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111 chapter฀8 Arriving at a Christocentric Universe Ilia Delio Faith Seeks Understanding From where does a theological vision begin? What gives rise to theological insight and, in particular, to my insight? I ask these questions not only as a matter of self-reflection but out of wondrous surprise that I am a theologian because, truth be told, I never intended to be one. Unlike the typical theology student finely tuned in philosophy, theology, and classical languages, I was a hard-core student of science who took only the necessary courses in theology and philosophy to meet the requirements of my undergraduate institution . As a science major I believed that science held the key to unlocking the secrets of life. I pursued graduate work in neuroscience, initially studying the pharmacological basis of schizophrenia and eventually publishing studies on neuronal dysfunction in a model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. I reveled in the discoveries of science and clearly remember the day I made my own original discovery in the lab, as if I had become privy to divine secrets hidden in the human brain. There was a lure to science that captivated me, the intricate mechanisms of the nervous system, the precise functioning of multiple neural circuits. How could this come to be, this incredible mass of neurons entangled with one another in the most elaborate loops and patterns, firing electrical potentials into a self-reflective “I”? I discovered God in the lab. It was not a God I sought; rather it was a God who emerged from the mysterious and incredible formation of organs, neurons, and chemicals that compose the human brain (and person) beyond what any human could invent and much more than the blind chance of evolution . From the single living cell to the mammalian neocortex, human life, indeed all life, is a magnificent work of art. It was scientific research that impelled me to seek the artist. Thus, I made a dramatic leap from the world of scientific research into the silence of a Discalced Carmelite cloister, believing that the God hidden in the details of the cell would be found more fully in the details of the soul. Although my time with the Carmelites lasted only a few years, I gained a foundation in prayer and mystical theology that has endured. Upon leaving the Carmelites, I entered the order of Franciscans, where I was offered the opportunity to study theology. I began my studies in theology at Fordham University with an eclectic background in science and philosophy. However, I appreciated the Jesuit approach to study and found 112 Ilia Delio the intellectual rigor of theological study exhilarating. Studying theology was a coming-home experience for me, and each new discovery in the rich Christian tradition was an expansion of being. If I had to identify one central element that has governed my journey from science to theology, it is the meaning of Christ. What does it mean to say “God Incarnate” in a world of science and creativity? In this new world of technology and globalization, who is Christ for us today? The relentless pursuit of these questions lured me to the Franciscan intellectual tradition, especially through the influence of Ewert Cousins and his insightful interpretation of Bonaventure’s Christ mysticism. What drew me to Bonaventure was the depth and breadth of his thought and its integral unity in Christ the center . Cousins was also a Teilhardian scholar who introduced me to the works of this Jesuit scientist, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, whose rich evolutionary Christology complemented the dynamism of Bonaventure’s thought. These two great spiritual masters, Bonaventure and Teilhard de Chardin, have become the two principal lenses through which I view the meaning of Christ and Christian life. Here I explore the influence of Bonaventure and Teilhard on my thought, first by examining Bonaventure’s contribution to the meaning of Christ in the cosmos, and then by showing how Teilhard’s insights have shaped the horizon of my theology in this new millennium. Bonaventure’s Theology: Trinity and Christ Bonaventure’s theology is like a rich tapestry woven with a single thread. It has been said of Bonaventure that his thought is such an integral synthesis that one sees either the whole or nothing. Although Bonaventure’s theology is dense, I found a pattern to his thought reflected in his consistent themes of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, creation, the human person, and metaphysics. The medievalist Etienne Gilson wrote that Bonaventure “appeared bent towards the creation...

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