christianity – Page 2 – …my temporary assignment.

Back to a nakedness as it were.

As I progress through my self reclamation project, I find that in more ways than one, I am becoming more attuned to God. The readings, gospel, reflections and the homily inspire me to discover, read, reflect and open myself to ever more to centering Him in my life. Revelation upon revelation.

At football today, I had the opportunity to share the lectern with a fellow coach, for “Faith and Football.” Reading Matthew 23, and then some thoughts on our perspective to the team, we hoped to create an awareness of ego and pride within them and how it can work against them, isolating all from each other and obstructing development, growth and the auspices of a true team.

“Incurvatus in se” and “excurvatus ex se”, the definitive approach I came across last week was a central part of our segment today. They offer a compelling avenue towards understanding the ill effects of ego and a pride run rampant, for all involved. And as I went deeper into these aspects of faith, they provided the key towards a better grasp of sin.

Words can become so convoluted and misrepresented. Convoluted not so much in terms of complicated and difficult to understand, but moreso akin to the technical view of the word;”intricately folded, twisted, or coiled.” Misrepresented, to “give a false or misleading account of the nature of.”, so that an audience can be led to or away from some desired end point. By the looks of it, sin falls into that convoluted, misrepresented category.

Now at this point of this collection of words and punctuation, this is just me thinking out loud. Well, typing/blogging out loud. So here goes:

My initial understanding of it – sin – was the acts committed. And that original sin was our affliction at birth. Immoral, wrong, hurtful things we choose to do, perhaps predicated from a mindset possessed the day we were born. Simplistic in my estimation. Generic. Overly. Not to mention that it leaves one kinda hangin’.

Reading more about and peering into the Garden, a deeper sense of awareness and connection is more evident. They two were formed of the earth and breathed into life by Him, granted both freewill and the experience offered by the world about them. Anything the heart could desire could be found in the trees that surrounded and sheltered them. All was theirs to experience, save one. The fruit of the tree of knowledge.

As Bishop Barron explains it; “So how about the prohibition? We hear that
they are prohibited from eating from one tree, which
is a “tree of knowledge of good and evil.” What does
that mean? God is the unconditioned good. Therefore,
God is, in his own being, the criterion of good and evil.
Therefore, the prerogative belongs to God alone to
know good and evil. The original sin is arrogating to
ourselves the prerogative of determining good and evil,
when our wills become the criterion and the measure
rather than God.”

Pretty much depicts the nature of the serpent that has been ever present in my life; ego.

Professing to know it all and be everything to everybody as espoused from the pulpit of my creation – ego and pride. And as Adam and Eve found shelter from themselves and protection from the truth by donning clothes, that only serves to cave oneself in around oneself. “Incurvatus in se”.

Arrogating spells out to a “T” the aim of the ego and false pride. It cannot but help reduce oneself into a being of false servitude.

The daily revelations that He shares with me, have opened a heart and mind that have remain closed for quite some time. In many ways a form of solitary confinement.

Exerting the gift of freewill and choosing His path is remaking things for me in this stage in life. The apeture is growing , the curve opening outward more towards Him and others.

BRUEGHEL, Jan El Viejo_El Jardín del Edén, c.1610-1612 _(CTB.1988.29)

Back to a nakedness as it were.

Gifted.

“The wise men came to Bethlehem and gave the child their precious gifts. When you come to Christ, break open the very best of yourself and make it a gift for him.

Finally, they returned to their home country by another route. As Fulton Sheen commented so magnificently: “Of course they did; for no one comes to Christ and goes back the same way he came!”

Bishop Barron – Daily Gospel Reflections, Sunday, January 7, 2024.

Some time ago, I got lost on my way towards Bethlehem. Not that I am or ever will be a wiseman. Just that I too saw the guiding warmth in that star. I wanted nothing more than to be there for and with Him. Unfortunately, I got lost. I chose selfish defiance instead of selfless reliance. Since then, I have been working to find my way back ever since.

Sad to say, when I can finally return in full, I will not be able to break open the very best of myself as my gift to Him.

I will only be able to share my utter brokenness.

He deserves better. But for now, that is all I have.

But I know now that He understands the nature of my gift and is ok with that. He simply wishes for a relationship. Friendship. A bond. Love.

He knows for a fact that anyone that comes to Him is most likely broken in some fashion. In need of reassurance. Repair. Redemption. And resurrection. He knows that anyone that comes to Him does not go back the same way. His loving touch changes everything.

His gift to me.

That is exactly what I am counting on.

That is what I desperately need.

That is what I know for a fact will ultimately come to save me.

My journey may have taken me towards Him from one direction.

But I am counting on not going back the same way.

For He knows which way to send me.

Gifted.

“Areté ”

ah-reh-‘tay

In its most basic sense, a word from the ancient Greeks meaning “excellence of any kind”.

Taking a bit of semantic and philosophical license, Areté could be defined as “moral virtue”. And given the nature of that concept – virtue – it stands to reason that excellence is derivative of virtuous thoughts, words and deeds. Of doing the right thing.

For as Plato said, “We do not act rightly because we are excellent, in fact we achieve excellence by acting rightly.” Greek mythology made Areté divinity; the goddess of virtue, excellence, goodness and valour.

“There is a tale that Areté dwells on unclimbable rocks and close to the gods, tending a holy place. She may not be seen by the eyes of all mortals, but only by him on whom distressing sweat comes from within, the one who reaches the peak of manliness.”

An acknowledgement that excellence is a higher standing. A path that is intended to be a struggle. A challenge. A journey to elicit excellence.

Socrates, Plato and Aristotle – the renowned triumvirate of Greek philosophers, teachers and orators – spent their lives in the pursuit of understanding our human condition. Discerning how best to find our rightful place. Here, in the mortal world, and within the universe, among the divine.

Since its earliest appearance in Greek, there is the idea that Areté was ultimately bound up with the notion of the fulfillment of purpose or function: the act of living up to one’s full potential.

Throughout the Homeric poems, Areté is frequently associated with bravery, but more often, with effectiveness. The man or woman of Areté is a person of the highest effectiveness; they use all their faculties: strength, bravery and wit, to achieve real results. In the Homeric world, then, Areté involves all of the abilities and potentialities available to humans.

In the mortal sense, excellence is about making the most of all that we are and all that we have – to become all you were meant to be. In so doing, you endeavor to approach the divine, by acting rightly.

We strive because there is virtue in it. We strive, because it is the right thing to do. More than just a word, motto or mindset. Arete – excellence – is a mandate. A command.

Michaelangelo could also have heard this command. To make the absolute most of his abilities and potential. And by virtue of his actions, become a true renaissance man.

“If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful after all.” he is said to have remarked. Stating what could be a common refrain for those that choose to pursue excellence. For it is work. And only committed, ceaseless effort can render such compelling results.

Michelangelo was not only regarded as the greatest living artist of his lifetime, but is now considered to be one of the greatest artists of all time. A number of his works in painting, sculpture, and architecture rank among the most compelling and famous in existence. His output in every field during his long life was prodigious. When the sheer volume of his correspondence, sketches, and reminiscences that survive are taken into account, he is the best documented artist of the 16th century.”

It may not have dawned on him – as he was putting the finishing touches on that chapel ceiling or inscribing his name on Mary’s sash of marble – that his efforts would some day make him a man with global impact. But then again, he was pursuing excellence. A level of excellence that to this day inspires artisans, architects and others to aspire.

John Uebersax sought to sum it up in this fashion: “No English word or phrase captures the exact meaning of Areté . The nearest equivalents are ‘excellence’ and ‘virtue’. But there is something more to Areté which cannot be expressed in words. There is something of the divine in it.”*

From a mortal perspective; we are commanded to make the most of all that we are and all that we have. To become all we are meant to be. By accepting this edict, we can then endeavor to approach the divine. By virtue of our right thoughts, words and deeds, we can climb those unclimbable rocks.

To that place where Arete dwells. For…” in the moment of excellence, something transcends the mundane and touches the ideal.”

*John Ubersaz – https://www.john-uebersax.com/plato/pdf/greektermsebook.pdf

Pure joy.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. “

James 1:2-8

As we leave the old, the comfortable, the familiar and make our way into the new, disquieting and unseen that lay ahead, all of us will be tested in some fashion or another.

We can decide to respond with fear, an attitude of avoidance or ignore these challenges altogether. But then again, we can choose to embrace them for what they truly are.

Lessons.

These will come in all shapes imaginable, endless varieties of configurations, woven into layers. And over time, by actively embracing faith, its sibling perseverance will come to fruition and their meanings will become evident.

It is not to say that these meanings are necessarily only an end result. That “ah ha !” moment. Could very well be that they make themselves known in various forms.

Perhaps as the time it took to discern. Maybe as a temporary setback. Or set aside so that another more urgent lesson could be attended to.

It could have been experienced as changes that occurred within our being as we embraced these lessons. How we came to grow and evolve into something we were intended to be.

Deeper lessons still.

All of which depend on our ability to believe in what could not yet be seen.

Faith.

Resolutely sticking to it, with unfettered resolve, while letting go at the same time.

Perseverance.

All because we believe in what we have not yet seen.

Faith and perseverance exist in a perfect union. The active act of patience – waiting for what you know to be true – so that you can nourish the persistence that enables you to make the journey . Leading us to discover the life we intend to live.

All so that you may be mature, complete and not lacking anything.

And realize the product of your endeavor.

Pure joy.

By Him.

At Sunday’s mass, the first and second reading, and then homily all espoused one uplifting theme of incredible resonance. Something to the effect that “we surrender the past and embrace an exodus towards a new life and re-creation”. That by surrendering the material aspects of living as we do and moving towards a more spiritual foundation and existence, a lasting and truly meaningful fulfilment could be attained.

Life re-created.

Now material aspects as understood might be taken solely as wealth, position, prestige and other such “things” that we come to crave, desire, possess and accumulate. And yet, upon reflection of the central tenet offered yesterday morning, one could expand that definition of the “material” in our lives to include the wrongs we have endured as well as those we have chosen to commit and inflict on others.

Sin.

In time, those too will become weighted and onerous objects. Generating a mass of discomfort, disillusionment and despair. Material that becomes stowed away in the mind and body.

Burdening the soul.

The act of surrendering them will take time for they are things we have become accustomed to bearing and carrying with us. “Just part of life” we tell ourselves. “Something” we need to carry. After all, they did what they did to me. And I most certainly did what I did to them. Material that can overtake our being.

“A going out” or “departure” literally defines exodus.

Perhaps from this perspective, the outcome of surrender might be a going out of your current self to become what you were meant to be. What He sees you to be. Making a departure from disillusionment and despair cleans the slate, offering fertile grounds to grow a new life.

An existence with a more spiritual basis.

Surrender so that you may re-created.

By Him.