The Eucharist is preeminently the sacrament of Christian hope. It is a foretaste of the eschatological banquet. Saint Thomas Aquinas, in the antiphon for the Magnificat on the feast of Corpus Christi, described the Eucharist as the pledge of future glory. It contains within it the memorial of Christ’s Passover and the anticipation of his coming in glory. Filled with hope, Christians celebrate the Eucharist as “a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us” in anticipation. (Sacrosanctum Concilium, par. 47). How this eschatological consciousness is related to the Eucharist is a question that deserves further exploration. While some authors have touched on the subject, there has been no systematic treatment of this theme since Geoffrey Wainwright’s Eucharist and Eschatology. Our thesis explores the contemporary insights into Eucharistic eschatology of Hans Urs von Balthasar, Francois-Xavier Durrwell, Gustave Martelet, and Louis-Marie Chauvet. We shall situate our study in terms of a current philosophical-phenomenological context of hope as explored by Gabriel Marcel and Ernst Bloch, and the questions of gift as discussed in the works of Robyn Horner, Jacques Derrida, Jean-Luc Marion and David Power. To approach the Eucharist as the pledge of future glory is to discern the eschatological meaning of this sacrament and its relationship to Christian hope. If hope is essential to the human condition, then the Eucharist keeps hope alive within the Christian community and the world. As the sacrament of the Eschaton, the Eucharist activates hope in the present time for the consummation of God’s purposes for all humanity and for the fulfilment of God’s reign of justice, freedom and peace throughout creation. To celebrate the Eucharist is to participate in a “holy communion” with God through the bread and wine shared together. Such an eschatological communion foreshadows the future transformation of the whole cosmos into New Creation. The Eucharist is thus the divine milieu where the Christian community celebrates the real presence of the risen and glorified Christ, and the eschatological grounds for its ultimate expectations. In order to celebrate the Eucharist as the pledge of future glory it is also important to recognize that the future glory which Christians anticipate through the Eucharist is God’s gift. It is a gift of grace to be received and cultivated with a sense of responsibility. The Eucharist inspires Christian hope and gives birth to creative human activity in the direction of the coming of the new heaven and new earth. Only when Christians recognize the future as eschatological gift, they will be able to commit themselves to building up the body of Christ in the world and at the same time dare to hope for the future glory in the fullness of God’s time. The Eucharistic hope thus embodies an ethical praxis that the Christian community is summoned to embody in their lives. The Christian community, gathered for prayers and thanksgiving, and for the “breaking of the bread” is itself an eschatological reality. It proclaims the real presence of the future that God has prepared for the whole of creation in Christ. We seek to explore the notion that the Eucharist, as the sacrament of hope, is both a vision of the future and a celebration of the Christian community as it is nourished on the body and blood of Christ, the firstfruits of the Kingdom. It is significant because if God is our ultimate future glory it matters greatly that we understand and know that the gathering at the Eucharistic table confirms and extends our communion with God and with all creation. It is in this Eucharistic communion that hope is born. A foretaste of what is to come is already celebrated and given in Christ’s self-giving love. It is vital therefore that we explore the interconnection between the Eucharist and eschatology and attend to the meaning and practice of Christian hope. The thesis will conclude with a constructive retrieval of the eschatological dimension of the Eucharist as a pledge of the future glory.

La thèse cherche à décrire l'ecclésiologie de J. Moltmann, qui présente l'Église du Christ comme « une Église de l'espérance »", à laquelle toutes les confessions chrétiennes sont appelées à prendre part. Mais peut-on encore parler aujourd'hui d'espérance ? La question se pose en philosophie depuis cinquante ans et, en théologie, depuis les années soixante. Cette interrogation est devenue récurrente, pour plusieurs raisons. D'abord parce que, de par sa nature, l'être humain n'est jamais satisfait de ce qu'il possède: il aspire toujours à autre chose. Ensuite, parce qu'avec le concile Vatican II, l'Église catholique a ouvert les portes de l'espérance tant à ses membres qu'au reste du monde, suivie en cela par les communautés protestantes à travers l'action du Conseil oecuménique des Églises. D'autre part, le développement des dialogues interreligieux et œcuméniques est un signe d'espérance, pointant vers l'unité des chrétiens et de l'humanité. On notera d'autre part, que les situations actuelles de violence et de guerre provoquent les religions, l'humanité et chaque individu à agir pour la paix et l'unité. Dans ce contexte, la mondialisation, favorisée par les développements médiatique, technologique et économique, stimulent les peuples à construire un avenir meilleur. Enfin, la conscience de la dégradation de l'environnement incite à chercher des solutions en vue d'assurer la survie de la création. Plus fondamentalement, si la personne humaine se définit non seulement à partir de son passé, mais aussi en fonction de son avenir, il est inconcevable de ne pas espérer l'amélioration du monde. Pour être réellement une Église de l'espérance, une double tâche s'impose aux chrétiens. D'abord puiser à la source première: Jésus Christ, mort sur la croix et, ressuscité, dont on attend le retour définitif. D'autre part, anticiper par des actes l'avenir du Royaume annoncé. C'est dans cette perspective qu'on doit poser la question de la nature et de la mission de l'Église. Concernant sa nature, Moltmann se base sur une vision christocentrique: « Sans Christ, il n'y a pas d'Église ». À propos de la mission, Moltmann propose une perspective théocentrique. Il affirme que l'Église doit se penser et s'intégrer dans l'histoire de la relation de Dieu avec le monde, une histoire qui déborde celle de la seule Église. L'Église appartient au Royaume de Dieu, et tout ce qu'elle réalise doit être fait en vue de l'advenue de ce Royaume. C'est pourquoi l'Église devrait abandonner toute tendance absolutiste ou totalitaire. Il lui faut s'engager activement dans le monde, en travaillant à l'avènement d'un monde plus juste. Quant à la réforme interne de l'Église, Moltmann se réfère à l'Esprit Saint. Ce dernier est unique, mais ses dons sont divers: l'Église devrait donc ouvrir des possibilités à chaque chrétien, pour qu'il soit vraiment missionnaire, en fonction de sa vocation propre et des dons reçus. Les éléments constitutifs de l'Église que sont la hiérarchie et/ou les ministères ordonnés ne devraient pas constituer les données essentielles. Il faut d'abord tenir compte des grâces propres au sacerdoce universel et aux autres ministères, car tous les baptisés se doivent de participer à la mission commune. Dans cette perspective, les ministères ordonnés ne doivent pas être séparés des autres fonctions ecclésiales. J. Moltmann propose une Église eschatologique de l'espérance, en ce qu'elle est fondée sur l'histoire de Jésus et qu'elle vise sa parousie. Elle accomplit sa mission en harmonie avec le plan divin universel du salut. L'Esprit Saint guide l'Église et l'aide à rester fidèle à sa nature profonde et à accomplir sa vocation. L'ecclésiologie de J. Moltmann ne peut être que trinitaire.

This research focuses on documenting the efforts of the Waponahki people to design and pass legislated policy that effectively addresses racism and the process of colonization in school curriculum. The Waponahki, Indigenous to Maine and the Maritime Provinces, set precedent in both Canada and the United States during the late 1990s for the development of progressive educational policy that was implemented as legislated policy; two public laws and one state rule. Research on these policies, including the processes of their development, is significant because it provides an educational and social justice policy-making model. This work also contributes to the emerging discourse on Indigenous Research Methodologies as critical to the transformation of policy development theory and practice amongst Indigenous peoples. In Alberta, Canada, the Aboriginal student population is the fastest growing of any other race/ethnicity in the province (Alberta Learning Commission, 2005). However, Aboriginal students have the highest drop-out rates, and are least likely of any group to complete university (Frideres, 2005 & Statistics Canada, 2001). Experiences of racism in schools continue and are cited as a leading reason for Aboriginal student attrition, and the implementation of policy and practice that values Aboriginal worldviews is key to Aboriginal student success in school systems (Hampton & St. Denis 2004, Wotherspoon & Schissel, 2003). This research documents and analyzes the development of such policy from the lens of an Indigenous Waponahki researcher. The project is also unique because it specifically articulates a Waponahki epistemology and ontology as its foundational research methodology. Guided by the essence, practice, and principles of Waponahki basket weaving and creation story, the project examines two key pieces of legislation (public law) and one state rule that address racism and support language revitalization: in 2000, Maine Public Law Chapter 27, Title 1 MRSA 1102, more widely known as the Squaw Law; in 2001,Maine Public Law, Chapter 403, Title 20-A MRSA 4706, known as the Wabanaki Studies Law; and in 2005, the Native Language Endorsement Rule, Maine Department of Education, 05 071 CMR 115 Part II section 1.17, a state rule authorized by the state legislature. The study employs data collection methods that examine published documents, texts and individual interviews related to the three examples of legislated policy. Discussions address not only the challenges and opportunities of designing and implementation, but also speak to how these legislated policies function in practice as policies that work toward Waponahki survival and beyond. By discussing the development of these three specific examples as policies that evolved from the knowledge, traditions and colonial experiences of Waponahki people, this research describes and analyses how Waponahki ways of knowing (epistemology) and ways of being (ontology) inform policy-making processes in Maine. / Indigenous Peoples Education

This dissertation investigates whether there is a theme of future hope in Proverbs. Chapter 1 surveys scholarship on this point. Most scholars who believe Proverbs is only concerned with this present world do not read Proverbs in its canonical context. This dissertation argues that in its canonical context the Book of Proverbs functions to explain how Solomon trains the Davidic prince to be the ideal king who through wisdom - living life under the covenant - establishes an eternal, righteous kingdom in the land. The failure of Solomon's sons (the Judahite monarchy) contributes to the future hope for a Son of David who fulfills this picture. Chapter 2 analyzes debated passages in Proverbs to see if a future hope arises. It argues that there is a future hope for retaining the land (2:1-22), posterity for the Davidic line (24:13-20), and an eternal Davidic Kingdom (29:14). Chapters 3 through 5 place Proverbs in its canonical context to see if it is connected to the future hope of the Old Testament. Chapter 3 argues that Proverbs presents a similar future hope as that of the Writings, for a Davidic King who is faithful to Torah, defeats Israel's enemies, establishes Israel in the land and sets up an eternal kingdom. Chapter 4 argues that Proverbs connects with the future hope of the Torah for a king, obedience to the law with a new heart, dwelling in the land, and an eternal kingdom. Indeed, Proverbs argues that wisdom is obedience to the Torah. Chapter 5 argues that the failure of the Davidic kings to live up to the ideal of kingship in the Torah and Proverbs led to a future hope in the prophets for a king who embodied wisdom and set up an eternal dynasty. Chapter 6 concludes that Proverbs does have a future hope for a wise David who will establish an eternal kingdom in the land. The New Testament presents this as ultimately fulfilled in Jesus.

<p>As Christians in the United States struggle to sustain hope in the face of global economic, environmental, military, and poverty crises, the most popular source of theological hope for preachers and congregations is that of Jürgen Moltmann and the Moltmannian hope that draws on his work. Moltmannian theology eschews close connections with more-canonically established doctrines of hope, claiming instead on a future-based, this-worldly eschatology that hopes in the God who suffers. An exclusive reliance on a Moltmannian theology of hope deprives the church of crucial resources for a robust eschatological hope and its practices. Critical attention to additional streams of of theologial hope, and to applicable discourses within and without Christian theology, provides the church with strength and resilience to sustain a distinctly Christian theological hope through and beyond disaster, despair, suffering, and death. Jesus Christ, the perfect hope, embodies the life -- earthly and eternal -- of humanity and its eschatological end, a life in which humans can participate, through grace and discipleship.</p><p> To make this argument, I survey characteristics of Moltmannian hope and then identify costs of a theological hope that relies exclusively on Moltmannia resources. I review a Patristic and Thomistic grammar of theological hope and its accompanying grammar of God; and I explore possible contributions to theological hope from an assortment of contemporary conversations outside conventionally-identified areas of Christian hope. I conclude with two suggestions for ecclesial formation of Christians in theological hope.</p> / Dissertation

This study examines the effects of hope and mindfulness on the relationship between life experiences and resilience, as well as the direct relationships among these constructs. Participants were 537 undergraduates who were taking online courses at Texas A&M University. Most participants were traditionally-aged and female. Quantitative self-report measures for each construct were administered online via SurveyMonkey. The small, positive relationship between life events and resilience approached, but did not reach, statistical significance, and hope but not mindfulness was found to moderate this relationship. Correlations were significant, positive, and linear between resilience and hope (r = .57, p < .01), resilience and mindfulness (r = .50, p less than .01), and hope and mindfulness (r = .44, p less than .01). Suggestions for clinical interventions aimed at increasing resilience by increasing hope and mindfulness are provided

The present study explored how older adults adapt to the negative changes that often occur as people age. This study sought to provide a comprehensive investigation of how the positive psychology variables of hope, optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy might work together to serve as protective factors against the potentially deleterious impact of negative environmental variables on the subjective well-being of older adults. The negative environmental variables examined in this study included declining health status, lower social support, and negative life events (e.g., loss of spouse, reduced income, etc.). In this study, the subjective well-being in older adults is defined as an overall sense of satisfaction with life, high positive affect, and low negative affect. This study examined three primary hypothesized models, each investigating how positive internal dispositional factors (as measured by taking the composite of hope, optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy), work together to mediate the relationship between the components of subjective well-being and a different environmental variable for each model. Several alternative path analyses models were also run based on modifications to the model that achieved good fit, with the goal of evaluating whether the individual positive psychology constructs either fully or partially mediated between certain environmental variables and each of the components of subjective well-being. Although no adequate fits were attained for the models evaluating social support and negative life events, results of this study showed an adequate fit for the model evaluating the positive psychology cluster as a mediator between health status and the subjective well-being components; more specifically, the positive psychology cluster was shown to mediate the relationship between perceived health and two of the three components of subjective well-being (life satisfaction and positive affect). In addition, correlation analyses revealed that the positive psychology variables were all significantly correlated with each other, as well as with the participant reports of life satisfaction, positive affect, and perceived health. These findings suggest that participants who reported higher levels of the positive psychology constructs experienced higher satisfaction with life and positive affect, and perceived themselves as having a lower occurrence of health problems. Overall, these results provide additional evidence for the protective role that hope, optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy may play in maintaining the well-being of older adults.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 81-86). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 81-86). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.(Prakt. Teol.)--Universiteit van Pretoria, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 313-327).