Fr. Mário Henrique da Costa Nunes, SCJ, is a student in the ECS (English and Cultural Studies) program at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology. A member of the Brazil – São Paulo Province, he is also an author with a new book just off the press. The English translation of the original Portuguese title is “JOY AND HOPE: The Word of the Catholic Church in Favor of the Human Person”, which focuses on what he describes as the “Anthropology of Vatican II”, present in the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes.
“Today I’d like to reflect on why each person is so important,” he said during a lunch presentation about his book to SHSST students and faculty on April 11. ” Why is human dignity a fundamental fact and not dependent on one’s own circumstances? As a priest, this theme continues following me. Christ revealed man to himself as a beautiful image in a mirror.”
Fr. Mário Henrique noted that “Pope Francis says that today we are experiencing a profound anthropological crisis, the denial of the primacy of the human being (Evangelii Gaudium 55). Strong words, but in the face of this crisis, the Church has words to share. It has something to say. This is because it has an integral vision of the human being. It has a strong insight into what humanity is. And this profound anthropological vision can positively affect ourselves and others in our daily actions, and furthermore, our pastoral actions. [This is because] The Church sees in men and women, in every person, the living image of God himself.” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church 105).
In this book, Fr. Mário Henrique takes the reader on a theological journey that starts with the question – “What is a human being?” – until his answer in Christ, the Incarnate Word. Starting from numbers 11 to 22 of Gaudium et Spes, he invites readers to rediscover the beauty of Christian anthropology, in dialogue with the challenges of today’s world. In the presentation to the SHSST community, Fr. Mário Henrique focused on Chapter 7 of the book, which is titled: “Synthetic elaboration of the anthropology of Vatican II”.
Joy and Hope is published by Editora SCJ in Brazil and will soon be available for sale (in Portuguese).
Fr. Mário Henrique concludes his studies with the ECS program at the end of April, and several weeks after will join the international Dehonian mission in the Netherlands.
