Ilia Delio — A Theology of the Future

Jul 12, 2024

Ilia Delio, a Franciscan sister and renowned theologian, explores the intersection of science and faith. She discusses the timeless relevance of her book, "Humility of God," addressing contemporary issues of spiritual misplacement. Delio highlights the Franciscan notion of a self-diffusive God, emphasizing divine goodness and love as fundamental. She connects historical figures like Bonaventure and Teilhard with modern challenges, advocating for a Franciscan approach to prayer that focuses on reordering desire and embracing the beauty of creation.

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INSIGHT

Goodness Over Mere Being

Bonaventure emphasizes overflowing goodness rather than abstract being, making goodness higher than being.
This produces an overwhelming, incarnational God distinct from Thomistic unknowability.

INSIGHT

A Communicative, Dynamic God

Bonaventure holds a dialectic where divine goodness is both necessary and free, implying an irresistibly communicative love.
Delio reads this as compatible with process and Teilhardian ideas of God becoming with creation.

ADVICE

Recover Franciscan Resources

Mine the Franciscan tradition instead of defaulting to Thomism; it's full of modern resources.
Delio urges Franciscans to preach their own theology and develop contemporary scholarship.

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Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD, is a Franciscan Sister of Washington, D.C.,and an American theologian specializing in the area of science and religion. Her work often bridges evolution, physics and neuroscience with Franciscan theology. She currently holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University and also holds two honorary doctorates, one from St. Francis University in 2015, and one from Sacred Heart University in 2020. She is the founder of the Center for Christogenesis (https://christogenesis.org), which seeks to deepen the integration of science and religion by understanding the contribution of each discipline to the whole field of knowing and loving. This conversation revolves around themes from two books of hers that were recently re-published by Franciscan Media: "Humility of God: A Franciscan Perspective," which was re-released on June 4, and "Franciscan Prayer: Awakening to Oneness with God," which was re-released on July 2. Though Sr. Ilia wrote these books 20 years ago, you’ll find that they are even more relevant today and are foundational to the work she continues to do around Franciscan theology.

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(00:00:01) Introduction

(00:02:37) God’s Humility

(00:05:44) Into the Heart

(00:08:23) Bonaventure vs. Aquinas

(00:17:07) Connecting Teilhard and Bonaventure

(00:20:12) The Franciscan Approach to the Incarnation

(00:24:40) In Dialogue with Bonaventure

(00:28:08) Let the Tradition Loose

(00:31:47) Becoming a Living Prayer

(00:36:40) Prayer and Desire

(00:45:00) The Self-Diffusive God Diffused in Our Lives

(00:51:22) Franciscan Prayer

(00:58:23) Conclusion