Religions are not free of Hero-worship. In fact, recent religious trends are mostly heroizing God and religious leaders. What becomes impossible is to recognize and love God in truth and Spirit. Christ's questions, "What do you say that I am," and "Do you love me" are very significant and interrelated. Without knowing the other we cannot love, without love we cannot know.
Knowing and loving do involve feeding and nurturing. Feeding Christ involves extending oneself beyond boundaries. Setting on the everyday normalcy of our life, Christ is a co-traveler. There are still tragedies and emptiness. But there is consolation and peace in knowing and loving him and deepening it in reality in the flesh of all those who are around. Feeding them all is a matter of sincerity in the answer 'yes Lord. I love you.'
Feeding can be out of tenderness if we know the intimacy of love. It can be out of charity if we know the responsibility added to the claim of loving Christ. Feeding is a challenge when it is against our will. Feeding the 'undeserved' is, of course, not fully of our will. It calls for a sacrificial death, fastened and directed against our will.
We do not have to be afraid of that feeding. The net did not break despite the catch of 'all kinds of fish.' This feeding is impossible if our religion, faith, and rituals are reduced into definitions and performances. If there is no love beyond borders and openness of heart, we have not known Christ, we have not loved him. The faith we claim to possess and practice are merely equations. When it comes to judgement of truth, faith, morality etc, we have absolute certainty, but without even considering the mind of Christ. We apply mind to him rather than understanding his mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment