part of Harold Fickett's INTRODUCTION (section of
Flannery O'Connor: Images of Grace
critical-biographical essay)
As a Christian humanist, O'Connor
had a very high view of natural revelation:
she believed that the artist, if he is doing
his job properly, can hardly fail to testify
to the consequences of God becoming
incarnate, even if only by way of presenting
the destruction, the evil, where he is rejected.
The light of natural revelation grew
immeasurably more intense in the revelation
of Christ as manifested in his presence in the
church (R. Catholic), especially in the forms
of the Eucharist, baptism, and other 5 sacraments. . .
The historical Fact of the Incarnation and the
timeless reality of Christ's presence in the
Church and its sacraments were the touchstones
of her (O'Connor's) belief. That matter in the
body of Christ had been consecrated and raised
up to heaven as the vessel of charity gave
O'Connor the conviction that, despite the age
of unbelief in which she lived, there must be
points of contact between the holy and
the secular world of modern man.
[ The novelist/short story writer
was born Mary Flannery O'Connor
on March 25, 1925, the only child
of Francis O'Connor, Jr. and Regina
Cline O'Connor (of Milledgeville, GA).
Even at her life's end, O'Connor
in her last correspondence maintained
her sense of humor . . .She lapsed
into a coma and died at Baldwin County
Hospital of kidney failure on August
3, 1964 at the age of 39. ]
No comments:
Post a Comment