saving dimension of incarnation in Gregory of Nazianzus’ writings. After clarifying what mystery means when applied to incarnation, the first part of the article underlines the view of man as a “combination” and synthesis of the earthly element and the spiritual one; this anthropology cannot ignore the Fall of Man. The second part approaches the mystery of Incarnation as a “new combination” of the human and the divine: the elements which mix, the principles which describe this mixture and, finally, the redeeming effect of the Incarnation of the Word.

The question of the Meaning of life distinguishes the man from the rest of the beings; even if he tries to avoid it, the question emerges in diverse forms. It’s the man’s question about himself, which is only answered when he founds the absolute “You”: God. The man is not alone in his search: God himself met him in Jesus Christ: the Meaning became Flesh and it is offered to man as Way, Truth and Life. When someone meets the Meaning in person, he becomes himself a proposal of Meaning for those who meet him.

The year of Faith, announced by Benedict XVI, is an excellent time for a new reception of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. According to Benedict XVI, the Catechism presents the content of faith «that is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed». The centre of this faith is the Mystery of Blessed Trinity, source and ground of the other Christian Mysteries. We propose a comprehensive, Trinitarian reading of the Catechism, which shows the Trinity as the Mystery we profess in Creed, the Mystery we celebrate in the Liturgy, the Mystery from which Christians live everyday and the centre of Christian prayer.

"El sacerdote de Orihuela-Alicante, Domingo García, pronunció una ponencia sobre la formación integral del cristiano. En su exposición retomó el lema del encuentro “Verdaderos creyentes, discípulos y testigos de Cristo”. El ponente describió el creyente como aquel que tiene una fe que le hace capaz de reconocer a Jesús en su vida: “Se trata de un encuentro real con fuerza suficiente como para cambiar la vida de una persona”.
En relación con el discípulo, insistió en que ésta es una condición común a todo cristiano independientemente si es obispo, sacerdote, religiosa o seglar, y que por tanto es necesario “seguir creciendo en espiritualidad bautismal, es decir, en la conciencia de lo que une a todos los cristianos por encima de las diferencias que conlleva el servicio”. De esa consciencia del  bautismo, completaba, “surge la valentía apostólica”.
Por último, vinculaba la calidad del testigo a la calidad de su experiencia de Dios, y animaba a dar solidez al testimonio a través del estudio, la oración y la vida para aportar algo singular a la sociedad actual siendo, al mismo tiempo “uno de tantos”.
http://www.obsegorbecastellon.es/"

El Año de la fe nos ofrece una excelente ocasión para renovar nuestra confesión cristiana. Con nuestra intervención, pretendemos asomarnos al amplio espacio de las confesiones breves de la fe. Comenzamos con el proyecto más relevante del pasado siglo: las Fórmulas breves de la fe de Karl Rahner. El intenso debate que suscitó esta propuesta nos ofrecerá algunas de las claves necesarias para un tratamiento actualizado del tema; también obtendremos luz de la rica tradición patrístico-medieval del Verbum Abbreviatum. En tercer lugar, estableceremos los elementos necesarios para una abreviación de la fe hoy. Nos permitimos señalar los más significativos. El Verbum Abbreviatum es, ante todo, una persona: el Hijo eterno de Dios, que se abrevia haciéndose carne. De acuerdo con las recientes indicaciones de Porta Fidei, destacamos que la fe no sólo se confiesa; también se celebra, se vive y se ora. En consecuencia, abreviar la palabra de la fe significa pensarla, celebrarla, vivirla y convertirla en oración. Desde aquí, se deriva una inmediata dimensión misionera: la palabra se abrevia para poder ser anunciada.

The apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium is much more than a post-synodal document. In it, Pope Francis has offered us the program of his pontificate, the fundamental intuitions and the vision with which he intends to endow the ecclesial life of our time. The present work aims at a unitary reading of the document, from what we consider its fundamental idea: the emphasis on «going forth». This image has deep anthropological roots. Thus, the first part tries to present this «going forth» as a metaphor of human condition: if the knowledge of reality and personal relationships constitute a certain «going forth» from oneself, it is not surprising that Francis presents the encounter with Christ and the life in the Church as «going forth». Once man’s indispensable ecclesial vocation has been shown, we present the seven stages of Church’s conversion suggested by Pope Francis: from self-absorption to a missionary Church; from a worldly Church to a people-Church; from the needless hallowing of our ownculture to the inculturation of faith; from centralism to decentralization; from living in society’s centre to its peripheries; from the Church’s self-occupation to the social question; and, last but not least, a poor Church and for the poor. The conclusion tries to show Pope Francis’ proposal as conversion and process.