Healing the Body of Christ: Liturgy, Trauma, and the Works of Mercy

In the face of guilt and shame afflicting the morally injured, psychology has acknowledged there must be spiritual healing. Although trauma is a new area of concern for theology, theologians have addressed the suffering caused by interpersonal violence for a long time. This dissertation shows how Aquinas, Augustine, and leaders of the Liturgical Movement (Virgil Michel, Dorothy Day, and Ade Bethune), offer a robust sense of mercy, accessed through the Eucharistic Liturgy, and practiced in the Works of Mercy, which allow those who have experienced trauma to know their deification.