The Density of the Present

By: Gustavo Gutierrez

$25.00

Overview

Essays by renowned author Gustavo Gutierrez cover such themes as developments in Catholic social teaching, the church's mission of evangelization, the meaning of spirituality, and the task of theology. Part One includes reflections on Pope John Paul II's encyclical on work as well as an overview of a century of Catholic social teaching in relation to the "option for the poor." In Part Two, Gutierrez examines the journey of the church in Latin America. In Part Three, he takes up the relationship between spirituality and theology, the function of the theology within the church, and the critical question of how to talk about God in a world of suffering.

Gustavo Gutiérrez (1928-2024) a Peruvian priest and Dominican theologian, was widely regarded as the father of liberation theology. His groundbreaking work, A Theology of Liberation, was published in 1971 (in English 1973), and it inspired a whole library of books from Latin America, and in time from around the world. His many works (all translated by Orbis Books) include We Drink from Our Own Wells, The Power of the Poor in History, On Job, The Truth Shall Make You Free, and The God of Life. Fr. Gutiérrez served for many years as a parish priest in Rimac, Peru. He also taught at many universities, and served as Cardinal John O’Hara Professor at the University of Notre Dame. His many honors, included induction into the Peruvian Academy of Language, the Legion of Honor from the French government, and the Prince of Asturia award in Spain. Upon his death he was recognized by Pope Francis as “A man of the Church who knew how to be silent when he had to be silent, who knew how to suffer when it was his turn to suffer, who knew how to carry forward so much apostolic fruit and so much rich theology.”