Mysticism and Witness in Koinonia
Inspiration from the Martyrdom of Two Twentieth-Century Communities
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2023
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Publisher's Description
Testimony until the end in a radical donation of life and blood can be communitarian and not only individual. That is the case for the two communities of Trappists and Jesuits, so different in their form and so close in their radicality. One is contemplative, the other active; one is in Africa, the other in Latin America. Both are religious Catholic orders. Nevertheless, the cause of their violent death is secular. For one, there is love and dialogue with otherness: other cultures, other religions, other beliefs. For the other, there is justice for those who are the victims of iniquitous economic and political systems: the poor. Assuming secular causes into their religious consecration and commitment, those communities teach today to the plural society we live in how to be open to otherness, to difference, and to the various vulnerabilities that clamor for justice. They also teach to the churches a new radical way to live the gospel--not with a unique institutional point of view but with an unlimited openness to all hungers and thirsts of the world. Their martyrdom is a liturgy celebrated publicly, instigating reflection and action.
Endorsements (4)
“Mysticism is sometimes conceived of as being esoteric and removed from everyday experience. In this beautiful and moving theological reflection on two twentieth-century communities of martyrs, Maria Clara Bingemer reveals the vital mysticism of solidarity and accompaniment that was at the heart of their lives and their witness; one that continues to speak to us in our own time. An important and necessary work.”
“In this beautifully translated work, Maria Clara Bingemer has joined her expertise in Ignatian discernment with a vivid recounting of how the monks of Tibhirine and the Salvadoran martyrs gave themselves over to God. This hope-filled and deeply reflective narrative allows Catholics to awaken from the mere dream of synodality to see it before their very eyes as a concrete reality in history. Three cheers for Bingemer’s latest spiritual masterpiece!”
“This book is a timely reflection on the relationship of contemplation and action. Maria Clara Bingemer gives us a window into a new style of mysticism that is open to the divine in the other and simultaneously immersed in a violent world. The witness of these two communities inspires a profound hope that living for others is possible.”
“Taking readers into a space of quiet and stillness, this book invites us to journey into the worlds of Christian De Chergé and Ignacio Ellacuría, to know more intimately these two extraordinary disciples. Their prayer, thought, and leadership crossed boundaries of difference by which they offered and continue to offer the world an exquisite gift. Maria Clara Bingemer richly honors their gift in these pages. A wonderous, spiritual feast.”
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