Life’s central task
is consciously knowing
what we already unconsciously know
who we already are:
our True Self.
We already have
everything we need
our only need
is self-discovery
not self-improvement.
Tag: theology
WAKE UP, WAKE UP TOGETHER
Lonergan: at end of 1600s a great revolution:
constant attacks by Enlightenment
and Anglicans analyzing
existence
balancing scripture, tradition, reason
shifted Catholic method-in-theology
from questions to certainties
theological inquiry to dogmatic theology.
Outer spiritual authority says
“You are special”
Inner spiritual authority says
“Everyone is special”
another revolutionary shift
from elitism to egalitarianism.
Too much outer authority
creates Authoritarian Institutions
which create religion’s greatest enemy:
indifference:
loss of divine will-to-be-alive
loss of heart
loss of passion
atrophying into loveless/hateless
existence.
Upon meeting, Buddhists
bow and silently acknowledge
each other as a Buddha-to-be
since all carry within
seeds of awakening.
In Confucianism, filial piety
must be practiced from
the Emperor/Empoweror
Son of Heaven
down thru princes, scholars to peasants
or disaster ensues.
Brueggemann: Christian imagination
numbed, satiated, co-opted, paralyzed by fear
cannot do any serious work.
But depth psychology and existential analysis
separate anxiety, a group phenomenon
from fear, an individual phenomenon.
So, do not fear
to follow Jesus
because of what others might think.
In fact, others don’t think
of you……………….at all.
Shed fear and become
one of the twin heroes of mythology
two basic sides of human nature:
the mild and acquiescent
the wild and rebellious
the Introvert who powerfully reflects
the Extrovert who greatly accomplishes
but either way
be humble
not self-deprecating nor self-condemning
and either way
be contemplative
the secret of which is:
life in the Eternal Now
not-Emptiness
full-of-Godness.
Bonaventure: Incarnation is
the Center of Creation:
everything preceding and following
descent of the Logos
finds its meaning in Christ.
The Universal Christ is
the Eternal Now and Love Supreme
Love: Alpha and Omega of Life
Alpha: Big Bang to God-consciousness
showing Itself explicitly in Jesus the Christ
Omega: Love drawing the universe
forward thru Christ
toward
ever-greater-Unity-in-Love.
The universe’s salvation is
corporate/universal salvation
beyond any individual.
Wake up, wake up together!
HOW THINGS WORK
HOW GOD, THE UNIVERSE, AND YOUR LIFE WORKS
Order, disorder, reorder. You can detect this universal pattern on a macro, micro, and personal level.
If there was only order, there would never be any change, creativity and growth. If there was only disorder, things would be total chaos.
The universe goes through periods of order, followed by disorder, and then reorders everything at a new level over vast time periods. There was God (order) before the Big Bang (disorder) and then giant stars eventually formed (reorder). This new order had limited chemical elements, but the giant stars exploded (disorder) and seeded the universe with all the elements of the periodic table in new smaller, more stable stars (reorder).
God created natural laws and then let nature obey those laws. Rather than controlling everything, God wanted to see all the creative new things nature would produce on its own: butterflies, jaguars, whales, etc.
Theologically, this theory is called “deism” which, although appealing, is problematic because God is reduced to a kind of detached observer of the universe. The opposite problem, if God is too dictatorial, reduces God to ‘tyrantism.” Then destructive volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires, and floods become acts of (a cruel) God.
The same problem occurs at the human level. If God is not involved, God does not care, and if God is too controlling, we become robots. If there is no human freedom, there is no love. The solution is for God to allow us to be free and also for God to be involved in the form of persuasive love. That desire for greater fulfillment all humans have is God’s persuasive love constantly calling us to new levels of integration.
According to “process theology,” nature as a whole moves inexorably towards greater consciousness and love because God constantly lures it to new levels of fulfillment.
Most of the time nature is orderly, but some of the time, in obeying its own laws, nature creates disorder. Sometimes forests burn down but new plants and animals emerge. A giant meteor collided with Earth, ending the dinosaurs but allowing mammals such as humans to eventually exist.
Religions also go through order, disorder, and reordering. Conservatives can get stuck at the first stage – they want too much order and fear change and creativity. Religious liberals can get trapped in deconstructing religion and not be able to put their faith back together again, so they end up in chaos or virtual atheism. However, there are always people who seek to reorder their religion at a higher level. Examples in Christianity are Thomas Berry, Marcus Borg, and Brian McLaren.
In your own life you might experience order for a while. You seem to have it all together and then disorder happens through divorce, illness or unemployment. If you are resilient and follow God’s inner calling, you may be able to reorder your life and make sense of it in a new way.
Disorder and suffering are caused by the freedom of nature and humans, not by God. God only allows them so new growth may occur. For example, you might learn to appreciate being single or happily remarry, learn better health care or to cope with your disability, or find more fulfilling work.
Hopefully, whatever happens, you can reorder your life with more compassion, gratitude and wisdom. This is God’s desire for you as God’s persuasive love calls forth the best that is in you in each new year.
Bruce Tallman is a London spiritual director, marriage coach and religious educator of adults. brucetallman.com
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