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Wednesday, 28 Jul 2010 Do you have opinions on these matters? Dear Friends,  I confess I am both intrigued and very open-minded with where Vynette is taking us in her exploration of the Jewishness of Jesus. I do believe that a deep anti-Jewish bias developed in Catholicism down through the centuries. In a sense though, we Catholics developed a bias that gave us a sense that we were superior to everybody because we were members of the "one, true Church" didn't we? For many that has begun to unravel today. Scholars have been aware of the anti-Jewish bias for some time and have been endeavouring to discern a better perspective. Vynette though would seem to be pushing the line a little harder. Tomorrow I'll bring you a little more of Fr Brian Gleeson's exploration in similar territory. To me, as I look at all religions that seem to offer sacrifice to God — or engage in 'sacred rituals' to appease God — I am afraid I have become sceptical of all of them. I do believe in God — the Creator and Architect of everything and the One who maintains a relationship with all Creation, is the centrepoint of Creation, and is the end destination of Creation. I no longer have a sense that we are called to appease God or suck up to him in the hope of some "eternal reward" like some little kid in a kindergarten class trying to please their kindergarten Ma'am. Yet isn't that the picture painted by most of the major religious paradigms we encounter on earth? To me religion is a very different thing to joining a political party, or barracking for a particular football team or code. We're not essentially trying to compete to prove that we are better than anyone else. If we are "competing" we are competing against ourselves — competing to become a better person than the one I am now — a la the Parable of the Talents. We can't do that in isolation though. All our living is "in relationship" — with our neighbours, our environment, the whole of Creation and ultimately the One who holds it all together. As I interpret Jesus he was not sent to us as come "magician" or "miracle worker" who would run around cleaning up the scrapes we got ourselves into. He is the model or blueprint who shows us how to become a better person — more God-like in our behaviours. He is the model who shows us how to build, and enter, the kingdom. The question on my mind as I read the commentaries of both Vynette and Brian (Gleeson) is how much does delving back to discover the mindset of Jesus help us in what is essentially the "forward oriented" direction of the personal quest each of us faces to become more God-like in our behaviours — the way we think, the way we intuit, the way we feel (use our emotions), the way we act and in the ways in which we pray? Do you have any opinions on these matters? I sense there is a significant audience out there reading Catholica now who would value you sharing your thoughts whether you think of yourself as some "academic" or whether you consider yourself an "ordinary person" simply trying to make sense of your life.
Wishing you a great day wherever you happen to be ... in life and in our world. Catholica |
