Livio Melina

Catholic moral theology faces a radical challenge in this age of moral upheaval. No longer must it simply respond to specific questions about particular matter, nor elaborate some method for the formulation of norms. The challenge now is instead no less than comprehending the mystery of human action in its proper dynamism. Livio Melina here guides the reader on a path that seeks to recover the integrality of moral experience and its place in Christian existence. This path aims at rediscovering in moral action an epiphany of love and attempts to help us recognize a profound synergy between human and divine action.

Toward a Theological Understanding of Christian Action

The Epiphany of Love

The encyclical Veritatis splendor (The Splendor of Truth) represents the first document of the magisterium devoted to the foundations of the Catholic moral life. Though it was intended to confront a genuine crisis of moral disintegration and to offer positive directions for carrying out the work of renewing moral theology, it was fiercely criticized by theologians who regarded it as a simplistic and "repressive" document. Now, several years after the publication of the encyclical, Livio Melina offers an original contribution not only to the study of Veritatis splendor and the controversy surrounding it, but also to the field of moral theology as a whole. In Sharing in Christ's Virtues, Melina proposes a blueprint for organizing moral theology, one that is in harmony with the directions given in Veritatis splendor and one that likewise respects the requirements of both the "theological" and the "scientific" character of the discipline. He describes it as a "Christocentricism of the virtues," which understands the moral life of Christians as a participation in the virtues of Christ by means of the grace of one's ecclesial incorporation in Christ. Melina argues that the renewal of moral theology should result in, first, a search for a more integral and dynamic understanding of human action, and second, a theological "re-dimensioning" of morality to better comprehend the synergy between human action and God's action. The contents of the book are: Part One: Toward a Christocentrism of the Virtues: Lines of Renewal 1. Between Crisis and Renewal: The Cultural and Theological Context of Morality Today 2. An Ethics of the Good Life and of Virtue 3. An Ethics Founded on the Truth About the Good of the Person 4. A Morality of Faith: The Salvific Relevance of Moral Action 5. A Christocentric Ethics of the Virtues Part Two: Ecclesial Sense and Moral Life: Perspectives and Developments 6. Ecclesial Dimensions of Moral Theology 7. The Call to Holiness in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: The Morality and Spirituality of "Life in Christ" 8. Moral Conscience and Communio: Toward a Response to the Challenge of Ethical Pluralism Livio Melina is professor of moral theology at the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at the Lateran University in Rome. In addition to numerous articles, he has written and coauthored several books, including La conoscenza morale. Linee di riflessione sul Commento di san Tommaso all'Etica Nicomachea; Morale: tra crisi e rinnovamento; Corso di bioetica. Il Vangelo della vita; Amor conjugal y vocacion a la santidad; Domanda sul bene e domanda su Dio; and Quale dimora per l'agire? Dimensioni ecclesiologiche della morale. "Melina's thought-provoking and powerful presentation of key themes in moral theology will be welcomed by English readers.... One comes away with an understanding and appreciation of the basis of Christian morality for the twenty-first century. The excellent bibliography lists authors from Aristotle to John Paul II, many not well known in the English literature on moral theology. . . . Melina's work is timely. ..."--Catholic Library World

For a Renewal of Moral Theology in Light of Veritatis Splendor

Sharing in Christ's Virtues

Carl A. Anderson

In response to Benedict XVI's first encyclical, the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies and Marriage and Family reflects, together with the Holy Father, on love. From the very beginning, the fundamental work of the Institute has been pursuing a deeper understanding of God's plan for marriage and family. In these twenty-five years various generations of students and professors, following the legacy of John Paul II, have been able to discover and communicate the beauty of the vocation for which all men have been created: the call to love. Twenty-six professors from the Institute's various sessions express what in their understanding are the main themes of the document, approaching the topics raised by the Holy Father with different theological and philosophical perspectives; by so doing they have highlighted the significance and fecundity of the lines of thought suggested by the Pope. This book is offered as a path towards a fuller understanding of the profundity and richness of the love with which God fills us and wants us to communicate in our turn.

Livio Melina

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