“The enlightenment you seek in other religions
has been present in Christianity from the beginning.”
– Richard Rohr
The word “mystical” is often equated to “magical”
in secular/scientific contexts and so easily dismissed
but true mysticism – direct experience of God –
is the essence and starting point of all world religions.
And awe in the face of mystery
is the starting point of science.
Our God is an awesome God
who indwells everything – in the lab and in the temple.
Jesus lived as the spokesperson for Temple and Torah
the all-powerful symbols that the transcendent God
dwells within Israel and orders Israel’s life
the two most central and never-ending Jewish beliefs.
The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) –
a meeting of 2500 Catholic bishops for four years –
the largest and longest meeting of Church leaders ever –
had only one goal – to carry forward the work
of the Jewish man/God, Jesus the Christ
who came to rescue not judge
to give witness to the Truth
to serve and not be served
to give his life as a ransom for many.
When your little “I am” becomes “We are”
you know instinctively: life is not about you
you are about life. You are here to serve like Jesus:
“I live yet not I, but Christ lives in me”
– St. Paul in Galatians 2:20.
“To dare to do what is right,
to not float about in the realm of possibilities
but to seize what is real and to take action,
this is true freedom.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
and this is the true fulfillment of religion whether
Christianity/Judaism/Islam/Hinduism/Buddhism –
to not be so heavenly bound
you are no earthly good.
If there are no charitable works
there is no enlightenment in any religion whether
Christianity/Judaism/Islam/Hinduism/or Buddhism.
Intelligent Christian Spirituality 