Papers by Pedro Silva
At Easter time, the allegory of the grain of wheat, 2025
The reference to the grain of wheat, in itself evidence of popular wisdom, to be understood as a ... more The reference to the grain of wheat, in itself evidence of popular wisdom, to be understood as a symbolic reference to the death and resurrection of Jesus, is followed by the saying “lose your life in order to keep it” and the phrase about following Jesus [Jn: 12,24-26], in order to keep life for eternity, including Jesus’ own disciples who will follow Him [Jn: 21,22], as well as all those who believe and follow Him throughout the centuries. As Jesus explains – “whoever loves his life loses it, but whoever disregards his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” [Jn: 12, 25], because attachment to life is what prevents us from putting our own lives at the service of others. For Jesus, true death is not physical death, the kind that men can provoke, but it is precisely the refusal to spend and give life for others, the sterile closure in on oneself; On the contrary, true life is the culmination of a process of self-giving. Jesus presents us with his choice of life: to give it to the extreme, to offer humanity the birth of a new path of freedom, of fraternal communion with God.
In this Easter season, Jesus appears to us from the height of the cross – His martyrdom and His glory – as a sign of extreme love. There He gave everything: forgiveness to the executioners; Paradise to the thief; His mother and His own body and blood to us. And He gave us the possibility of becoming children of God [John 1:12]: generating a new people, a new Creation.
WIT Transactions on the Built Environment, 2005
This paper describes how the equivalent viscous damping (EVD) ratio is a crucial parameter in the... more This paper describes how the equivalent viscous damping (EVD) ratio is a crucial parameter in the application of the displacement based method. Previous works have correlated the EVD ratio as a function of the displacement ductility level based on the hysteric response of reinforced concrete members subjected to blast loads. Furthermore, the displacement response factor (DRF) for blast loads was proved as a function of the EVD ratio and the ratio of impulse duration to the natural period. The explosive charge weight and stand-off distance required to impose a given damage level were predicted by the DBD method based on these research results. In order to examine the feasibility of assessing the blast-resistant capacity of concrete (RC) slabs using the displacement based design (DBD) method. A RC slab was tested under real blast loads in the out-of-plane direction. Test results have shown that the blast loads were effectively estimated and the damage levels observed from the field te...
Hope not deceive
Celebrating the Jubilee Time of Grace is allowing the light of Christ to shine in our lives and g... more Celebrating the Jubilee Time of Grace is allowing the light of Christ to shine in our lives and guide us on the path of hope and conversion, welcoming with an open heart the gift of God's love, being instruments of His Grace in the world, driving away the “darkness”, or “excess of light” which blind, helping to proof that divine mercy is infinite and that Christian Hope, which involves a deep and firm trust in divine providence, will never deceive.
Song of the Creatures, also called the Song of Brother Sun
The Song of the Creatures, also called the Song of Brother Sun, is a unique work in Christian spi... more The Song of the Creatures, also called the Song of Brother Sun, is a unique work in Christian spirituality, transcending time and space and offering a message of praise, gratitude and care for Creation. Inspired by the Scriptures and lived in the simplicity of Saint Francis, it can be considered one of the most sublime expressions of praise for God's creative work, reflecting a profound communion between human beings and nature.
It is a visionary work, not only for its spiritual richness, but also for its theological and ecological impact, at a time when the relationship between human beings and nature was marked by direct exploration, constituting a spirituality proposal that recognizes the intrinsic value of Creation as a reflection of God's goodness.
The Man in the Nature, 2024
The question now is whether we have learned our lesson and are ready, in view of the results that... more The question now is whether we have learned our lesson and are ready, in view of the results that are clearly evident, to (re)assume a contemplative dimension, looking at Creation as a gift, not as something to be exploited and taken advantage of, which will lead us to discover in Nature (and therefore in other humans, our Brothers) something much greater than its “utility”. The question now is whether we have learned our lesson, and we are ready to, at least, accept the always ignored second vision of our role in relation to Nature, worth highlighting that spiritual respect for the Earth is perhaps the oldest and most universal element, found in all religions and creeds, in all times.
O Reino de Deus (The Kingdom of God), 2024
O Parque Franciscano Laudato Si, 2023
The "Franciscan Park Laudato Si" , besides being a place where one may feel the Creation, himself... more The "Franciscan Park Laudato Si" , besides being a place where one may feel the Creation, himself and God, allows to reflect on the mistreatment given to the Earth, our "Common Home", and, with the help of various distributed elements, understand the path of ecological redemption proposed by the Encyclical Laudato Si.
Galileo's contribution for a new paradigm of reading the Holy Scripture, 2015
Galileo defended the interpretation of biblical texts in the light of scientific knowledge at the... more Galileo defended the interpretation of biblical texts in the light of scientific knowledge at the
time he lived, and it can therefore be said that, in addition of being at the root of new
hermeneutical readings, he pointed to a new conception of the hermeneutic process,
existential hermeneutics , which takes care of the meaning of the text for the reader, in the
context in which he reads it.
To better guide reading, the work was organized into two parts. In the first, which was
entitled Science and Religion, the cultural environment, lato sensu, in which Galileo's life
took place was summarily analyzed, an environment where it is understood that it is possible
to individualize two poles, that of science and that of religion. In the second part, Bible and
Science, the foray that Galileo had to undertake in the field of Theology was analyzed and it
is considered to have assumed specific characteristics determined by his activity as a
scientist, characteristics that, combined with personality factors, are admitted to have led to
the result that places Galileo, in a unique position, as a promoter of the establishment of a
permeable interface between Science and Faith, and consequently to a new paradigm of
reading the Holy Scripture, which opens up a new dialogue between Faith and Reason, in
image, going from two parallel planes to a dihedral, defining a relationship space that is
expanding.
Santo Sudário - controversa intersecção entre crença e ciência, 2024
" é a designação atribuída a uma relíquia católica constituída por um lençol de linho tecido em p... more " é a designação atribuída a uma relíquia católica constituída por um lençol de linho tecido em padrão de "espinha de peixe", com cerca de 4,4 m de comprimento e 1,1 m de altura, exposto na Catedral de Turim, onde chegou em 1578, quando a cidade se tornou a capital do Ducado de Saboia. Em 1694, é colocado em capela dedicada, dentro da Catedral de Turim, tendo sido deslocado apenas duas vezes, uma primeira para Génova aquando do cerco de Turim, em 1706 e para a Abadia de Montevergine, na Campânia durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial; desde 1946 encontra-se na Catedral de San Giovanni Battista, em Turim. Atualmente o Sudário é mantido numa caixa estanque, cheia de um gás inerte, numa pequena sala, protegida. Só poderá verse o Sudário em períodos demarcados por decisão do Papa-ver figura 01 (Papa Francisco junto ao Sudário)-visto o Sudário ter sido legado à Santa Sé por Umberto II de Saboia.
Tectonophysics, 2001
In this paper, we present an anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and structural study of ... more In this paper, we present an anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and structural study of high-grade metamorphic and ophiolitic rocks from the Braganc ßa Massif, trying to contribute to the debate concerning the identification of transport directions during the closure of the Variscan Ocean. The study area comprises high-grade metamorphic rocks of the Continental Allochthonous Terrane (CAT) and the Northern Ophiolite Terrane (NOT) in the Braganc ßa Massif. Mineral parageneses and fabrics were characterized through conventional petrographic and microstructural studies, electron microprobe, and high field and thermomagnetic analysis. With very few exceptions, the magnetic lineations and foliations were coincident, within limited error, with the observed mesoscopic mylonitic and metamorphic foliations, and with the mineral and stretching lineations. In places of the studied major tectonic contacts where the mineral and stretching lineations were obliterated by post-kinematic recrystallization, AMS data revealed a magnetic lineation. AMS results confirmed the NNW-SSE to N-S amphibolite facies lineation common to CAT and NOT, and revealed an E-W greenschist facies lineation in NOT. AMS results combined with detailed structural and metamorphic data from previous work showed that there are two E-W lineations separated in time: (1) an E-W mesoscopic and magnetic lineation in competent granulites that is older than the N-S magnetic lineation in more ductile gneisses of a major shear zone within the CAT; (2) an E-W magnetic lineation in incompetent greenschists of the NOT, younger than the NNW-SSE to N-S mesoscopic and magnetic lineations found in more competent amphibolites of CAT and NOT. The NNW-SSE to N-S lineations can be interpreted as the result of the uppermost allochthonous terranes transport to the NNW over the Iberian Terrane, dated with 40 Ar/ 39 Ar at ca. 390 Ma.
Astrophysics and Space Sciences Transactions, 2011
We present a measurement of the ratio of positive to negative muon fluxes from cosmic-ray interac... more We present a measurement of the ratio of positive to negative muon fluxes from cosmic-ray interactions in the atmosphere, using data collected by the CMS detector both at ground level and in the underground experimental cavern at the CERN LHC. The excellent performance of the CMS detector allowed detection of muons in the momentum range from 5 GeV/c to 1 TeV/c. The surface flux ratio is measured to be 1.2766 ± 0.0032 (stat.) ± 0.0032 (syst.), independent of the muon momentum, below 100 GeV/c. This is the most precise measurement to date. At higher momenta the data are consistent with an increase of the charge ratio, in agreement with cosmic-ray shower models and compatible with previous measurements by deep-underground experiments.
Books by Pedro Silva
Galileo at the dawn of a new way of reading the Sacred Scripture (from historicist reading to semantic opening)
Conference Presentations by Pedro Silva
From the World and the Man, 2024
At the end of the 19th century, the conception of a physical, material, Newtonian universe was ab... more At the end of the 19th century, the conception of a physical, material, Newtonian universe was abandoned, in favor of the conception that everything in the Universe is energy and in a Universe that, as a model, is accepted to have had a spontaneous beginning, our planet, integrated into a galaxy of existing million is a geometric point, that is, (almost) dimensionless.
In the second half of the 18th century AD, the First Industrial Revolution began, with the replacement of manufacturing by machine manufacturing. And the gears that move the world began to work at full steam, while the world cries out for help, as the utilitarian, anthropocentric vision can only lead to the end of human life and civilization as we know it, which, inevitably, leads us to think about who we are and that our species, heir to Cain, violent and murderous, could reach its climax and disappear. But life will survive on Earth, which will protect its “seeds”, and God's creative Principle, of communion and love, will lead to the creation of a new heaven and a new earth and perhaps the true Genesis is not at the beginning, but at the end. Only then would God, looking at everything he had done and found “very good” [Gen 1, 31], construct, after so much evil, a truly good ending.
Teaching Documents by Pedro Silva
O Lobo de Gúbio (Gubio Wolf)
Após a oração mariana do Ângelus do primeiro dia de novembro de 2024, Festa de Todos os Santos, o... more Após a oração mariana do Ângelus do primeiro dia de novembro de 2024, Festa de Todos os Santos, o Papa Francisco pediu para que se rezasse por todos os povos que sofrem com as guerras. "Irmãos e irmãs, a guerra é sempre uma derrota, sempre! E é ignóbil, porque é o triunfo da mentira, da falsidade: busca-se o maior interesse para si mesmo e o maior dano para o adversário, pisoteando vidas humanas, o meio ambiente, infraestruturas, tudo; e tudo disfarçado com mentiras. E os inocentes sofrem! No livro "A Arte da Guerra", Nicolau Maquiavel apresenta, como sua tese central, a ideia de que o poder e a estabilidade de um Estado dependem diretamente da sua capacidade de manter uma força militar forte e bem organizada, sendo as armas próprias, isto é, as controladas diretamente pelo Estado e usadas por cidadãos, não apenas um instrumento de defesa, mas como um meio para proteger e reforçar a ordem política, promovendo a liberdade e a autoridade do governante. Infelizmente outros caminhos de uso das armas são trilhados (permanentemente!) na defesa aparente dos interesses mais diversos, por vezes parecendo meras expressões de dominação de índole material, mais ou menos encobertas, sejam elas de comunidades ou de indivíduos, fazendo da "guerra" uma quase constante. 1-Apresentação A espécie humana, como parte do reino animal, carrega traços de agressividade que, em essência, traduzem uma base adaptativa, pois que terá estado na origem de comportamentos que foram cruciais para a sobrevivência em ambientes hostis, a defesa de recursos vitais e o estabelecimento de hierarquias sociais. Contudo, a agressividade humana transcendeu os limites biológicos e ganhou complexidade com o advento da consciência e da cultura, manifestando-se hoje em escalas que vão desde o indivíduo até aos conflitos globais, que poderão colocar em risco a continuidade da civilização ou mesmo da vida e não apenas em relação à espécie humana. Jeremy Griffiths, em Freedom, explora a agressividade humana como expressão de um conflito profundo entre o instinto e a consciência. Ele sugere que, à medida que os humanos
O caminho de Francisco
Quando a terra está pronta, a planta nasce] Francisco de Assis, meditando e orando diante do Cruc... more Quando a terra está pronta, a planta nasce] Francisco de Assis, meditando e orando diante do Crucifixo de São Damião, sente "receber" o mandato de reconstruir a Casa do Senhor. Contemplando a Criação de Deus, rezando com fervor, lendo as Escrituras com fé desejou viver diretamente o Evangelho, sine glosa, porque é Jesus Filho de Deus que está presente, Aquele que, sendo rico, se fez pobre por amor. Assim, a Palavra de Deus é algo fundamental na sua vida; é o alicerce da sua vida espiritual, a vida em Deus, portanto, uma vida de encontro e de comunhão com Aquele que é a razão de ser de cada pessoa humana. A resposta ao mandato evangélico envolveu a totalidade da vida de Francisco. Realizou deslocamentos existenciais e geográficos; procurou na Criação 1 , em si mesmo e, nos frágeis, o rosto de Jesus, podendo resumir-se o caminho espiritual de Francisco na frase: Quando eu estava em pecado, parecia muito amargo para mim ver leprosos. E o próprio Senhor me conduziu para dentre eles e eu mostrei misericórdia para com eles. E quando os deixei, o que me parecia amargo se transformou em doçura de alma e de corpo. E depois demorei um pouco e deixei o mundo (do Testamento de S. Francisco). São Francisco, que é bem mais que um nome 2 , um projeto de Igreja pobre, simples, evangélica que sabe andar com os últimos, proclamou o Evangelho da compaixão e do cuidado com a Criação, vivendo em solidariedade com os pobres, e aqueles que seguem o Evangelho no Espírito de São Francisco tentam também abraçar os leprosos do nosso tempo: os que são marginalizados e considerados como não pertencentes, descartáveis. E passados mais de oito séculos, Francisco continua sendo futuro para a humanidade, a recordação do seu carisma 1 Criação que, como obra divina, despertava nele um amor apaixonado e dela tinha uma visão sacramental, como bem o mostrou no Cântico das Criaturas: Deus que se fez carne em Jesus Cristo, permanece encarnado no mundo, a Sua humildade levou-O a entrar na Criação, assim enobrecida, o que terá levado o Papa S. João Paulo II a proclamar S. Francisco como patrono da Ecologia, em Carta Apostólica de 29 de novembro de 1979: Nós, portanto, ouvindo o parecer da Sagrada Congregação para os Sacramentos e o Culto Divino, por força desta carta e de modo perpétuo, proclamamos São Francisco de Assis padroeiro celeste dos que defendem a Ecologia, com todas as honras dela decorrentes e os convenientes privilégios litúrgicos
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Papers by Pedro Silva
In this Easter season, Jesus appears to us from the height of the cross – His martyrdom and His glory – as a sign of extreme love. There He gave everything: forgiveness to the executioners; Paradise to the thief; His mother and His own body and blood to us. And He gave us the possibility of becoming children of God [John 1:12]: generating a new people, a new Creation.
It is a visionary work, not only for its spiritual richness, but also for its theological and ecological impact, at a time when the relationship between human beings and nature was marked by direct exploration, constituting a spirituality proposal that recognizes the intrinsic value of Creation as a reflection of God's goodness.
time he lived, and it can therefore be said that, in addition of being at the root of new
hermeneutical readings, he pointed to a new conception of the hermeneutic process,
existential hermeneutics , which takes care of the meaning of the text for the reader, in the
context in which he reads it.
To better guide reading, the work was organized into two parts. In the first, which was
entitled Science and Religion, the cultural environment, lato sensu, in which Galileo's life
took place was summarily analyzed, an environment where it is understood that it is possible
to individualize two poles, that of science and that of religion. In the second part, Bible and
Science, the foray that Galileo had to undertake in the field of Theology was analyzed and it
is considered to have assumed specific characteristics determined by his activity as a
scientist, characteristics that, combined with personality factors, are admitted to have led to
the result that places Galileo, in a unique position, as a promoter of the establishment of a
permeable interface between Science and Faith, and consequently to a new paradigm of
reading the Holy Scripture, which opens up a new dialogue between Faith and Reason, in
image, going from two parallel planes to a dihedral, defining a relationship space that is
expanding.
Books by Pedro Silva
Conference Presentations by Pedro Silva
In the second half of the 18th century AD, the First Industrial Revolution began, with the replacement of manufacturing by machine manufacturing. And the gears that move the world began to work at full steam, while the world cries out for help, as the utilitarian, anthropocentric vision can only lead to the end of human life and civilization as we know it, which, inevitably, leads us to think about who we are and that our species, heir to Cain, violent and murderous, could reach its climax and disappear. But life will survive on Earth, which will protect its “seeds”, and God's creative Principle, of communion and love, will lead to the creation of a new heaven and a new earth and perhaps the true Genesis is not at the beginning, but at the end. Only then would God, looking at everything he had done and found “very good” [Gen 1, 31], construct, after so much evil, a truly good ending.
Teaching Documents by Pedro Silva
In this Easter season, Jesus appears to us from the height of the cross – His martyrdom and His glory – as a sign of extreme love. There He gave everything: forgiveness to the executioners; Paradise to the thief; His mother and His own body and blood to us. And He gave us the possibility of becoming children of God [John 1:12]: generating a new people, a new Creation.
It is a visionary work, not only for its spiritual richness, but also for its theological and ecological impact, at a time when the relationship between human beings and nature was marked by direct exploration, constituting a spirituality proposal that recognizes the intrinsic value of Creation as a reflection of God's goodness.
time he lived, and it can therefore be said that, in addition of being at the root of new
hermeneutical readings, he pointed to a new conception of the hermeneutic process,
existential hermeneutics , which takes care of the meaning of the text for the reader, in the
context in which he reads it.
To better guide reading, the work was organized into two parts. In the first, which was
entitled Science and Religion, the cultural environment, lato sensu, in which Galileo's life
took place was summarily analyzed, an environment where it is understood that it is possible
to individualize two poles, that of science and that of religion. In the second part, Bible and
Science, the foray that Galileo had to undertake in the field of Theology was analyzed and it
is considered to have assumed specific characteristics determined by his activity as a
scientist, characteristics that, combined with personality factors, are admitted to have led to
the result that places Galileo, in a unique position, as a promoter of the establishment of a
permeable interface between Science and Faith, and consequently to a new paradigm of
reading the Holy Scripture, which opens up a new dialogue between Faith and Reason, in
image, going from two parallel planes to a dihedral, defining a relationship space that is
expanding.
In the second half of the 18th century AD, the First Industrial Revolution began, with the replacement of manufacturing by machine manufacturing. And the gears that move the world began to work at full steam, while the world cries out for help, as the utilitarian, anthropocentric vision can only lead to the end of human life and civilization as we know it, which, inevitably, leads us to think about who we are and that our species, heir to Cain, violent and murderous, could reach its climax and disappear. But life will survive on Earth, which will protect its “seeds”, and God's creative Principle, of communion and love, will lead to the creation of a new heaven and a new earth and perhaps the true Genesis is not at the beginning, but at the end. Only then would God, looking at everything he had done and found “very good” [Gen 1, 31], construct, after so much evil, a truly good ending.