Tag: empire

Making room for not knowing

is more important than certainty –

we think something is going to bring us pleasure

or misery/be a disaster or a great adventure

but we really don’t know

one thing we do know for certain:

inferior goods such as silver and gold/

temporal honors and power

have their temporary delights

but they are nothing compared to God

who made them all –

true delight and joy rests in God

“Ultimate Reality is at hand –

change your mind and believe such good news!”

– Richard Rohr’s translation of 

“The kingdom of God is at hand

repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15)

to repent is to change your mind –

to be baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection

means that you have died to the values

of the Roman or American Empire

and been born into Christian values

of peace/charity/justice/nonviolence

which sometimes involves suffering like Christ 

who said to Francis of Assisi

“I have given you the stigmata

the five wounds in my feet/hands/side

the emblems of my Passion

so that you may be my Standard-Bearer”

but Francis tried to hide these wounds

which in truth were his glory

but then again, God hides God’s glory:

“God’s glory is to be in all God’s creatures

giving them their being/breath/everything

living in their midst as unknown

for if we could see how unlike our glory

is to God’s glory

we would die for love of God.”

– Thomas Merton