"The mystery of Christ is the ultimate truth, the reality towards which all human life aspires. And this mystery is known by love. Love is going out of oneself, surrendering the self, letting the reality, the truth, take over...It is not something we achieve for ourselves. It is something that comes when we let go. We have to abandon everything - all words, thoughts, hopes, fears, all attachment to ourselves or to any earthly things, and let the divine mystery take possession of our lives. It feels like death, and it is, in fact, a sort of dying. It is encountering the darkness, the abyss, the void. It is facing absolute nothingness - or as Augustine Baker, the English Benedictine said, it is 'the union of the nothing with the Nothing'. This is the negative aspect of contemplation. The positive aspect is, of course, the opposite. It is total fulfillment, total wisdom, total bliss, the answer to all problems, the peace which passes understanding, the joy which is the fullness of love."
~ English Benedictine monk, Bede Griffiths
God is always ready to go, one hundred percent, never holding anything back. Our job, one could say, is to let go more and more to create more and more space for God to be embodied through our lives. Does this make sense? Any questions are more than welcome. I've more to say but this will be good for now. I shall wait. Perhaps the thoughts of others will help to inspire and clarify my own? That would be splendid:)
2 comments:
I guess there's the question of terminology. What do you mean by "God"? What about "God being embodied through our lives"?
The benedictine's words go a little far for me (what does contemplation as the answer to all problems even mean?) However, going with the traditional Christian understanding of the terminology, this sounds good--we are Jesus' hands and feet in this world, and by the grace of God and the power of his Holy Spirit we become more like him. I'd say that's embodying God.
The question is, is that *you* mean? :)
Good questions! I shall respond more fully later.
As far as being an answer to all problems goes, it means that when we truly let go and surrender, as expressed through the spiritual practice of contemplation/meditation (letting everything go) we discover a unity with God where there are no problems from this absolute perspective, from God's viewpoint.
I figure that probably raises more questions than it may answers...nonetheless, I'll go with that for now;)
I think we could agree on the 'embodying God' part, so the area I'd point towards exploring is this idea of letting go and perhaps you're expressing an uncertainty as to what that actually means? What are your thoughts on that? I know there are many things can stick out to individuals and that's great!
What are your thoughts on the bold text?
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