Toward a spirituality of conversion: Oscar Romero and contemporary discipleship

© Damian Zynda

Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Theology in Christian Spirituality

Zynda, Damian, 1956-

Faculty of Theology of the University of St. Michael's College and the Pastoral Department of the Toronto School of Theology , awarded by the University of St. Michael's College and the University of Toronto

pdf

eng

304 p.

ISBN: 0612974995

ISBN: 9780612974999

Espiritualidad

Conversión

Romero y Galdámez, Óscar Arnulfo-1915-1980-Obispos

Spirituality

Conversion

This thesis is concerned with contemporary Christian discipleship, and is intended to continue the current discourse on the phenomenon of conversion by engaging an interdisciplinary dialogue to bring forward a fuller contemporary spirituality. In general it explores how the grace of conversion interacts with the ongoing development of the human personality, and more specifically, it examines my thesis that conversion occurs in the struggle to be obedient to the grace of conversion manifested in the particular circumstances and particularities of our human condition. This thesis weaves together three threads of inspiration from Irenaean theology, Archbishop Oscar Romero's (d. 1980) life and the psychological discourse of personality disorders and therapeutic strategies to develop a multidisciplinary discourse of woundedness, conversion, personal growth, and renewed commitment. Responding to the Second Vatican Council's call to retrieve sage wisdom of the early Christian Church to aid in renewal, and in my quest for a vision of spiritual development which is dynamic and multi-dimensional, the theology of Irenaeus of Lyons casts movement toward God in a positive and attractive light. While Irenaeus did not write explicitly about discipleship, his theology relies on grace and encourages a priority on God's mercy and compassionate understanding of human nature; his anthropology suggests a greater appreciation of God's desire for our human flourishing; and his soteriology proposes that while the healing vectors of the grace of conversion motivates us out of sin, the elevating vector animates our struggle in the life of grace to discover divinely endowed gifts, and gradually heals and liberates us from the constraints of our woundedness. The life of Archbishop Oscar Romero (d.1980) is an especially promising dialogue partner in my efforts to develop a fuller spirituality because he is a contemporary Christian, and whose radical features of conversion make the shifts in his spiritual development more observable. Also, Romero invites a fuller dialogue with some strands of psychology and psychotherapy because of the role Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder played in his life. To complement existing theoretical work, this thesis offers an alternative reading of spirituality that has at its heart the dynamic movement of conversion, a progressive process of transformation advancing human authenticity and union with the Triune God. It outlines in broad strokes, foundational dimensions of a spirituality of conversion and suggest formative disciplines that can nurture and sustain discipleship today.

Toward a spirituality of conversion: Oscar Romero and contemporary discipleship