3 posts tagged “jesus”
I loved "The Matrix". When I first saw it, I thought the way it dealt with the un-realness of our visible world was insightful, especially since at that time I was becoming familiar with Kabbalah and its' possible connections to early Christian mysticism. Sparks of life from the One, shattered and now trapped in earthen material as the One "contracted" Himself to make such a thing as space, where such a thing as matter could exist where previously only He existed.
I thought the Matrix was a fun way of playing with the idea of a reality different than what we see (particularly since one could be so much more capable in this pseudo world if he understood). Looking past the ugliness of the "real" world in Matrix, the movie could be used to illustrate to me my understanding of the distinct world of matter vs. the distinct world of spirit. Partly because of Jewish mystical thought (or so I thought), I began to view the idea of these two worlds as a false dichotomy, and to see a continuum of real and hyper-real, that I now recognize as a Platonic Idealism.
Today, though I feel more acutely my naivety than I used to, I've come to believe that all we see is is real (not well understood, but real), and all we don't see is real (and even less understood). That neither is "more" real than the other. That if there is a continuum, the gradations are only layers of clothing, as it were, concealing the Uncreated Light of the Divine Energies, the manifestations of God*.
The best illustrations are the Light of Tabor seen by the apostles during the "Transfiguration", and the fire of the burning bush that Moses saw. St. Maximus the Confessor sees in Moses' life the model for us all. Having turned his back on satan, having killed off all ties to his previous lifestyle, he went further - living an ascetic life in the desert, and figuratively shepherding every passion until all were directed toward God, to the point that finally he saw the fire within the bush. Not that it was an unreal or even unnatural phenomenon, but that he actually beheld the Energies of God as uncreated light, as the fire inherent within the bush - which after all is an extension of God. How in fact can there be a material world distinct from the One Who fills the universe, "Who are everywhere and fillest all things" as we say.
Just a thought.
If we are to say we're not gnostic, that God is the creator of matter as well as spirit and therefore the body is good as the spirit is good, then why did so many of the Orthodox Saints mortify their bodies and work so hard to deny physical needs?
I found enlightenment at Dr. David Bradshaw's emerging web site: http://www.uky.edu/~dbradsh/
In a talk Dr. Bradshaw presented at Asbury College, he said,
"I am sure you are all aware of the commandment of St. Paul to "make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof". You are probably also aware that the flesh is not the body... Perhaps the simplest way to understand flesh is that it is self-love. It is our innate tendency to seek our own comfort and security rather than acting, feeling, and thinking in a way that is permeated with the love of God. It manifests itself through the whole range of sins and passions: hatred, anger, gluttony, lust, sloth, and all the others.
Now the Fathers were well aware that the flesh is not the body. However, they thought that the surest way to conquer the flesh is, in fact, by disciplining the body. The reason is that the flesh manifests itself at the most elemental level as love for one's own body. To meet it on it's own turf, so to speak, one must confront the body and it's power of domination. This does not mean neglecting the body. lt means habitually denying one's bodily urges and replacing them with urges of the spirit.
The desire for food must be met by fasting.
The desire to let the mind coast... must be met by prayer and study of Scripture.
The desire for sleep must be met by vigils.
The desire for physical security must be met by almsgiving.
The desire for distraction and idle chatter must be met by silence and solitude.
And all of this must be done regularly enough that you actually WANT to pray more than you want to plop down in front of the TV.
This is very difficult. It is especially difficult to be done alone. That is why practices such as communal prayer and regular periods of fasting were so important in the early Church. Difficult though it may be, ascetic struggle is necessary if ones most basic habits and inclinations are to be reoriented away from love of self and toward love of God."
This makes sense to me. May God grant me the fortitude to follow in the example of the saints, who mortified the flesh and gained Christ.
From the blog Notes from a Commonplace Book
"Franz Rosenzweig, that most Jewish connoisseur of Christianity, believed that the Church of Peter (Rome) and the Church of Paul (Protestantism) would yield place to the Church of John (Orthodoxy) - that the churches of works and faith would be transcended by the church of love."
I find this observation to be very insightful, even though it's wrong in the following ways:
1. Church of Peter (Rome) - I don't think a correct understanding of Peter leads to "the Church of Rome" as we know it today. Still, it makes sense that a modern commentator would make the connection, since Peter did become Bishop of Rome and the Latin Church claims such strong ties to him.
2. Church of Paul (Protestantism) - I don't think a correct understanding of Paul leads to "Protestantism". Still, it makes sense that a modern commentator would make the connection, since most of Protestantism emphasizes teachings that trace to Paul.
3. Church of John (Orthodoxy) - I don't think one can make this limitation, since Orthodoxy is also the Church of James, of Matthew, of Mark, of Peter, of Paul, of all the Church Fathers and Doctors, because it's the Church of Jesus Christ. Still, it makes sense that a modern commentator would make the connection, since they see in St. John the beauty of mystery and the disciple "Jesus loved".
4. Rome, Protestantism... would yield place to... would be transcended by... - I don't think the term "would", in the sense of a future event, is correct. It already happened. It only remains for people to make that discovery and begin the process of deep purging, cleansing, healing and theosis made possible by Christ's Incarnation and so expertly handed to us through the Apostolic doctrine.
