That was beautifully written from the heart. Hearing this from someone who has indeed closely accompanied people in great pain as well as suffered personally for years is powerful.
Through Christ, the Church body has the blessed opportunity to sit with and to serve others who are in pain and the recipient has the opportunity to see God restore them through the Church body. No one wishes pain upon themselves or others, but when it does come we can give and receive the lessons and love of Christ and learn and experience what it means to rely wholly and solely on Christ for our every need. 💕🙏🏻
I have also found the Aramaic worldview of Christ very helpful beyond Latin. The new little book by Neil Douglas-Klotz, stays on the kitchen table: The Aramaic Jesus Book of Days: Forty Days of Contemplation and Revelation
"I must eventually become nothing if I want to one day be united to the One I love." I have made myself small for my earthly father, my whole life. All that matters is his legacy, and the male line.
I can't even begin to conceive of a Father who really sees me. Or a brother who doesn't hate me. The virtues of generosity and kindness were instilled in me, fostered, encouraged, praised - and ultimately intended to be weaponised against me. I don't trust even the good in myself.
The exhortations to look beyond this life and to contemplate the sufferings of others, and indeed Christ - forgive me - feel like more instructions to make myself invisible. I know I'm not getting the message. God knows I berate myself enough for self-pity. My sufferings are miniscule compared to that of others'. I dont know how to overcome betrayal and am struggling to forgive. I know it's the step I need to take, and yet I distrust it completely. Is it for my sake and therefore selfish? Or his, and therefore a capitulation?
I know this is what people have grappled with forever. Back to Cain and Abel. But those were brothers. Even in the Bible, the sisters seem invisible.
Ann, don't forget that hearts are invisible. God is invisible. The Invisible Club is pretty prestigious and sacred. I think what Dr. K is trying to say is that because you are invisible, because you have suffered, you have a connection kind of like the connection of human sight with other suffering hearts and God-who-has-suffered-in-Christ. They become visible to you.
There is lots more to explore in what you shared, but a more invisible setting would be more appropriate for such a precious process.
Thank you for this thoughtful essay. After 70 years of life I have come to the conclusion that the purpose of life is to provide us with an evolutionary path, and unlimited daily opportunities, to voluntarily align ourselves with the moral and physical laws that govern our universe, and by doing so become increasingly aligned with the God of creation. The undeniable fact that there is very real and deep suffering in our world makes the decision to willingly align ourselves with the God of compassion genuinely and profoundly meaningful on this side of eternity, as well as on the other side.
The issues you discuss were taken up by the various early Christian sects that have been lumped together under "Gnosticism." Their theology alleges the OT God was not the true God, but rather a god that brought suffering and trapped mankind. This argument seemed to have played a role in the trial of Jesus. When he tried to teach them a new understanding of the Divine, which went against the OT God and their theology, they declared him a blasphemer, which carried the sentence of crucifixion. So, perhaps we should not question our suffering as much as question the idea of an all-loving God that brings suffering.
At first glance, one might make that assertion. But, then one must begin to dig to better understand what it means to say "fallen world." What are the dynamics? Where we get into the most difficulty is when we want to assert that God is all powerful but yet he does not bring about a cessation of suffering. And the Book of Job raises interesting questions when it is argued that God toys with humans and allows them to suffer, as part of a weird ego game. The Book of Job makes it difficult to say it is not God that brings suffering. In fact, most of the Old Testament makes that argument a problem. The theology that Jesus presented starts to get us over the hump, but that theology was declared blasphemy, resulting in his crucifixion. The Sadducees were clinging to OT theology and could not accept what Jesus taught. So, do we need to adjust our views and put less reliance on the OT and see that God as presented in the OT was not exactly cool?
That was beautifully written from the heart. Hearing this from someone who has indeed closely accompanied people in great pain as well as suffered personally for years is powerful.
Thank you, Essie, really appreciate your comments here.
Thanks and Blessings Dr. Kheriaty
Being Catholic becomes fully ego-syntonic when I read a Catholic leader like you, one with deep fait and moral integrity in this unsettling world.
Thank you for the message.
Thank you for this
Through Christ, the Church body has the blessed opportunity to sit with and to serve others who are in pain and the recipient has the opportunity to see God restore them through the Church body. No one wishes pain upon themselves or others, but when it does come we can give and receive the lessons and love of Christ and learn and experience what it means to rely wholly and solely on Christ for our every need. 💕🙏🏻
Thank you for this, so meaningful!
I have also found the Aramaic worldview of Christ very helpful beyond Latin. The new little book by Neil Douglas-Klotz, stays on the kitchen table: The Aramaic Jesus Book of Days: Forty Days of Contemplation and Revelation
"I must eventually become nothing if I want to one day be united to the One I love." I have made myself small for my earthly father, my whole life. All that matters is his legacy, and the male line.
I can't even begin to conceive of a Father who really sees me. Or a brother who doesn't hate me. The virtues of generosity and kindness were instilled in me, fostered, encouraged, praised - and ultimately intended to be weaponised against me. I don't trust even the good in myself.
The exhortations to look beyond this life and to contemplate the sufferings of others, and indeed Christ - forgive me - feel like more instructions to make myself invisible. I know I'm not getting the message. God knows I berate myself enough for self-pity. My sufferings are miniscule compared to that of others'. I dont know how to overcome betrayal and am struggling to forgive. I know it's the step I need to take, and yet I distrust it completely. Is it for my sake and therefore selfish? Or his, and therefore a capitulation?
I know this is what people have grappled with forever. Back to Cain and Abel. But those were brothers. Even in the Bible, the sisters seem invisible.
Ann, don't forget that hearts are invisible. God is invisible. The Invisible Club is pretty prestigious and sacred. I think what Dr. K is trying to say is that because you are invisible, because you have suffered, you have a connection kind of like the connection of human sight with other suffering hearts and God-who-has-suffered-in-Christ. They become visible to you.
There is lots more to explore in what you shared, but a more invisible setting would be more appropriate for such a precious process.
Thank you for this thoughtful essay. After 70 years of life I have come to the conclusion that the purpose of life is to provide us with an evolutionary path, and unlimited daily opportunities, to voluntarily align ourselves with the moral and physical laws that govern our universe, and by doing so become increasingly aligned with the God of creation. The undeniable fact that there is very real and deep suffering in our world makes the decision to willingly align ourselves with the God of compassion genuinely and profoundly meaningful on this side of eternity, as well as on the other side.
God left some of the work of creation to each of us. An unfinished task for us to finish and share the glory.
The issues you discuss were taken up by the various early Christian sects that have been lumped together under "Gnosticism." Their theology alleges the OT God was not the true God, but rather a god that brought suffering and trapped mankind. This argument seemed to have played a role in the trial of Jesus. When he tried to teach them a new understanding of the Divine, which went against the OT God and their theology, they declared him a blasphemer, which carried the sentence of crucifixion. So, perhaps we should not question our suffering as much as question the idea of an all-loving God that brings suffering.
I think a sinful/fallen world brings suffering… not God. 💕🙏🏻
At first glance, one might make that assertion. But, then one must begin to dig to better understand what it means to say "fallen world." What are the dynamics? Where we get into the most difficulty is when we want to assert that God is all powerful but yet he does not bring about a cessation of suffering. And the Book of Job raises interesting questions when it is argued that God toys with humans and allows them to suffer, as part of a weird ego game. The Book of Job makes it difficult to say it is not God that brings suffering. In fact, most of the Old Testament makes that argument a problem. The theology that Jesus presented starts to get us over the hump, but that theology was declared blasphemy, resulting in his crucifixion. The Sadducees were clinging to OT theology and could not accept what Jesus taught. So, do we need to adjust our views and put less reliance on the OT and see that God as presented in the OT was not exactly cool?