Holy Longing

Interpreting the Author

Complementing the Author

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Wayne. Interpreting the Author.

Introduction.

These three chapters of Rolheiser are, arguably, the most meaty and substantive of the book thus far. We could actually spend a full session on each of them, if time permitted, so I would encourage you to re-read them whenever you have a chance.

We discover, by spending time with each one, that the author has steeped himself in its respective themes for many years and has much depth of understanding to offer us. At the same time, we are exposed to some of the essential values of his Catholic tradition. For some, what he says will be new and perhaps a bit strange. But I would encourage everyone to take seriously what he has to say; to use what is meaningful and appropriate it to your own spirituality, and to retain the rest in the back of your mind, at least.

Ecclesiology (Chapter Six)

Chapter six (111) focuses on the church. Rolheiser quotes Reginald Bibby, the Lethbridge sociologist of Canadian religion who says that people aren't leaving their churches, they are just not going to them because, as Christian communities, we have been losing the fire of spiritual imagination (113).

We have just passed through an era where there has been a strong focus on theological substance in many of the churches (I submit that the United Church of Canada left that era in the 1960s and others have gradually followed suit) but we have yet to replace the resulting vacuum with much emphasis on spiritual depth.

Before theology, says Rolheiser, the church needs a spirituality. And so the need for our study.

It has become the practice in spiritual teaching today, to focus on images and imagery to inspire and encourage the imagination. Rolheiser offers a series of images that he believes helps us to focus attention on what a renewed spirituality of the church might entail:

1. The people of God. The apostolic community. (114). These are great themes from the Second Vatican Council of the 1960's which are significant to Catholics, but not that revealing to Protestants. We have always tried to emphasise the mutual priesthood of the baptized in Christian discipleship. Our mission is not our own, but the mission of Jesus.

2. The rope that consecrates us, often taking us where we'd rather not go (122). The author is quite realistic in his comments about the great love/hate relationship that exists for those who struggle with religious commitment. His quote from the Italian spiritual writer, Carlo Carretto is most poignant (read from p. 129).

3. Catholicity, or "the big tent" is an important term for the church of our time. We are growingly aware that inclusivity, rather than exclusivity is a necessity, and that acceptance, not just tolerance, is a virtue if we truly wish to be the church today.

4. The banquet table. Jesus often used this image to help us see that, even as we share in the social and spiritual aspects of eating and drinking in the church's here and now, we are experiencing a foretaste of the feast to come (131). His use of the reference to Carol Shield's book "Larry's Party" is most a propos.

One of the impressions I gather from these images used by Rolheiser is that they are, in general. much more earthy and realistic than a lot of the spiritual imagery of a by-gone era. People today are not drawn to unrealism. Rather, they want to have the spiritual life described realistically, recognizing the good as well as the bad.

The Paschal Mystery (Chapter Seven)

I believe that this chapter describes for us a classic Catholic spiritual cycle, unknown or ignored by Protestants but which could become much more helpful to us. The pascal mystery is the spiritual discipline that many Catholic Christians practice during Holy Week, and the weeks following Easter. This discipline takes as its focus the scripture passage: "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains but a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest." (John 12:24).

The Pascal Mystery represents our spiritual sojourn with Christ, through his passion, death, resurrection and glorification by returning to God. It represents a psycho-spiritual inner transformation or a letting go, that can bring about new life in the believer.

1. The Passion Cycle:
Good Friday - "loss of life; real death"
Easter Sunday - "reception of new life"
The Forty Days (Easter to Ascension) - "readjustment to the new; grieving the old"
Ascension - "letting go of the old; letting it bless you; a refusal to cling"
Pentecost - (fifty days after Easter; ten days after Ascension) "reception of the new spirit for the new life that one is already living"

2. Colloquial Way of Describing the Pascal Mystery Cycle (Psychologizing the spirituality):
Good Friday - "name your deaths"(youth, wholeness, dreams, honeymoons, ideas, etc.)
Easter Sunday - "claim your births" (what new things bring life to you now)
The Forty Days - "grieve what you have lost; adjust to the new reality"
Ascension - "do not cling to the old; comes to terms with reality; let the old experiences ascend and bless you"
Pentecost - "accept the spirit of life you are, in fact, living now"

3. Living the Paschal Mystery
Any Christian can participate in the experience of the passion of Christ by using the Way of the Cross (such as exists at the Mt. St. Francis retreat in Cochrane) or, by working through their own psychological transformation process individually, by journalling, or in a small support group sharing activity using the colloquial language of faith that Rolheiser describes.

Justice and Peacemaking (Chapter Eight)

"Love without justice is baloney" (Cardinal Sin of the Philippines)

Rolheiser quotes the now famous passage from Micah 6:8 in which the prophet reminds us that the Lord requires justice and mercy; not just private charity (168) and that our words of love for God and others ring hollow unless we are ready to back them up with lovingkindness (words combined with action).

In the past, Christians of all stripes were more inclined to focus on their personal sins rather than systemic evil. "Now we know more" (172) and the two cannot be separated. The transformation of evil systems becomes just as important as individual salvation. We must all be involved in "changing the way the world is organized in order to create a level playing field for all" (170).

Rolheiser gives a very helpful biblical basis for social justice and peacemaking (174) and shows how, today, many of the Christian churches are committed to this in various ways.

He also offers good counsel for those today who would be prophetic. "The prophetic role requires an attitude of love, not alienation, toward those being challenged… seek to convince, not to defeat your adversary (note the influence of Gandhi here)… else you become like the enemy you are fighting. The root cause of war is fear… you need to come to confront and understand the fears of others if you wish to be involved in a ministry of peacemaking" (180-2).

A strong theological focus underlying these themes is Luther's comparison of a theology of glory (theologia gloria) contrasted with a theology of the cross (theologia crucis). (See the writings of United Church theologian Douglas John Hall of Montreal and his exposition of these themes of Luther).

Note also the "mellowing out in spirit" (pillar of spirituality number three) that Rolheiser presents here (191).

4. Four Directions holding future promise:
     1. suffering based
     2. feminist
     3. inter-religious
     4. science and religion
From footnote 8, page 255 note four future themes of spiritual theology suggested by Elizabeth A. Johnson:

QUESTIONS FOR SMALL OR LARGE GROUP DISCUSSION:

1. Is it possible to develop the spiritual disciplines of which Rolheiser speaks without
being part of a Christian community? (ecclesiology issue).

2. What do you think of the spiritual discipline of the paschal mystery as explained by
Rolheiser?

3. What do you think of justice and peacemaking as explained by Rolheiser?

Jock. Complementing the Author.-

Three in One.

I have re-packaged Rolheiser's 3 chapters here. In his Ecclesiology chapter I see a bright light - seeing the church as our Spiritual Family. In his Paschal Mystery chapter, I see the root of our religion - seeing Tradition and Bible as Spiritual Theory. And his chapter on Justice and Peacemaking I see as addressing Spiritual Practice. Matters then of Family, Theory and Practice.

The Church as Spiritual Family

I find Rolheiser's Ecclesiology chapter, despite its horrible name and detailed illustration, his clearest most encouraging thinking. He astutely points out to us that what seems the matter is not that people are not spiritual, and not that they don't want the church to be a part of society - for they do actually want the church to be available to them when they need it. They just don't want to come to it as they presently perceive it. We are in this image, specialists with the keys to heaven, in the mind of the people.

I think I have liked this chapter 6 the most, and think his observations, his formulations, his metaphors, his examples, most wonderful. We are indeed a people "called out" together for God's purposes and not our own. In this, Rolheiser and Spong are in some agreement and this would be worth examining. It seems the question is being framed rather similarly from all quarters, but solutions are being framed quite differently. I'll speak more of frames in conclusion.

I hear this call from Rolheiser to mount our horses and seek out the holy grail of our own age - Spirituality - and return it to the castle of the King. As comfortable as I am in the traditional church, I am afraid. To be the keepers of the fires of tradition is not a task without challenge and purpose. But the wind that fans our holy fire is also the wind of the spirit for other peoples of god, and not only in a foreign land, nor amonst strangers, but in our own place and time and people, in ways we have not considered.

Tradition and Bible as Spiritual Theory.

Life is not only the experience of good things. Life has its fill of sorrow and pain and death. Rolheiser brings us to this neglected point and again does a good and necessary thing. He reviews the amazing stories of the Bible to show this balancing, and that this calling of things by their true names is a powerful thing to do. Denial is of no help. He reviews the very successful models of the past, the rituals and protocols of healing the soul and dealing with life's joys and sorrows.

Again, we who are in the corridors of the church can only nod our heads in vigorous agreement. Our hearts have felt these things. We are familiar with guilt and forgiveness, with illness and healing, with brokenness and the gift of grace. So his instructions on Spiritual Growth being very much tied to the Bible and our Traditions, strikes a chord. But is it the lost chord? Are we who are raised in the church not the only ones to hear it, and hearing the chord and looking again for it, finding it lost again? Jesus said quite often that we who have ears to hear need to pay more attention. What new things is God saying?

Justice and Peacemaking as Spiritual Practice.

Rolheiser says "God asks only one thing of us, that we 'act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with our God.'" (citing Micah 6:8, our own churchs theme verse). And he summarizes what is the Christian perspective on this by some considerable expansion. His distinguishing between private charity and social justice is some of his clearest thinking, and a clarion call to us all. With all his unique skill of observation he shows us how there are causes behind causes. He points out that mere good cause is empty - that recognition of equality before God is the greatest of equalizers and energizers in the cause of justice. And again he implies, it is the province of the church to be the clearest embodiment of these principles - which he then most naturally enumerates and expands.

Again we are spellbound by his cogent arguments, his heart rending examples. But again we have this answering of his own framing. All roads for Rolheiser lead to Rome, so-to-speak. If our history, past and present were more noble, there might be reason to suppose that a return to the Bible and our good Tradition was guide enough for the earth and its peoples.

But it has not been enough for the earth, not been enought for the peoples of the earth, and not even enough for ourselves. It seems so, but is not so. We are made of lesser stuff. The admonition and guidance of Mother Church has not led history into the clear sunshine of its promise. More today than yesterday in proportion and also in numbers, are today among the poor and hurting - and at a time in history when we have it within our power to do very much better.

One example only - Jubilee 2000 - the effort to effect Third World debt forgiveness among the rich countries - a coalition of church efforts together with other good minded persons - like Bono the chairman and friend of Paul Martin. Jubilee 2000 failed its deadline. We are 4 years beyond. We have only some of the G8 countries forgiving interest but none forgiving capital. And so we weep as the poor die. It is easily in our power, just not in our resolution. The church as presently constructed is clearly not enough for its job in the world - so any return to any past outlook is less than than needed. Apparently the theory of the church is not convincing to we who are its children. And church practice is unconvincing to the poor that suffer.

Rolheiser's description of our hard-hearted response to the world's need for peacemaking is rendingly accurate and complete. And he has fastened his thought to the most insightful of Christian words and examples. His rewrite of the Lord's Prayer in terms of justice is an inspiring conclusion to these 3 chapters. We are quite helpfully and specifically directed in our church community to put our theory into practice.

Paul said ^"For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing." (Romans 7:19). But for many in the world, its "the same old same old".

A Framing of the Problems - Answering the Wrong Questions..

As we have discussed last week, framing can be an enhancement or an invisible barrier to awareness. There seems a problem solving frame in operation here. Since time immemorial the principle method of problem solving has been to first frame/name the problem in order to determine the central questions. This method generally means the answer is found inside the question - it only takes a better administration a better focus, work in the identified direction, to accomplish the fix. This is the key strategy of all forms of persuasion - from sermon to sales pitch to lawyers defense. Put forward your own question and then supply the answer.

Example 1 - Rolheiser seems to say our error is simply one of falling away, and perhaps of failing to properly instruct enough of the membership in the nuance of theology. If we tend to our fires, we need learn nothing new to have the church again the vital and true spiritual centre of society. He calls for a return to church telling folks they should go although they don't want to! How confident! How incredible! How different from the first call of the Early Church. Then people came into the church because of the example of its community - and were willing to face lions! Rolheiser seems to think the lost function of spirituality will return to its true and proper place, if we should only go fetch this holy grail from the forest of neglect. It seems to me he looks to yesterday.

A newer way of problem solving is holistic. It has many names and contributions from many disciplines. It is less in a hurry to frame/name problems, but seeks a broader perspective before making a start. This method generally discovers answers outside the questions. It has been said that pretty much all scientific discovery is accompanied by laughter - because the person is greatly surprised. Of course only the well prepared will be surprised. David Suzuki is such a thinker.

Example 2 - Spong seems to say our error is compounded by generations not noticing the changes of the world, not remembering that God is not fond of the noise of our solemn assemblies, not following a Christ that is in the world. And that a lifetime of ecclesiolgy had not prepared him for seeing the future form of community (except perhaps a glimpse from the mountain), and to feel it will be a very different ecclesia. He seems to warn us the holy grail is a myth of great attraction, and great confusion. It seems to me he looks to tomorrow.

Much is uplifting and helplful in Rolheiser's theology of spirituality. Little seems missing. He is of good heart, and a highly trained mind. His words compel us. They are in a different religious flavour of thinking than we are used to, but his words are a gift to us, and much of his instruction is worthy of our following.

But also in his words is the implicit idea that the way to the future is clear. We are prodicals and should return to the Father. I fear this is too singular a response as we seek to expand and to clarify our spirituality. We need neither to fully accept or to pass over lightly his words. We can harvest much of excellent use. Only keep in mind the myriad of other spiritual voices who also hold candles to light the world.

Shortly after I came to know Catherine Pace, she spoke about yesterday being an unfamiliar place, and I found these words:

"Yesterday seems not a place we came from..."

When first we looked to Tomorrow,
it was near to us.
Tomorrow went gently up the road,
and beyond that road was a star.

Now we seek some consolation.

Now we look to Yesterday,
for it is near to us.
We thought Yesterday our own road,
but it seems strangely unfamiliar.

For we are meant to walk by starlight.

© oct 2000 Elias
elias1943@shaw.ca
Calgary, Canada

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