Existentialism - not for me

I recently read an article from a collection of articles called the Asian Face of Jesus. The article was written by Byung Ahn and his argument is that we need to peel away the centuries of experience and tradition of faith to get to the historical Jesus in order for to truly understand the Christ message. His theology is resolutely existential. The true measure of the validity and reality of faith can only be understood through the basis of individual experience. I don’t know how many of you have much of an understanding of existential theology or philosophy but I find the consequence of either the philosophy or theology resolutely sad. If we were to follow the argument of Byung, we would lose the beauty and power of our history. Augustine would be gone, as would Aquinas and even the gospel of John because it focuses more on the message of Jesus than a recitation of his ministry found in the synoptic Gospels. More importantly, even the sharing we do together would be moot because all that matters is what our individual experience within the confines of our unique existence would matter. It is easy for me to say that I don’t agree with his theology, not because I don’t like it but, rather, because faith and experience shared is multiplied, nourished and sustained. If I had been forced to rely on the lessons of my own existence, I would still be lost in the wilderness.

Lectio on the readings

Taking a shopping list when you go into a store is a good idea – it helps you find what you need and overlook the things that might otherwise buy on impulse. Approaching sacred text with your mind already bubbling with other thoughts is probably not such a good idea. You might find yourself finding ideas and images that really aren’t there or aren’t even an important part of the text. The topic of the PFLM class last weekend was Christology with a particular focus an effort to understand the human and divine nature of Jesus. With consideration of this topic still fresh on my mind, I read the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles which described Peter extending the good news of the gospel to gentiles. The lesson for me today is that the all that is required to share in the good news is that we be human. We don’t need to be Jewish first. In the absence of discrimination, all are invited to share our faith. We don’t need to be Semitic, Jewish, brown eyed or even mail. We just have to be human.

Thought for the day

"Come to me all you who are burdened and I will give you rest"


Here I am, Lord. I come to seek your presence. I long for your healing power.

This is one of those days where the marbles have spilled from the cup and I lack the energy and desire to chase them all down and get them back their rightful place. We all know that a misplaced marble can cause havoc with one misplaced footstep so we are obligated to do something before we come to grief. It is time to turn to the Lord for help before I slip on what has escaped my own best intentions.

Here I am, Lord. I come to seek your presence. I long for your healing power.

From St. Athanasius

From a sermon by St. Athanisius:


For as the word we speak is an image of the Word who is God’s Son, so also is the wisdom implanted in us an image of the Wisdom who is God’s Son. It gives us the ability to know and understand and so makes us capable of receiving him who is all-creative Wisdom, through whom we can come to know the Father.

I have been playing with the concept of wisdom in recent days trying to understand how wisdom differs from knowledge and experience. There is clearly a difference between using the word wisdom instead of knowledge or experience. A dictionary meaning suggests that wisdom is the ability to discern what is true, right and lasting. Another one is the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience and understanding.

The consequence of the wisdom we are granted as described in the second reading is that we can come to know the Father. I observed several weeks ago in another share that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom because reverence opens up to the Holy Spirit.

A final thought is that piety or holiness is a consequence of our knowing, wanting and doing what has been communicated by the Holy Spirit. To seek wisdom is also to seek to be holy.

From Anam Cara

From Anam Cara: “Though the human body is born complete in one moment, the birth of the human heart is an ongoing process. It is being birthed in every experience of your life. Everything that happens to you has the potential to deepen you.”

This means we have to trust that if we follow God’s will, what we experience will be what he planned for us and that regardless of whether our experience is a day spent on a beautiful beach or night spent awake with concern, the experience will bring us closer to him. It will allow us to know him better that we might be more like him.

More from Galatians

From St. Paul in the letter to the Galatians 2:20: If justice is available through the law, then Christ died to no purpose! St. Paul makes an emphatic point that faith in a resurrected Christ makes discussion over the importance of living in accordance with Jewish law a moot point. Earlier in the same chapter he takes to take no less an important person than Peter. When you consider the role that Peter played in the whole pageant of Christ from the very beginning of Christ’s public ministry, Paul clearly believed that Jesus came to fulfill the law and not to uphold it. This point is important to us because Jesus made clear that God was much more interested in what was in our hearts than but what rules we followed. Prior to the time of Christ you could expect to find favor with God by following his rules regardless of what motivated you. We are now judged by whether we love and honor God but loving one another not by whether we are circumcised or follow certain dietary laws. I have to say that is hard to imagine ANYONE taking on Peter the way Paul did without any apparent ill effect.