Saturday, September 11, 2021

Living As If God Is Love - Pope Francis And The Inviolable Wholeness Of Love... And Nothing Else

 

Alan: There are two dogs in this fight.

One is convinced that scripture, doctrine and tradition are supreme.

The other is convinced that acts of love arising from mercy, compassion and forgiveness are supreme.

I suppose most people find themselves in one camp or the other as a result of genetics, conditioning, "cultural momentum" or perceived fidelity to "common sense." 

Unconditional Love 
Is A Choice


It is easy for me to understand why people put love, mercy and compassion first. 

After all, embodied acts of love are self-evidently good.

But I do not understand the "other camp" which believes in the supremacy of "scripture," "doctrine" and "tradition" - what we might call "The Word Not Yet Made Flesh." 

These verbal "things" - these formulas -- are human constructs (even when inspired) with roots no deeper than the onset of Judeo-Christianity 3800 years ago, whereas human beings have -- at least sometimes -- incarnated love from the beginning of human awareness. 

"The Idea Of Christ Is Much Older Than Christianity." 
"The Soul Is By Nature Christian."

"The proof is in the pudding."

Matthew 15

1 Some Pharisees and other Jewish leaders now arrived from Jerusalem to interview Jesus. 2 “Why do your disciples disobey the ancient Jewish traditions?” they demanded. “For they ignore our ritual of ceremonial handwashing before they eat.” 3 He replied, “And why do your traditions violate the direct commandments of God? 4 For instance, God’s law is ‘Honor your father and mother; anyone who reviles his parents must die.’ 5-6 But you say, ‘Even if your parents are in need, you may give their support money to the church instead.’ And so, by your man-made rule, you nullify the direct command of God to honor and care for your parents. 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, 8 ‘These people say they honor me, but their hearts are far away. 9 Their worship is worthless, for they teach their man-made laws instead of those from God.’” 10 Then Jesus called to the crowds and said, “Listen to what I say and try to understand: 11 You aren’t made unholy by eating non-kosher food! It is what you say and think that makes you unclean.”


"Why We Must Discriminate," By The Thinking Housewife. Must We?

Perhaps the people who believe in primacy of The Word -- rather than primacy of The Word Made Flesh -- have never asked themselves, "Why do I believe that The Word is superior to The Incarnation of Love?"

At minimum,  those who reside in "The Word Camp" might acknowledge a kind of dynamic equilibrium - some people leaning in one direction and the rest in the other.

Instead, people who value The Abstract Word more than The Incarnation of Love appear to be under compulsion. 

Their worlds would seemingly fall apart if they were not absolutely invested in the absolute superiority of Scripture (and other documents which ostensibly derive from Scripture). 

It is revealing that this absolute need to champion "The One and Only Scriptural Truth" does not apply "the other way around." 

Rather, those who love The Incarnation of God-Love even more than The Scriptural Word itself are often eager to embrace the heterodox as well as the orthodox.

On the other hand, those who ultimately believe in The Scriptural Word are almost always eager for huge swathes of humankind to spend eternity in a lake of unquenchable fire.

I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. So I ran over and said "Stop! Don't do it!" "Why shouldn't I?" he said. "Well, there's so much to live for!" "Like what?" "Well... are you religious?" He said yes. I said, "Me too! Are you Christian or Buddhist?" "Christian." "Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant ? "Protestant." "Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?" "Baptist" "Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?" "Baptist Church of God!" "Me too! Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you reformed Baptist Church of God?" "Reformed Baptist Church of God!" "Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915?" He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915!" I said, "Die, heretic scum", and pushed him off. 
Emo Philips

The relative roles of "punitive justice" and "forgiving mercy" correspond neatly to the "two camps."

Punishment is foundational for those who fixate on The Scriptural Word, whereas indulgent mercy is cornerstone for those who value The Incarnation of The Word --- "The Word made Flesh."

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." 
1 John 4:18

Notably, those who believe in the primacy of Love Incarnate -- Love Enfleshed -- have no trouble with people who devote their lives to Texts and other written-abstract manifestations of The Word.

However, the fact that this is not a "two-way" street -- that "textualists" INSIST on primacy and supremacy -- leaves me with the distinct impression that rigid textualists are subtly egotistical people, determined to protect their man-made systems even though The Incarnation Of Love be damaged by their very determination.

My Correspondence With A Christian Fundamentalist: 
"The Best... Becomes Evil"


Enter Pope Francis...

By conceiving Yeshua (the observant Jew) as Embodied Love, Pope Francis acknowledges that all Loving Goodness participates in The Incarnation and that everyone who embodies love -- regardless their belief, or lack of belief -- enriches the world with Love, thus manifesting The Will and The Presence of God among us -- in effect, making God real by being active agents of The Mystical Body. 

What's more, any act informed by love is inextricably enmeshed in the ongoing Incarnation of Love. 

"Aquinas, St. Symeon The New Theologian And Their Spiritual Kin"

The 9th chapter of Mark's Gospel (the oldest to the four canonical gospels) recounts an episode that took place shortly after the apostles discovered their inability to cast out a demon. 

Pondering the apostles' impotence and the healing power of a total stranger Jesus assures his disciples: “He who is not against you, is for you.”

Mark 9 37-39
John answered him, saying: Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, who followeth not us, and we forbade him. But Jesus said: Do not forbid him. For there is no man that doth a miracle in my name, and can soon speak ill of me. For he that is not against you, is for you.

When Jesus' Nature as The Embodiment of Love is viewed against the Gospel assurance that “God is Love,” the practice of Christianity is no longer constrained by scriptural or doctrinal orthodoxy even though orthodox practice is a Great Good for millions of practitioners.

To identify Jesus as Embodied Love implies that the nature of Christ is realized -- made real -- in every human being who embodies love, however imperfectly.

"The terrible thing about our time is precisely the ease with which theories can be put into practice.  The more perfect, the more idealistic the theories, the more dreadful is their realization.  We are at last beginning to rediscover what perhaps men knew better in very ancient times, in primitive times before utopias were thought of: that liberty is bound up with imperfection, and that limitations, imperfections, errors are not only unavoidable but also salutary. The best is not the ideal.  Where what is theoretically best is imposed on everyone as the norm, then there is no longer any room even to be good.  The best, imposed as a norm, becomes evil.”  
"Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander,” by Trappist monk, Father Thomas Merton

More Merton Quotes

When rigid, absolutist sectarians ponder the identification of Jesus with Embodied Love, they double down on their determination to “play church” - like students who get so good at “playing school” that they consistently score at "the top of their class" but don't appreciate the over-arching richness of "The World of Ideas" and the fertile hybridization that takes place in those who approach the full spectrum of Arts and Letters creatively.

“”He's not playing by the rules!” the punctilious gripe. 

“He's not even on our team!”

God-Love is not concerned with the exclusivity of “teams” any more than Peace is concerned with the deadly antagonism between Crips and Bloods (or crusaders and jihadists).

Yeshua Excoriates Fellow Pharisees: "The Woe Passages"


The profoundest truths are paradoxical.

And among these paradoxes is the exquisitely inconvenient truth that belligerent sectarianism is an affront to "God who is Love” and whose son taught us to “Love our enemies, to do good to those who persecute us.”

Spinning through Universe, atop this glorious Blue Marble where prophets have foretold the "coming of the kingdom," God-Love is only concerned with the ongoing Incarnation and actual works of mercy, forgiveness and compassion that build up "the reign of God."

If The Texts help, great!

If they don't, they weren't needed. (Not one professed Christian in a thousand has read every book in the Bible, Even so, the most punctilious among them sees their lack of exposure as a threat to personal salvation. Since salvation is wrought by action and not by study, ultimately, the texts just don't matter.)

Bibliolatry And How To Live Happily Ever After

The Kingdom of God is not about man-made forms -- nor even sacrifice. 

Rather, The Kingdom of God is about mercy.

James' Epistle: "Judgment Without Mercy Will Be Shown To Anyone Who Has Not Shown Mercy"


 "The Pharisees saw this and asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 
When Jesus heard that, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a physician, but sick people do. 
Go and learn what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ because I did not come to call righteous people, but sinners.”
Matthew 9:11-13

"Who Were The Tax Collectors And Shepherds In Jesus' Time"

"Do You Know What You're Doing To Me?"
Jesus of Nazareth

As the great Jesuit Paul Byron homilized (from the altar of my North Carolina parish): “I have no doubt that our Buddhist brothers and sisters are doing the work of Christ.”

Paul understood Tertullian well: "The soul is by nature Christian."

"The Soul Is By Nature Christian." "Anima naturaliter christiana." Tertullian


Similarly, it is not necessary to have conscious knowledge of our Christian Nature in order to participate in that Nature, to “be what we are whenever we align with the spirit of “I Am Who Am.” https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+3%3A14&version=KJV

Since “the soul is by nature Christian,” participation in our existential nature is – to a greater or lesser extent – inherent.

Often, goodness is an effusion of what is deepest in our nature, independent of sectarian affiliation. 

And just as often, sectarian affiliation obstructs what is deepest in our nature.

The innate impulse of human Love – and the Universal (katholikos) Love that subtends it – are “baked in the cake.” http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=catholic

Love is not only dispensed “top-down” but rises “bottom up.”

It is perhaps fair to say that Love rises from below "the bottom up." 

Indeed, given the inherent confusion of spatial “direction,” “top-down” may be “bottom up” (and vice versa, or both!).

What's Up? Seriously. What On Earth?!?
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/12/whats-up-seriously-what-on-earth.html

Although humans can either “stumble upon” or “consciously access” their Christian Nature, participation in the fullness of Being always coincides with “perspective and proportion” whether these inter-related qualities manifest spontaneously or by deliberation.

Aquinas observed that “perspective and proportion” are fundamental to Reason and Morality.

"Shark Attacks Rise Worldwide: Risk Assessment And Aquinas' Criteria For Sin"

"Thomas Aquinas On American Conservatives' Continual Commission Of Sin"

Concerning “perspective...”

It is striking that “The West” did not discover how to represent coherent visual perspective until The Renaissance. 

'Til then, the world was relatively “flat” --- more or less two dimensional rather than three.

The Role of Perspective In Shaping the Renaissance

Of course one can argue – as one can argue anything-- that two dimension are “better” than three... 

But don't bet the farm!

Perspective


Renaissance Connect: “Discovering Linear Perspective”

Linear Perspective

Perspective: Brunelleschi's Revelatory Perception And The Re-Imaging Of Space


Notably, the world's “First True Scientist,” an Islamic Egyptian named “Alhazen", set forth the rules of visual perspective nearly half a millennium before Renaissance Europeans “discovered” these same principles.

Ibn al-Haytham, "Alhazen," "The First True Scientist," Trailblazes "Perspective"


Currently, Pope Francis is implementing the theological equivalent of "full visual perspective," propagating the multi-dimensional realization that Jesus is properly identified as Embodied Love, and by virtue of this identification everyone who embodies love – however imperfectly – enriches The Incarnation by doing the work of God-Love.

With this identification, Francis has taken Christianity's sectarian, uni-dimensional vision of Love and given it not only the length and width but the depth and all conceivable space.

Lacking this multi-dimensional experience of Yeshua, the unique embodiment of Love, here is how "unidimensional," absolutist Christianity played out:

I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. So I ran over and said "Stop! Don't do it!" "Why shouldn't I?" he said. "Well, there's so much to live for!" "Like what?" "Well... are you religious?" He said yes. I said, "Me too! Are you Christian or Buddhist?" "Christian." "Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant ? "Protestant." "Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?" "Baptist" "Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?" "Baptist Church of God!" "Me too! Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you reformed Baptist Church of God?" "Reformed Baptist Church of God!" "Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915?" He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915!" I said, "Die, heretic scum", and pushed him off. 
Emo Philips

Like Teilhard de Chardin before him, Pope Francis is announcing the arrival of The Cosmic Christ, who in St. Paul's world-view, would put an end to the groaning travail of "the whole Creation's birth."

"All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs." 
Romans 8:22 The Message

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJPaleontologist/Cosmologisthttp://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2012/09/scientific-research-as-adoration-pierre.html




Afterthought:

Jesus made no reference to homosexuality or abortion - a peculiar “oversight” for an individual who, according to Christian orthodoxy, participated in the purportedly omniscient nature of God. 

Did Yeshua fail to see that homosexuality and abortion would become the signal red button issues of post-Modern Christianity?

And in light of the presumed importance of these two burning issues, why did Yeshua not provide specific guidance?

On the other hand, Jesus did say: “Love your enemies. Do good to those who persecute you."

Literalists!

It's your move.

Are we to lather ourselves over what Jesus did not say?

Or are we to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to what he did say?

And is the former an excuse to avoid the latter?

Christians Ignore Jesus' Direct "Commandments" But Are Punctilious About Things He Never Said


"Judge not lest you be judged. For with the same measure that you mete out, it shall be meted out to you."

Salvation is in our hands and hinges on whether we make mercy-love the actual measure of our lives.

***

"Love Your Enemies. Do Good To Those Who Hate You," Luke 6: 27-42

"Do You Know What You're Doing To Me?"
Jesus of Nazareth
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2013/12/do-you-know-what-youre-doing-to-me.html

Yeshua Excoriates Fellow Pharisees: "The Woe Passages"

Pope Francis: The Horror Of Religious Fundamentalism And What's Wrong With Religion



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