Raimundo Panikkar sees the world as in a crisis
of biblical proportions ecologically and humanly –
therefore the Church’s main focus should be on this
not its own inner disputes: sexual morality/ordination of women
these are important but first world problems while 75% of humanity
lives in subhuman conditions of poverty/war/destruction
of the earth and the very air they breathe – smoked out by wildfires/
washed out by floods/starved out by droughts –
the “First World” will only help the “Third World”
if we learn asceticism – giving up endless consumption and greed
The Imitation of Christ, a tenth century manuscript
by Thomas a Kempis is asceticism to the max –
an antidote to our contemporary culture’s fixation on
egoism/materialism/hedonism to the max
On the other hand, the ego is necessary and not evil in itself
it is our functional self – we need it to survive
the problem is our culture tells us
our ego is the only reality and should control everything
for its own pleasure and enjoyment
without counting the cost to others
On the other hand again, there is plenty in the gospels
to encourage asceticism: pray always/sell all you have/
deny yourself/pick up your cross/die to your ego/
die with Christ/the person who finds their life loses it/
the person who gives up their life for Christ’s sake finds it/
the “world” and the “flesh” as seen by Paul and John were demonic
and Jesus wrestled with his own inner demons in the wilderness
After God created humans in a state of holiness/oneness with God
from the start we abused our freedom as sons and daughters of God
set ourselves up against God
tried to find our fulfillment apart from God
Yet the first promise of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30
despite all the necessary asceticism was
“Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart
and you shall find rest for your soul
for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Intelligent Christian Spirituality 