Christ

Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022), a saint and mystic revered to this day by Eastern Christians, wrote some words that point beautifully to this “force field” that we call the Body of Christ. It is a living organism created by those who live in love, much more than any mere religious organization.

We awaken in Christ’s body,
As Christ awakens our bodies.

There I look down and my poor hand is Christ,

He enters my foot and is infinitely me.

I move my hand and wonderfully
My hand becomes Christ,
Becomes all of Him.

I move my foot and at once
He appears in a flash of lightning.

Do my words seem blasphemous to you?

—Then open your heart to him.
And let yourself receive the one
Who is opening to you so deeply.

For if we genuinely love Him,
We wake up inside Christ’s body
Where all our body all over,
Every most hidden part of it,
Is realized in joy as Him,

And He makes us utterly real.

And everything that is hurt, everything
That seemed to us dark, harsh, shameful,
Maimed, ugly, irreparably damaged
Is in Him transformed.

And in Him, recognized as whole, as lovely,
And radiant in His light,
We awaken as the beloved
In every last part of our body.

"BREAKING NEWS"

God loves the Eternal Christ, the Anointed One, the “Christ Child” in you, and God cannot not love you. That part of you which has always loved God—and lets God love you—is your soul or True Self. Once the problem is solved deeply inside of you, and you can recognize and honor the divine image in yourself, then you can honor the inherent dignity of everyone else, too, knowing it is a free gift given to all; none of us can earn it.

In reality, humanity is on a level playing field. This was supposed to change our politics, our societies, and our history. But the implications of the Gospel are yet to be fully realized.  ~R. Rohr