https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/332 2026-08-30T18:07:13Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148648 Title: Synodality as baptismal vocation and ecclesial care : toward a theology of participation and accompaniment Authors: Zammit, Mark Joseph Abstract: This article proposes that synodality is grounded in two inseparable theological realities: baptism and ecclesial care. While contemporary studies frequently interpret synodality through the categories of participation and communion, this study argues that care should be recognised as one of its constitutive foundations rather than merely its pastoral expression. Baptism incorporates believers into Christ, establishes the dignity of the People of God, and calls every Christian to participate actively in the Church’s mission through shared discernment and co-responsibility. Care, rooted in God’s saving relationship with humanity and embodied in the ministry of Jesus, gives historical and relational expression to this baptismal identity by shaping communities marked by listening, accompaniment, mercy, and service. Through engagement with the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council, the teaching of Pope Francis, and the Augustinian perspective of Pope Leo XIV, the article presents synodality as the Church’s enduring way of living, discerning, and witnessing together in service of the Gospel and the world. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148601 Title: «L’hôte et la maison sont une seule et même chose.» La sapience accueillie et habitée dans La théologie mystique de Jean De Saint-Samson Authors: Camilleri, Charló Abstract: En 1655, Donatien de Saint-Nicolas, a publié Le Vray Esprit du Carmel, rassemblant divers entretiens que le maître spirituel Jean de Saint-Samson prononçait au profit de ses disciples. Ceux-ci ont ensuite été intégrés aux OEuvres complètes publiées en deux tomes entre 1658 et 1659. Dans ces entretiens, le maître, aveugle de son corps, éclaire l’audacieuse voie mystique de ceux qui s’engagent sur le chemin de l’intériorité, là où l’on prend conscience que l’on est accueillant de la Sapience qui l’accueille. [excerpt] 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148599 Title: “Our time, too, should have its own concept of God” : reimagining the divine in conversation with Titus Brandsma, Ken Wilber, Kevin Hart, and Jean-Luc Marion Authors: Camilleri, Charló Abstract: When Titus Brandsma delivered his 1932 inaugural address Godsbegrip (Concept of God), Europe stood on the precipice of terrifying ideological currents. The rise of National Socialism, with its racist idolatry of race and nation, was for Brandsma a renewed form of paganism“neo-paganism” in his words, threatening Christian spirituality and human dignity alike. Brandsma saw in Nazi ideology a perversion of authentic religious experience, a false god-image wielded to justify violence and oppression. His theological inter - vention was not merely academic; it was a prophetic call to articulate a concept of God rooted in human dignity, love, and mystery, capable of challenging totalitarian idols. Schoonenberg comments that “his recognition of God shaped his philosophy. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148523 Title: An Arabic artefact and the circulation of antiquarian knowledge in eighteenth-century Malta Authors: Micallef, Martin Abstract: The eighteenth century constituted a formative period in the intellectual and cultural history of Malta, marked by an emergent scholarly commitment to the recovery, interpretation, and preservation of local identity. Among the principal figures of this movement was Gian Francesco Agius de Soldanis (1712–1770), whose linguistic and antiquarian investigations positioned him within both local and transnational scholarly networks. Locally, de Soldanis maintained close ties with several Maltese intellectuals. In particular, his collaboration with Padre Pelagio Mifsud Gauci Piscopo (1708–1781) proved crucial to his work, reflecting their shared commitment to the preservation of the Maltese heritage. This study examines a copper vessel attributed to the Arab period, discovered at Għar Barka in 1749, as a case study through which to reconstruct patterns of intellectual exchange linking de Soldanis, the Capuchins, and wider European scholarly circles. By analysing the documentation, transmission, and interpretation of this artefact, the article highlights the intersection of antiquarian inquiry, linguistic curiosity, and artistic documentation. More broadly, it demonstrates how a single object may illuminate the collaborative frameworks and methodological limitations that shaped early Maltese historiography. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z