20th-century theology has shown that shifts in sacramental theology significantly influence our understanding of the Church, the world, and their relationship. The Second Vatican Council marked a pivotal change in this dynamic, transitioning from viewing the Church as the sacramentum mundi (sacrament of the world) to recognizing the world itself as a sacrament (mundus sacramentum est), from which the Church draws life to become the sacramentum mundi. This evolution was largely influenced by the Nouvelle Théologie, particularly its "sacramental natural theology" or "sacramental ontology" (Hans Boersma). A key figure, Henri de Lubac, critiqued extrinsicist ontology, which treated grace as external to the world, thereby enforcing a rigid divide between the natural and the supernatural. Instead, sacramental ontology sees creation as a sign or sacrament of a transcendent reality, calling humanity to participate in it.
This perspective arose through ressourcement—a return to patristic theology, especially (neo-)Platonic ontology, and its "dynamic" sacramental theology. Ressourcement is not a mere reproduction of historical sources but a transformative reinterpretation in modern contexts. Today, in the face of postmodernity, new questions arise about the adequacy of these earlier frameworks: Does sacramental theology require another transformation? Are there signs of such a shift already emerging?
This paper proposes a post-foundational political natural theology of sacramentality, representing a contemporary ressourcement. It explores three dimensions:
Post-Foundational: Addressing postmodern epistemological shifts and their impact on sacramental theology.
Political: Investigating the inherently political nature of sacramental theology, informed by postmodern political theory.
Natural Theology: Reconsidering ontological questions in theology and philosophy to reconstruct a sacramental ontology.