Today I finished Last Testament: In His Own Words. To be honest, I didn't find it as interesting as Seewald's other interview books, but if you appreciate Benedict XVI very much, as I do, you will enjoy it. Particularly interesting is the material about Joseph Ratzinger's younger life, especially the time around the Second World War.
Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts
December 5, 2016
March 7, 2007
Fundamentalist Atheist, Continued
I've still got this fundamentalist preacher turned atheist on my mind, especially after Antonina's comment:
Often I think that the trouble with a/theism in our culture is that a lot of people (on both sides) have an image or idea of God that is unbelievable in the first place. The divinity they think they are supposed to believe in is less like the dynamic mystery of the Trinity and more like Zeus, Santa Claus, or the Great Pumpkin.
To make matters worse, we are taught to disbelieve in spiritual realities from an early age. Simple, ordinary spiritual things like numbers are "just concepts." Sublime spiritual realities like love, freedom, and truth aren't "actually real." And yet people everywhere make the most important decisions of their lives in the pursuit of love and truth. People routinely die for the sake of freedom. It's quite an accomplishment, to have folks organize their lives around you, and even die for you, without being "real."
That's what you get when you take away the beauty of the mysticism of Christ and the Church (eg. the Sacraments) and reduce it to a diagramatic science, a set of beliefs. When one diagram seems better presented or more believable than another, you can easily switch sides.
Often I think that the trouble with a/theism in our culture is that a lot of people (on both sides) have an image or idea of God that is unbelievable in the first place. The divinity they think they are supposed to believe in is less like the dynamic mystery of the Trinity and more like Zeus, Santa Claus, or the Great Pumpkin.
To make matters worse, we are taught to disbelieve in spiritual realities from an early age. Simple, ordinary spiritual things like numbers are "just concepts." Sublime spiritual realities like love, freedom, and truth aren't "actually real." And yet people everywhere make the most important decisions of their lives in the pursuit of love and truth. People routinely die for the sake of freedom. It's quite an accomplishment, to have folks organize their lives around you, and even die for you, without being "real."
October 29, 2006
Desire
Today's Gospel stands in direct contrast to the passage we heard last Sunday. They are unified by Jesus' response to those who seek him out: "What do you want me to do for you?"
Last week we had a negative example in the sons of Zebedee who asked Jesus to increase their own glory. Today we have blind Bartimaeus, an example of faith and a model for our prayer.
From the side of the road Bartimaeus calls out, "Son of David, have pity on me!" Thus he reveals that, though blind by the world's standards, he is the one who can truly see - immediately he sees Truth itself in Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God.
Once he approaches Jesus he tells the Master that he wants to see. But we know that he already sees what really matters. Thus Jesus does not say anything about sight, but simply, "your faith has saved you." This is the faith that made Bartimaeus call out in the first place. He was already saved when he knew in his heart that Jesus was the Son of David, the Anointed of God.
There is only one true desire in the human heart. Yes, we need and want love and care and security, but all of these things at their best are incarnations of the divine presence. Our prayer is simply the realization that God sits humbly amidst all of these earthly loves. In this little bit of faith we call out to God that we want to see, we want more, to enter more fully into this divine mystery.
To be on this path is to enter into the human life of Jesus Christ, and to accept the journey is faith. That is why Jesus is able to say, "Go on your way. Your faith has saved you."
Last week we had a negative example in the sons of Zebedee who asked Jesus to increase their own glory. Today we have blind Bartimaeus, an example of faith and a model for our prayer.
From the side of the road Bartimaeus calls out, "Son of David, have pity on me!" Thus he reveals that, though blind by the world's standards, he is the one who can truly see - immediately he sees Truth itself in Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God.
Once he approaches Jesus he tells the Master that he wants to see. But we know that he already sees what really matters. Thus Jesus does not say anything about sight, but simply, "your faith has saved you." This is the faith that made Bartimaeus call out in the first place. He was already saved when he knew in his heart that Jesus was the Son of David, the Anointed of God.
There is only one true desire in the human heart. Yes, we need and want love and care and security, but all of these things at their best are incarnations of the divine presence. Our prayer is simply the realization that God sits humbly amidst all of these earthly loves. In this little bit of faith we call out to God that we want to see, we want more, to enter more fully into this divine mystery.
To be on this path is to enter into the human life of Jesus Christ, and to accept the journey is faith. That is why Jesus is able to say, "Go on your way. Your faith has saved you."
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