Will There Be Tiers in Heaven?: Disability and the Resurrection of the Body

264 Pages·2018·3.03 MB·English

by  Nicola Santamaria

‘A rich blend of theological reflection, lived experience and practical insight, this
book makes a significant contribution to disability studies. Nicola Santamaria
offers her readers an inspirational and hope-filled reflection on a question
W
asked by us all: “how will you know me in heaven?”’
i
— Pia Matthews l
l

St Mary’s University, Surrey T
h
e
‘This is a moving and deep treatment of a challenging theological question, r
e
which brings us right into the centre of fundamental issues such as theology of
B
the body, theology of identity, theology of salvation, theology of dignity, and e

the “last things”. Nicola Santamaria has chosen inspiring interlocutors for her T
i
impressive work, creating a fruitful dialogue with Augustine, Jean Vanier and e
r
Henri Nouwen. Highly recommended!’ s

— Clemens Sedmak i
n
University of Notre Dame, Indiana
H
e
a
v
Will someone with a disability, either mental or physical, be recognisable in e
the heavenly realm? If they no longer have their disabilities, how will we know n
?
them? Are disabilities part of who we are? In the case of someone who loses

•
a limb in an accident, it is easy to imagine them with the missing limb restored,

but with congenital conditions many complex questions are raised. This book N
attempts to look at the issues in detail by comparing two key interlocutors, St ic
o
Augustine and Jean Vanier. Although Augustine lived more than a thousand
l
a
years ago, his teachings on the subject of heaven are still fundamental to

S
much contemporary theology. Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche communities,
a
works with people with learning difficulties. His contribution is supplemented by n
t
the work of Henri Nouwen, a Dutch Catholic priest whose writing was heavily a
influenced by his experiences with L’Arche. Finally, this book also offers some m
a
suggestions for the application of the theological debate to pastoral situations.
r
i
a
Nicola Santamaria taught maths and psychology in secondary schools for many
years, before completing a doctorate in theology at King’s College London.
During this time, she worked at St Joseph’s Pastoral Centre for people with
learning disabilities and taught at Allen Hall, the Roman Catholic Seminary in
Will There Be Tiers in Heaven?
the Diocese of Westminster.
Disability and the Resurrection of the Body
ISBN 978-1-78874-243-6
Nicola Santamaria
www.peterlang.com
Peter Lang
‘A rich blend of theological reflection, lived experience and practical insight, this
book makes a significant contribution to disability studies. Nicola Santamaria
offers her readers an inspirational and hope-filled reflection on a question
W
asked by us all: “how will you know me in heaven?”’
i
— Pia Matthews l
l

St Mary’s University, Surrey T
h
e
‘This is a moving and deep treatment of a challenging theological question, r
e
which brings us right into the centre of fundamental issues such as theology of
B
the body, theology of identity, theology of salvation, theology of dignity, and e

the “last things”. Nicola Santamaria has chosen inspiring interlocutors for her T
i
impressive work, creating a fruitful dialogue with Augustine, Jean Vanier and e
r
Henri Nouwen. Highly recommended!’ s

— Clemens Sedmak i
n
University of Notre Dame, Indiana
H
e
a
v
Will someone with a disability, either mental or physical, be recognisable in e
the heavenly realm? If they no longer have their disabilities, how will we know n
?
them? Are disabilities part of who we are? In the case of someone who loses

•
a limb in an accident, it is easy to imagine them with the missing limb restored,

but with congenital conditions many complex questions are raised. This book N
attempts to look at the issues in detail by comparing two key interlocutors, St ic
o
Augustine and Jean Vanier. Although Augustine lived more than a thousand
l
a
years ago, his teachings on the subject of heaven are still fundamental to

S
much contemporary theology. Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche communities,
a
works with people with learning difficulties. His contribution is supplemented by n
t
the work of Henri Nouwen, a Dutch Catholic priest whose writing was heavily a
influenced by his experiences with L’Arche. Finally, this book also offers some m
a
suggestions for the application of the theological debate to pastoral situations.
r
i
a
Nicola Santamaria taught maths and psychology in secondary schools for many
years, before completing a doctorate in theology at King’s College London.
During this time, she worked at St Joseph’s Pastoral Centre for people with
learning disabilities and taught at Allen Hall, the Roman Catholic Seminary in
Will There Be Tiers in Heaven?
the Diocese of Westminster.
Disability and the Resurrection of the Body
Nicola Santamaria
www.peterlang.com
Peter Lang
Will There Be Tiers in Heaven?

Will There Be Tiers in Heaven?
Disability and the Resurrection of the Body
Nicola Santamaria
PETER LANG
Oxford • Bern • Berlin • Bruxelles • New York • Wien
Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche National-
bibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at
http://dnb.d-nb.de.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018938754
Cover image: The Coronation of the Virgin Mary and the Glory of All the Saints
by Elizabeth Wang © Radiant Light, image code R-06010-CW. Used with
permission.
Cover design by Peter Lang Ltd.
ISBN 978-1-78874-243-6 (print) • ISBN 978-1-78874-244-3 (ePDF)
ISBN 978-1-78874-245-0 (ePub) • ISBN 978-1-78874-246-7 (mobi)
© Peter Lang AG 2018
Published by Peter Lang Ltd, International Academic Publishers,
52 St Giles, Oxford, OX1 3LU, United Kingdom
[email protected], www.peterlang.com
Nicola Santamaria has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this Work.
All rights reserved.
All parts of this publication are protected by copyright.
Any utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without
the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution.
This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming,
and storage and processing in electronic retrieval systems.
This publication has been peer reviewed.
In memory of
Philip James Basil Westbury

Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Foreword xi
Introduction 1
Chapter 1
Approaching the Discourse on Disability 3
Chapter 2
Mindfulness in Abraham’s Bosom 43
Chapter 3
The Voice of Jean Vanier 85
Chapter 4
Henri Nouwen’s Eschatology of the Beloved 127
Chapter 5
Seeing the Riddle through the Mirror 169
Chapter 6
Pastoral Implications 209
Bibliography 235
Index 247