Abstract:

In his first Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis observed: “Popular piety enables us to see how the faith, once received, becomes embodied in a culture and is constantly passed on” (EG 123). Thus, the Pope greatly encouraged the Church to use popular piety as today’s “evangelizing power.” Ngắm Đứng (Standing Meditation) is a famous and precious Catholic popular devotion which has been practiced in Vietnam since the seventeenth century. It is the Vietnamese’ special and profound way of expressing faith in God, particularly Jesus Christ. This tesina is an example of an approach to doing contextual theology with sensitivity to local practices of popular devotion. The author particularly focuses on Standing Meditation as a resource of theology in Vietnam’s context. In doing so, the researcher attempts to portray some possible images of Jesus arising from the devotion and to elaborate some dimensions of a popular Christian spirituality. Heeding the call of the Church for mission, the tesina aims to promote Standing Meditation as an instrument of evangelization in today’s Vietnam.

Final Defense:

Board of Examiners: Fr. Albert Alejo, S.J., Ph.D. (Principal Examiner), Fr. Hartono Budi, S.J., Th.D., and Fr. Jojo Fung, S.J., Ph.D.

Proposal Defense:

Board of Examiners: Fr. Hartono Budi, S.J., Th.D. (Adviser), Fr. Jojo Fung, S.J., Ph.D., Fr. Albert Alejo, S.J., Ph.D.