St. Anselm - a Prayer

O Lord my God,
teach my heart this day where and how to see You
where and how to find You.

You have made me and remade me,
and You have bestowed on me
all the good things I possess
and still I do not know you.
I have not yet done that
for which I was made.

Teach me to seek You,
for I cannot seek you
unless you teach me,
nor find you
unless You show Yourself to me.

Let me seek you in my desire,
Let me desire you in my seeking.
Let me find you by loving You
Let me love you when I find You.

What is Christology?

Christology is Christian reflection, teaching, and doctrine concerning Jesus of Nazareth. Christology is the part of theology that is concerned with the nature and work of Jesus, including such matters as the Incarnation, the Resurrection, and his human and divine natures and their relationship.
Christology is dependent upon, but not identical with, the portrayal of Jesus in the New Testament, and both the four Gospels and the Epistles. The underlying methodological assumption of Christology is that the New Testament contains the authentic and accurate record of Jesus, both explicitly and implicitly. The New Testament is taken to convey that the earliest followers of Jesus were convinced that God was revealed in him and that they attributed a number of titles to him, such as “Messiah,” “Son of Man,” “Son of God,” and “Lord.”

Christian discourse (theology) uses the portrayal of Jesus in the foundational documents of Christianity as a point of departure. Traditionally, Christological reflection has focused on two specific aspects of that portrayal—namely;

(a)  the person and

(b)  the work of Jesus.

It has also sought to clarify and systematize the meaning of the scriptural depiction of Jesus.

Julian & Trinitarian Spirituality

It was on May 13^th 1373 that, at the age of 30, Julian of Norwich received her revelations.  As there is a record of Margaret Kempe (more about whom later) coming to seek her spiritual direction, she must have been still alive as a recluse in 1416. 

The basic facts of her experiences are easy to set down.   Born about 1342, she received her Revelations  (Shewings) when on the point of death having received the Last Rites of the church.   Known to us today as Julian or Lady Julian, her true name remains a mystery.  She is named after the Church to which her hermitage was attached.  Over two days she received 16 revelations and soon after wrote down a short account.  Known as ‘The Short Text’ it consists of 25 chapters.  She produced the ‘Long Text 20 years later – they numbered 86 chapters.

Her prayer was somewhat unusual to our 21^st century ways of thinking.  She had 3 ‘intentions’ or ‘requests’.  They were:

1.      to ‘have mind’ of the Passion of Christ.

2.      to have a bodily illness

3.      to have 3 wounds of contrition, compassion and a longing with her will for God (ST 1, p. 125-126)

She prayed for the first two “be they the will of God”; and they gradually fell into the background with her; for the 3^rd she prayed absolutely.

Julian summarizes the 6 elements of the revelations in chapter 8:   Firstly the Passion and the shedding of Christ's blood; secondly, St. Mary, thirdly the divinity almighty, all wisdom and all love; fourthly all creation that is so little and yet good; fifthly, all is preserved by love; sixthly, God as the source of all goodness and himself the supreme good.

The core of the revelation is described:  “I saw red blood running down from under the crown, hot and flowing freely and copiously, a living stream, just as it was at the time when the crown of thorns was pressed on his sacred head.” (LT4:181.)

LOVE IS THE CONTEXT OF ALL THE REVELATIONS.

In the first revelation it is especially love as revealed in mercy:  "I trusted in the mercy of God.” (LT3:179)  The first revelation immerses us into the Trinity.

                        "Suddenly the Trinity filled my heart full of the greatest joy, and I understood that it will be so in heaven without end to all who will come there.   For the Trinity is God, God is the Trinity.   The Trinity is our maker.   The Trinity is our protector.   The Trinity is our everlasting lover.   The Trinity is our endless joy and bliss, by our Lord Jesus Christ and in our Lord Jesus Christ.   And this was revealed in the first vision and in them all.   For where Jesus appears, the blessed Trinity is understood, as I see it."   (LT 4:181)

Sacred Places and Spaces

Every culture has always felt the need to set aside a particular space for sacred use.  Stonehenge, Newgrange, the Great Pyramids of Egypt and the stepped Pyramids of Mexico are witness to man’s unending desire to have a place where the human and the divine can come together.  For the people of Israel, the Temple at Jerusalem was not just a symbol of this divine union but it was regarded as a true resting place for God.  When the Roman army destroyed it, Israel was forced into the practice of worshiping God who dwells in the human heart.  The early Christians, although also affected by the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, understood that each person is a temple where we can encounter God.  As St. Paul so brilliantly put it: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”  So why then do we continue to build churches, cathedrals, or other sacred spaces?

 

All spaces, whether it is our home, our place of employment, or the place we go to worship shapes us either for good or ill.  If our home is run-down, dirty, and disorganized our lives tend to be the same.  If our workspace is cramped, uncomfortable, poorly lit, etc., we will eventually develop animosity towards our job and employer.  Sir Winston Churchill put it best when he said: “We shape our buildings and afterward they shape us.”  The relationship between people and sacred space is so close that one depends on the other.  

By virtue of our Baptism, we share in the life of Jesus Christ and because of this, wherever the people of God gather that place becomes sacred.  Our Churches only have meaning and purpose when we gather in them to celebrate God’s Word, Holy Communion and the other sacraments, and when missionary activity comes from it.  Christ is present in the living Word and in the people assembled there; he’s present in the sacraments and in the art that decorates the place.  Christ is also waiting to be taken from this place to those who have yet to meet him.  In other words, when our church buildings become a place where we can find Christ and a place from which we can bring Christ to others, then it becomes a sacred space.  

Sacred space is space that gives honor to God’s creation, and that is used respectfully; a place that is well designed and pleasing to look at; a place where those who gather are authentic and not trying to be something they’re not, because sacred space allows us to experience God’s presence.  Does our sacred space, our parish, cathedrals, and basilicas allow people to experience God’s presence?  Can people encounter Jesus Christ there?  Do we as a people of God help to make the place we gather sacred?

A Walking Church

(1 Cor 3: 9c-11. 16-17)
An overly pious man lived on our road. He wore several rosary beads and many scapulars hung from his neck. People used to call him ‘the walking church’. Every Christian, according to St. Paul, ought to be a ‘walking church’, though in a very different sense. The Spirit dwelling within us makes each one a living, breathing space for holiness which must never be damaged nor destroyed. Christ is the firm foundation on which everything else rests. Will we survive the damage of present-day scandals and rejection? Whatever our failures, the spiritual core of the church remains untouched. Let us build on that.

New Wine, New Wineskins, New Mindset

A friend is studying theology. He has a background in physics and mathematics. He tells me, with some excitement, that he couldn’t get into it at all at first. Then he realised that a whole different mindset was needed. Now he speaks enthusiastically of new insights and a wealth of understanding previously hidden from him.

There are some extraordinary poetic expressions in the Old Testament. Mountains melt like wax and drip new wine while hills flow with milk – the reward for faithfulness to Yahweh. The enemies of Yahweh suffer drought, inhabit wastelands and are burnt up – the consequences of having shed innocent blood.

In order to receive the riches of the Word of God, I need to open my soul to the music, drama, poetry and story through which it conveys and achieves its divine purpose.

The essence of Christian Spirituality

Christian Spirituality is rooted in the person of Christ. He is at the centre and is the focus of all our striving and searching. This truth has serious consequences i.e. we must come to know him and well as come to know about him. This means that Christian Spirituality is not something we can study at a distance as a phenomenon of the human quest. It means we need to engage with and enter into the Mystery that is God and Christ in union with the Holy Spirit.


The Paschal (Easter) Mystery – that Christ has suffered and died on the cross, and rose from the dead lies at the core of Christian spirituality.

Also Christian Spirituality is deeply dependant on the Word of God. "Ignorance of the scriptures is ignorance of Christ", wrote St. Jerome. Learning to read, understand and love the word of God expressed in the inspired texts of the bible is essential to Christian Spirituality.   Find a good guide or commentary and read your bible.

Many of the contemporary spiritualities emphasis EMPOWERMENT. Now dont misunderstand me please. Empowerment is very important and a necessary ingredient if we are to have a just and inclusive society. But in Christian Spirituality, the ultimate experience is that of SURRENDER.

“If you would be my follower, Jesus said, renounce yourself, take up your cross and follow me.” It is in surrendering to God that we find the goal of our spiritual life. And that practice of surrender is one that is carried out every day in the simplest and most ordinary ways. To be a spiritual person is to surrender to the Mystery that beckons us into the deepest and most fulfilling life in God; to find Christ in one another; and to realise our total and utter dependence on someone who is greater, higher and most holy in whom the goal of all our striving is reached.