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July 2, 2008The Incarnation: Not for wimps
In his book, Mother Angelica’s Little Life Lessons, Raymond Arroyo quotes the Abbess as recalling a time when she offered a gift of little books on faith to a woman who was visiting along with an old friend of the monastery. The woman refused the books saying, “if I read them I will have to change…” I actually had a very similar conversation with someone, once - and I had to say, at least the woman was being admirably honest. She knew that if she allowed doubt to enter into her worldview, if she began to accept the idea that there was more to her life than an accident of being, she - being both honest and ethical - would have to acknowledge it, then bow to it, then change her whole trajectory in response to it. That was a scary thought, to her. It is hard to move out of our comfort zones and let go of our own illusion (or delusion) that we have a great deal of control over things, that we are masters of our own little universes, accountable to no one and nothing. We don’t want anyone or anything getting between us and what we want, or messing up our perceptions of individual omnipotence and autonomy. And we certainly do hate the idea of having to answer to anyone, especially to One who is perfect. So, the woman I knew could not allow “doubt” to enter into her secularist comfort zone and risk it being blown all to pieces. To accept the notion that a Creator God would do the unthinkable and actually join his Creation, in flesh, in poverty, in helplessness - not as a mighty ruler, but as a vulnerable baby - to accept only that part the Christian narrative would act as a scud missile to secularism, leaving a sizable crater of doubt. The secularist/relativistic view has a surprising disdain for doubt. Surprising because ‘doubt’ is part and parcel of relativism. Everything is to be doubted, then, except doubt, itself. Don’t doubt secularism. One of the wonderful things about Christianity is that Christ is patient. He also allows the questions. He even tolerates doubt, as we see in the story of Thomas, and in this great poem (also thanks to the July issue of Magnificat):
Good morning! http://theanchoressonline.com/2008/07/02/the-incarnation-not-for-wimps/trackback/ 6 Responses to “The Incarnation: Not for wimps” |
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 am
THe Monsignor pegs it right on and it is a threat to even the most devout believer
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:34 am
I don’t know this is really an issue of secularism or even of doubt, unless one were to equate doubt with the absence of faith, which I think is a mistake.
Faith isn’t just believing something, it is believing IN something, it is trust and acceptance and surrender to anothers will. It is a whole lot more then just thinking something is, or even might be, true. On can have doubt and still have faith, indeed doubt may well be a requirement of faith.
And it is a very scary thing, whether one is secular or not. My own beliefs are complicated, to say the least, but one thing I do know is that I don’t have faith, and part of why I don’t have it is because, like your secular friend, I don’t want it.
The scary thing about God is he is never satisfied. He absolutely demands everything that you are. He will remake you into something else, and the more that you give of yourself, the more he will require.
Now, intellectually I am prepared to admit that what he demands we sacrifice are things that we don’t need and what he wants to make us into is far better then what we are. At my core though, I am to proud of myself to submit to that sort of reworking.
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:28 am
The scary thing about God is he is never satisfied. He absolutely demands everything that you are. He will remake you into something else, and the more that you give of yourself, the more he will require.
“Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not afraid that He might take something away from us? Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful? Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived of our freedom? . . . No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation. And so, today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life. Amen.“
July 5th, 2008 at 7:24 am
Dear Anchoress,
I have just registered only to post this comment: Incarnation is indeed the key mystery of Christianity: the infinity made finite. The other two, Resurrection and Eucharist are also related to flesh, to the corporeality of mankind. Of course it is not rational, but once you think about it you can only revolt against any other kind of God. Christian or atheist.
I republish this every 25 March and 25 December:
http://layijadeneurabia.com/2008/03/25/et-incarnatus-est/
July 6th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
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