I found this meditation at the end of the book title Humility Matters by Mary Margaret Funk (2005).In this meditation, I discover the words I was searching for so long in my Christian tradition.
Category Archives: St. Paul
Meeting the St. Paul You Never Knew. Webcast (1)
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Notes from the Webcast February 25, 2014 (1)
(First 30 min. Josefina Fernandez.
Please continue on Gretchen Tucker notes for the second part of the webcast)
Much later, we put Christ as (privatized) a private ownership and control.
This much-devolved notion of salvation is totally individualistic.
Paul is not an individualistic thinker. He is a cosmic mystical thinker. If you do not have this frame you will misinterpret what he says.
Paul keys phrase by which you can tell that he is talking about this mystical template by which all reality is explained is “In Christ “ .
Paul is a Greek speaking Jew who come from outside Israel . He is from Tarso (Turkey). He did not grow up on the Jewish ghetto so he does not have a ghetto mentality. He is a cosmopolitan person so he decided that his message belongs to all people. When the Jewish people took him in arrest he told them that he was a roman citizen so he had to be judge by roman tribunal.
He wrote most of his letters in Greek and that was the language of the elite at that time. He knew some Hebrew and Aramaic but was not his primary languages.
Paul gives shape and structure to Jesus message.
Jesus is the great proclaimer of the mystery. Jesus did not found the church, as we know it. He was just proclaiming the mysteries at higher level and Paul try to bring them to a practical pastoral level where they can happen. We know now that Paul’s communities in Corinth, Philippians, Ephesus, were not more than 40 to 45 people.
In these pagan communities that were decadent, Paul’s wanted to create small living schools. When these groups started having problems he wrote to them moralistic letters so they did no came a part and be discredit by bad behaviors these groups of people were very important for the transmission of the message and Jesus will not be trusted. When we read his letters, we think that he is talking at a moralistic level.
His letters in general were not moralistic. His concern is you to the picture of the Christ Mystery: God identification with history and humanity at its lowest most humiliating suffering level and that is what Paul’s means with Folly of the Cross or the Mystery of the Cross . So he creates the mystical foundation for Christianity. The other place we found this is in John Gospel. And it is a Mystery. It is not something that you achieve by performance; it is something that you are already participating in it and you do not know it. And that is true today. This is what is going on. This is what is happening. This Christ consciousness, this Trinitarian flows of life and love that we all are already flowing in. His job was to tell you that this is already the truth. It is not a new truth. It has been always been truth but we are a living in a time that we can talk about it. We can give words. We can give significance.
Another idea presented in Paul that we are unable to develop in this short lecture is the that he takes the Jesus notion of the reign of God, the kingdom of God, the big picture and he really politicized
Please continue on Gretchen Tucker notes for the second part of the webcast)
Josefina Fernandez
Meeting the St.Paul You Never Knew Webcast (2)
Notes from the Webcast February 25, 2014 (1)
By Gretchen Tucker
Paul met Christ on road to Damascus Cosmopolitan, Roman citizen, spoke and wrote in Greek, Jew Speaks with inner authority and clarity of new kind of God Doesn’t think he is leaving Judaism Ten years later his message is not for Jews but for Gentiles Saw Christ as cosmic mystical thinker-“In Christo” Universal message Cosmic vision of Christ: pre creation, humanity (cross), resurrection (return to universe) Gave shape and structure to Christ’s teachings Founder of Church Established “living schools” of 40 “stars” in middle of pagans throughout Mediterranean area Not a moralist but a mystic Tries to correct to keep living schools alive Taught that we are already participating in the mystery Saw Trinitarian life as already the truth Paul believed Jesus brought the reign of God, the Kingdom of God Made political statement “Jesus is Lord” Paul took on two systems of world with opposing ideas–dualism Pius: Jews and others of conservative belief Greeks: Hellenistic and intellectual liberals Paul was a mystic-has a higher level of thinking Need to struggle with two sides – either is off balance Must reconcile them Pattern of the soul, history, Bible – progress marked by 3 steps forward and 2 backward God leads us back to the center 1. Dualistic Problem of One and Many We are either a hand, an eye, etc. yet participating in the whole body of Christ 2. Dualistic Problem of Jews and Greeks Conservative Thinkers and Liberal Thinkers Folly of the Cross-God identified with humanity Became problem so that we would not…… Problem of injustice in obeying laws-God accepts absurdity of full obedience Our imperfection is forgiven Problem of suffering and woundedness God is happening in me, with me Concern: child of God; rejection on earth; resurrection = optimistic message 3. Dualistic Problem of Tradition and Freedom We can’t create freedom by trying Law created to teach that we can’t do it We then fall into mystery of Christ Find ourselves in God by grace 4. Dualistic Problem of Flesh and Spirit: Part and whole Flesh is not body or sex, but ego, id—trapped self, imprisoned…,false…,small…, petty… Invites into world of spirit; not achieved by trying harder or surrendering more Realize we are sons of God, daughters of the Lord-get back to identity God loves so be moral Transformed heart does not see others as immoral 5. When I am weak, I am strong Spirituality of imperfection St. Therese: My Little Way-come to God by being weak; also Francis Not taught by Church—instead climbing performance Priests trained in Cannon Law Paul in Romans and Galatians oppose: cannot get there by obeying Theologian of Grace: unconditional love Martin Luther tried but Lutherans turned to law 6. Christ and Adam Inclusive of Jews and Greeks, conservative and liberals Covered in Colossians and Philippians 7. Matter and Spirit Covered in Romans 8 and 1Corinthians 2 Eucharist-matter and spirit: we are what we eat and drink Mystery of transformation-struggle with idea but we eat it Moves you beyond words Can be experienced but not understood 8. Creation and Salvation Romans 8: All creation is on tiptoe All creation being saved 9. Turn upside down New understanding in society : undo class systems Come together in Eucharist Meal is transformational ritual Bread and wine-priests in charge Potluck supper (bread and fish)-revolution of social order Probably the dualism is Foolishness and Wisdom 10. Old covenant and new covenant is dualism Split with Judaism lasted until todayMaster teacher of non-violence
His writings are underpinnings
Paul did 1st editing and someone else took over
Church became dualistic after 1200 Result of people being able to read Priests concerned about their career Monks began going to monasteries in 317 AD: mystics Mystical gift Communicated experience See in wholes and not in parts Kenosis–Philippians: God “emptied himself” of his own will Nature of God-God can only love, God as stingy, cannot beFolly of Cross-descent or letting go rather than climbing and performing
Only appeals to wounded
Death and Resurrection-have to be lost and be re-found Crucified and resurrected at the same timePaul’s Theology We came from God and will return to God Our job is to bring this creation to fulfillment, i.e., resurrection God will resurrect and transform what man kills All saved by mercy, by grace of God
Alpha and Omega-Christ mystery
Cosmic Christ gives theater of hope Life is worth living In hands of God Loss and renewal pattern Trust as Jesus did Live in safety, not meaningless Long for wisdom and purpose In Christ no distinction between male and female Church has given too much authority to these negative passages
Meeting St. Paul You Never Knew
Our St. Matthew group is planning to watch this event on February 25th at 7 pm.
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Meeting the St. Paul You Never Knew ~ Single Webcast |
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