Any experienced teacher will tell you that the true sign that learning has taken place in a student is her or his ability to generate a new idea at the end of a given unit, semester or course. This is the whole essence of doctoral studies and the goal that is articulated in modern educational theories. Indeed, when the mind has wrestled with, organized, analyzed, weighed and assessed material and then drawn a conclusion, what was originally information is transformed into some new insight, some exciting fruit that just must be shared with others! It should not surprise us therefore that the Divine Master, the Logos, who is the eternal “word” or “idea” of God, allowed his very self to be examined, wrestled with, beaten up and ultimately concluded, or ended (cf. Jn 19:30), upon the Cross. And what happens next? That life-giving, eucharistic blood flows from his side, some new fruit of this drama that is shared with others and as such literally generates new people – saints, disciples and apostles. If we could just become like Christ and adopt a constantly crucified form interiorly, we would stand to gain much! We would become people with a deep knowledge of the meaning of life and we would spend our days feeding others the fruits of this contemplation. Ave Crux, Spes Unica!
November 28, 2020
Published
The deep interior crucified form transforms every fiber of your being. Overcoming the intense anguish of witnessing the world and loved ones who do not understand or attempt to follow the Logos is a double edged sword. In one way it is the cause and in the other the motivation. St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians 9:19-23 “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made my self a slave to everyone… I do all this for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” Receiving this phenomenal gift of understanding and meaning comes with a great price. A price we pay with gratitude.
Indeed, it is a double-edged sword: we find ourselves positioned exactly between the Father’s parental love and the Son’s sacrificial love, held in place by the Spirit. And you are correct, the way that we maintain our standing – as children of God through Christ – is in the act of gratitude, that is, “eucharistia,” which both nourishes others on their journeys into the Father’s arms and keeps us attached to that infinite and eternal One who is our salvation. It is as if we feed others, eucharistically, out of our radical perspective on the goodness of life and the profound beauty and meaning of it all, that all shall be well! Our vocation, in this way, is simply to constantly practice gratitude, to constantly be saying Mass in the depths of our souls.
Many thanks to Brothers Phil and Ben.
Yes!
Thank you, friends.
Yes, friend.