The Christian vision of human persons is a source of hope and creativity in the face of growing insecurity and polarisation in today’s world. This was the theme of the 2024 Annual Knox Lecture presenter, Rev Assoc Prof Jamie Calder SJ, when he spoke recently at Catholic Theological College on the topic ‘Connecting with hope, reconnecting with the Christian vision of the person.’
Fr Calder is a member of the Society of Jesus and serves in the Directorate of Mission and Identity at Australian Catholic University. He is a practising psychologist, and his academic work focuses on the intersection of theology and psychology.
Fr Calder discussed today’s context of increasing social, ecological and cultural challenges, both within and beyond the Catholic Church, and how they confront our personal wellbeing and sense of connection to those around us.
Love has come among us, and we will never be the same.
Drawing on the psychological framework of attachment theory—the idea that we are born with a need to form close emotional bonds with our caregivers, and that these early bonds can influence our attachments throughout life—Fr Calder spoke of the need for human attachment, emotional regulation and resilience-building. The Christian understanding of relational intimacy and incarnational dynamism between the divine and human provides a sure way to promote the integral development of human persons.
Reflecting on the gospel scenes of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son (or perhaps better, the Prodigal Father), Fr Calder outlined a theological understanding of the human person based on vulnerability and mutuality, as care for the other and for the self, including the divine Other, who becomes our neighbour and holds us in relationship.
The Christian vision of the person must be at the heart of efforts to ensure a safe church for all, and to prevent our safeguarding activities from becoming empty checklists, Fr Calder said. Our safeguarding work should be an embodiment of the relational intimacy of God among us.
As Fr Calder emphasised, ‘Love has come among us, and we will never be the same.’
Further information on the Annual Knox Lecture can be found here.
Banner image: Rev Assoc Prof Jamie Calder SJ delivers the 2024 Annual Knox Lecture at Catholic Theological College.
All photos courtesy of Catholic Theological College.
Catholic Theological College (CTC)
CTC is committed to the highest standards of teaching and research in philosophy and theology, within the Catholic tradition. It collaborates in the Church’s mission to spread the Gospel, and provides academic formation for people committed to the pastoral service of the Church.
