Cruciform Encounter in a Time of Crisis: Enfleshing an Ethics of Alterity

Abstract

This article connects the work of M. Shawn Copeland to a dialogue between Bernard Lonergan and Emmanuel Levinas. Exploring these authors’ insights on intersubjectivity, alterity, dialectic, and embodiment, the article develops a framework for engaging and overcoming contemporary crises of relationality. These resources are then used to reframe questions of otherness in terms of the imitation of Christ, advocating encounter grounded in open, prayerful engagement with the marginalized.