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Catholicism: Christ and the Common Destiny of Man

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Although not an easy read, this rich, beautifully translated book illuminates the nature of the "catholic" Church. De Lubac's thesis of the Church, that it should not simply be "a" religion, but the repository of "all" religion that inspires the human spirit, challenges the narrowness that stunts most religiosity these days. His fervent defense of orthodoxy, at the same time, rejects the watered-down pantheism or spiritualism that leaves spiritual seekers walking in circles. If all you know of the Church are the clinic protests and the nun gags -- especially if you're Catholic yourself -- read this book and expand your mind.

The idea that keeps recurring in this book is unity. Henri de Lubac brilliantly draws the theme of unity out of the sacraments, the Church, Dogma, etc, etc. What is refreshing about this book even though it is 60 years old is that unity is to be found within the Mystical Body of Christ, not like some heterodox theologians of today who believe unity is achieved by adhering to some pseudo progressive liberal political ideology.
An added bonus is a 75+ page appendix of excerpts from various works of famous Church Saints & Fathers.

Fr de Lubac is known for his "rebellion" (tongue-and-cheek) against scholasticism, opting instead for a reading of early Church Fathers and doing theology through that lens, so-called Patrisitic theology. This book is essentially a synthesis of that concept, touching briefly on almost all areas of theology using the early Church fathers as guidance. Topics include the more standard ones like the Eucharist and the doctrine of God and Jesus, but there are also other ones that are less well known like the doctrine of salvation outside the Church. de Lubac has many quotes and whole chunks of writings from Origein, Cyril, Augustine, and many other Church fathers.

One aspect of the book that I was particularly interested in reading was a short section that de Lubac has on the interior life. It is my understanding that Fr. de Lubac had planned for most of his religious life to write an entire book devoted to the interior life, but never got around to doing so. This short section gave me a small glimpse into some of his ideas concerning the interior life and our relationship with God, though it could be argued that the whole book discusses our relationship with God in the sense of the interior life.

Although the book is a hard read (like all of de Lubac's books), it is very good and well worth it to devote some time to the writings of one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century.

"He who beholds the Church really beholds Christ" says St Gregory of Nyssa; "Any soul, in cultivating its vineyard, cultivates that of his neighbour as well. The two are so closely united that no one can do good or evil to himself without doing good or evil to his neighbour at the same time. Together you form but one single, universal vineyard" (Saint Catherine of Siena). These are but two of the many many quotes of the patristic age and of the middle ages that De lubac cites and explains to lead us to an inner understanding of the mystery of catholic and orthodox christianity. The effects of subjectivisim and individualism, so prevalent in our culture, can affect us all in insidious ways. De lubac points to the deep mystical social nature of the ecclesia catholica. This is a treasure to be read and re-read with the wisdom of the centures at one's finger tips, so to speak. The one irritant is that some of the footnotes are in latin, which is a little off putting.

I am only beginning my studies in *Roman* Catholicism, but this book has certainly opened my eyes to some of the great riches and insights of a "catholic" way of thinking.

For de Lubac, people are fundamentally *social* beings and the saving work of Christ is a saving work of humanity first, individuals second (hence the subtitle). The point of the Church is to be a witness to the common, shared humanity of man by bringing us all together into the body of Christ. The [Roman] Catholic church embodies this intention of God - that all would be one - more so than any other ideology, religion or church.

Interestingly enough, for de Lubac unity does not mean uniformity but, instead, presupposes difference. De Lubac does believe that the Holy Spirit continues to speak through the Pope today just as the Holy Spirit spoke through the Apostles; given this, any notion of catholicity that denies the primacy of the the Papacy would not fit into de Lubac's vision. Although it is too easy and too common to place the community over and above the individual, de Lubac places the individual within the community by recognizing that the difference between individuals is what allows unity-within-difference to exist. The individual communes with God and with others; the point of the Church is to bring the people together, before God, and therefore also face to face with one another.

This, however, is also the first limitation of de Lubac's vision: it does not get into the *reality* of the divisions between the Churches that are Catholic - Anglican, Orthodox and Roman Catholic - and does not really engage the reality of Protestantism/s/s/s/s/s/... De Lubac gives a beautiful vision of the Church as pure, undefiled and united. The reality of brining together the broken church is never explored, however.

The second problem with this book is the utter *lack* of translated footnotes! The book is probably half footnotes, many of which are simply left in Latin. It makes for a fairly maddening read at points, especially since it is obvious that de Lubac really knows his stuff. He is deeply rooted within the spirituality of [Roman] Catholicism; not being able to read who he thought was worth citing keeps the reader from being able to grasp the full depth and breadth of his thought.

De Lubac's writing is a fresh engagement with the Fathers of the Church, primarily, but he also engages Scripture and the Scholastics. He has a nearly 70-page appendix of citations from various works of the Fathers (and yes, they are all translated into English), which helps the reader understand better his view of the Church. Catholicism: Christ and the Common Destiny of Man is a brilliant synthesis of ancient and new theology and ecclesiology that will help the reader gain a far greater insight into what it means to be an individual that is a part of the community called the Catholic (universal) church.

Considered one of the most important books of 20th Century Catholic theology, this book is incredible. I was amazed at De Lubac's knowledge and handling of the Church Fathers. I came away with a deeper understanding of the social nature of Catholicism and the underpinnings of Communio theology. The only complaints I have are that a) there are too many footnotes and b)as someone whose Latin is very rusty and wasn't that good to begin with the Latin in the footnotes was almost worthless. I hope they come out with a translation that includes translations of the footnotes. The Appendix with excerpts, mainly of the Fathers, is great too.

Pick this book up and savor it.

Henri de Lubac may just be the father (although unsung) of modern Catholic theology. "Catholicism: Christ and the Common Destiny of Man" is clearly an example of this. Jesus Christ is not some long gone historic figure, but lives on in the Church - the Mystical Body of Christ. The common destiny of man is to live on in this living Christ.

Criticism of the difficulty in reading de Lubac are somewhat unfounded in that, the important nuances that separates simplistic understanding of Church, theology, and doctrine from a more profound understanding often require complexity. I welcome the difficulty should it provide a greater insight into the meaning of Church as the Living Body.

Although written from a Catholic perspective, de Lubac's engagement of the patristic teachers transcends the Orthodox-Catholic-Protestant divide. I would challenge all those who are serious about faith, doctrine, theology, and ecumenism to explore this book and "entertain" the possibility of the meaning of Church - that which our fathers and mothers in the faith deeply understood and embraced.

Reviewed by: Dr. Jeffrey Wincel (D.Min), author of "Climbing The Mountain of God, The Path to Mystical Discipleship" , Surviving the Fall, America's Second Great DepressionDefying the Trend: Business Ethics and Corporate Morality from a Faith Perspectiveand "Defying the Trend, Business Ethics and Corporate Morality from a Faith Perspective."

Cardinal de Lubac was an orthodox Catholic prelate. He acquired some enemies at the Vatican, who got him silenced for about 20 years. He used the time wisely, writing, thereby drawing victory out of defeat. This book is one of several he wrote during this period. Perhaps the most outstanding thing about this book is that he never whines or talks against his false accusers, thus practicing "turn the other cheek".

Gerald R. Schmidt, author of The Strange Life of Walenty Karnowski: The Rabbi's Illegitimate Grandson

theres some underlinging through out the book, but not much at all. its in really good shape for a used book.