Saturday, February 15, 2025
4:00 Pm ET | Pavilion Auditorium
FLYER PDF | JPG
No Longer Just a Promise
A conversation on In Search of the Human Face by Fr. Luigi Giussani, with Michael Hanby, Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy of Science at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, Washington, DC, John Milbank, President of the Centre of Theology and Philosophy, The University of Nottingham, and Aaron Riches, Professor of Theology, Benedictine College
"The supreme obstacle to our human path is the 'neglect' of the 'I.' In opposition to such 'neglect,' an interest for our own 'I'—here lies the first step on a truly human path. It would seem obvious for one to have this interest, while it cannot be taken for granted: it suffices to look at the great abyss of emptiness that opens in our daily life, in our awareness and in our loss of memory. In fact, the constitutive factors of the human 'subject' are not captured in the abstract; they are not a 'prejudice' but become evident when the 'I' is in action, when the subject is engaged with reality. Behind the word 'I,' we see a great confusion today, and yet an understanding of what exactly is my subject is of primary importance. Indeed, this subject is at the center, at the root of all my actions (even thinking is an action). Action is the dynamic with which I enter into a relationship with everything, every person. If I neglect my own 'I,' it is impossible for my relationships to be mine, for my life (the sky, a woman, a friend, music) to be mine. To say 'my' with seriousness, I need to have a clear perception of what constitutes my own 'I.' Nothing is as fascinating as the discovery of the true dimension of my 'I,' nothing so rich in surprises as the discovery of my own human face. And nothing is so moving as the fact that God became man to give me a definitive help, to accompany with discretion, with tenderness and power, the tiresome journey of each person in search of the human face."
— Fr. Luigi Giussani, Introduction to In Search of the Human Face
Speakers will discuss the content of this seminal work by the founder of Communion and Liberation.
IN-PERSON & LIVESTREAMED
