The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Waclaw Hryniewicz

On doing a search of the forum, I discovered that no one has commented on the universalist writings of the Catholic theologian Waclaw Hryniewicz. Some of these writings, included in his book The Challenge of Our Hope, are in fact available on the internet:

Universal Salvation: Questions on Soteriological Universalism

Universal Salvation: St Isaac the Syrian

Western Mystics and the Hope of Universal Salvation: Julian of Norwich and Thomas Merton

Enjoy.

Thank you!

Sonia

Thomas Merton was a universalist? I haven’t read anything from Merton before (though he is a very familiar name) but I had no idea he leaned towards universalism. Thanks.

I am particularly appreciative of Hryniewicz’s insistence that creaturely libertarian freedom down not limit God’s ability to save his creatures, even when they seem to reject him:

Typical reflection on the relationship of divine and creaturely agency often seems to place God and humanity on the same level. Only two choices are given: God either respects human choice and leaves us alone with our choices, no matter how disastrous, or God violates the integrity of our personhood and coerces us to love and obey him. But surely this cannot be right, precisely because our freedom is a gift from our transcendent creator that is perpetually given and sustained by him in the depths of our being. Though truly and genuinely freed, we are not autonomous, independent beings. God is not just not “outside” of us, knocking on the door; he is also “inside” of us, gently invoking us to heed his summons of love.

At least this is something along the lines we need to think about the relationship between divine freedom and creaturely freedom.

Clearly this is not just a theoretical question for me. I do not know the spiritual state of my departed son. But even if he thought he had rejected God by his adoption of atheism, even if he thought he was rejecting God by his decision to commit suicide, I must believe that the holy God is free to reach down into Aaron’s subjective depths and persuade him to open his heart to the healing and converting power of the Spirit. I must believe this for my Aaron. I must believe this for myself. If I could not believe this, surely I would go mad.

I think it’s all about resonance.

When I blow into a trumpet, my lips make random vibrations of many frequencies. Of these, a few resonate in the trumpet and are amplified, a bright, clear note. The other vibrations, the ones which do not fit the trumpet, simply die away.

By analogy, there are many things vibrating in my heart, desires both good and evil. When I meet God face to face, the good things will resonate in his presence and be amplified. The evil things will simply die away.

We all know people who can find the good in those they meet and blow it into flame. God will do precisely the same.

“Arise O Sleeper from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Beautiful post, Alvin :slight_smile: Just hold onto this hope, brother, because it’s worth holding on to.

Blessings to you, and know that God is with you and your wife and with Aaron.

Matt