Kenosis Reflection - Phenomenology of Prayer (Adam Stillabower)

     When reading this chapter of the book and throughout this class, the term phenomenology has surfaced on multiple occasions and I have yet to really nail down its definition and what it actually means. Dr. Redick has explained it, to my recollection, at the study of experience. In the Phenomenology of Prayer, when talking about prayer as being kenotic, Mensch defines it as “the study of appearing” and then immediately follows up with “but the sacred seems to signify what cannot appear.” (Mensch, page 64) How does one study something that cannot “appear” or make physical manifestations in the natural world through measurable means? Understanding that experiences, especially interpretations of experiences, are very subjective, how does one find concrete data, points, or conclusions in this sort of study?

    Growing up in church, where we were continuously taught to let God and the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ “into your heart,” Mensch’s explanation of Kenosis as something that is receptive made quite a bit of sense. One needs to be “open” to receiving anything, a gift, compliment, or praise. He talks about how God is still ‘in fact’ a part of this world but has removed himself simultaneously. So, in order to truly commune and establish a relationship of commitas, one needs to essentially emulate the earth in that you are still yourself, while also emptied of your wants, wishes, and desires. He goes on in the chapter to talk about how empathy plays a large role in reaching a state of Kenosis. In trying to establish this communion, he argues that one much seeks to understand the other being, in the case of Christian prayer, understand God’s will. Like talked about in the elements of prayer, especially in confessions, we are looking for this empathetic feeling from that creator, trying to undo the harm that we may have caused as a result of our actions.