Lonergan’s Theology of Prayer: The Cross,Historical Recovery,and St. Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises

Abstract

Bernard Lonergan develops a rich theology of prayer in his article “The Mediation of Christ in Prayer.” When his theology of prayer is integrated with his soteriology, theology of history, and argument for theology as a praxis, it reveals the role of prayer in historical recovery and yields a revitalized theology of the cross. More particularly, Lonergan recommends prayerfully encountering Christ’s redemptive deeds in Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises. This encounter cultivates the real apprehension of the mystery of redemption that is both the principle of historical recovery and the heart of a revitalized theology of the cross that neither trivializes evil nor sacralizes violence.