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THE LIGHT OF THY FACE: STUDIES IN FORM & SPLENDOR

“Et resplenduit facies ejus sicut sol” – “And His face did shine as the sun” (Mt 17.2)

On this Second Sunday of Lent, dedicated to the Transfiguration of Our Lord, I am pleased to inaugurate this blog, Lux vultus tui (“the light of thy face”): Studies in Form and Splendor, part of a broader project of trying to understand revelation through the two aspects of “form” and “splendor” that make up the “thou” who is Jesus Christ. The final aim of this blog is to perceive all things through the light of Christ’s face, that is, as unities of form and splendor reflecting to greater or lesser degree the form and splendor of the Creator. In particular, my goal is to probe questions of great relevance for the Church and the world today through this, if you will, “hermeneutic of form and splendor.”

I dedicate this blog to Benedict XVI, theologian; Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, Vicar of Christ (2005-2013); servant in the vineyard of the Lord; with immense gratitude and filial affection for his writings, his pontificate, and his life of prayer for the Church.

TOPICS

Among the topics I envision addressing:

- the fides quae creditur or “object of belief,” that is, what Christians believe, particularly in relation to contemporary discussions of the depositum fidei (“deposit of the Faith”) and its transmission

- as a corollary: the correct interpretation of the Second Vatican Council and the post-conciliar Magisterium, especially in relation to the preceding Magisterium, the conciliar texts, and the disunity of ecclesial voices in the fifty years since the opening of the council

- the fides qua creditur or “act of belief,” that is, how Christians, or would-be Christians, believe

- liturgy and prayer, that is, how Christians worship God, and how we can worship Him more effectively, including questions about “organic” development, rupture, “reform of the reform,” and retrieval of ancient rites and uses (e.g. the usus antiquior of the Roman rite)

- evangelization, especially the “New Evangelization” of post-Christian cultures

- the Logos (“verbum” and “ars”) and legitimate culture, that is, how Christianity has, does, and can transform cultural production, especially the visual arts, and culture more broadly

- Church and Polis, including what a Christian society should look like, and how Christians should live in non-Christian, post-Christian, and increasingly, anti-Christian societies

POSTS

I envision several kinds of posts comprising the primary content of this blog:

- critical readings of short or excerpted key texts (which might just as easily be images, films, etc.)

- abstracts of longer key texts

- pensées, i.e. “thoughts” or “scribblings” on various topics

- essays, or constructive theoretical works

- translations into English of short theoretical and creative works

- annotated links to content elsewhere online

and, possibly:

- original artworks (short stories, poems, paintings, drawings)

This is not a newsblog or a personal blog.

GETTING ORIENTED

For a basic orientation to this blog and its title, please see “About this blog” in the bar above.

To get some sense of the theoretical framework for this project, see “Key Texts.”

Central to this project is the appreciation, advancement, and production of works of art that are, in a broad sense, “icons” of the radiant face of Christ. On the pages “Sounds,” “Images,” “Words,” and “Films” I offer a few examples.

This blog is for everyone—irrespective of creed or education—who finds these concerns of interest and/or importance. While some of the language can be technical, I will try to define everything as clearly as possible for as broad as possible an audience. Feel free to ask clarifying questions in a comment.