You have heard of the stewardship of God's grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation,
as I have written briefly earlier.
When you read this
you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ…
Faithful readers will, by now, know I am fascinated by the word mystery. I pounce upon it every time it turns up in our scriptures or the liturgy. There is something here of inestimable value. We should not only recognize it; we should seek access to it. If Jesus never mentioned the word, it may be because he spoke no Greek. Saint Paul, however, recognized the mysterious quality of Jesus and this new religion and used his Greek language skills, along with his Hebrew training, to introduce Jesus to the world.
Saint Paul was the first to admit he had not come to this mystery by the power of his mind; it was revealed to him. The mystery of Jesus is not available to human wisdom. We find it through faith. Or, to put it another way, we find it through careful attendance to the prayers, rites and liturgies of the Church. Being a good person is not enough, nor is being a member of the church society. Disciples must enter through their own self-consciousness, realizing that God speaks to each one of us, as well as to all of us together. Without the experience of being noticed, known and called by God, our prayers seem like so much mumbo jumbo or hocus pocus.
That’s how Paul thought of Christianity -- as so much mumbo-jumbo -- until the Lord spoke to him on the road to Damascus. Once he heard that infinitely gentle, infinitely suffering Voice call him by name not once but twice – “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” – he could not ignore the mystery of faith that opened before him. He had to step through it.
With this letter to the Ephesians Paul once again invites us to go with him. He cannot explain the mystery; that is neither possible nor desirable. Mysteries are apprehensible but not comprehensible to the human being. Or, to put it another way, when they appear we feel apprehended and we know that Something has stopped us dead in our tracks.
The ancient Greeks from Sophocles onward knew that human beings cannot grasp or control knowledge. The attempt is pure hubris. When Oedipus the King attempted to find out who he was and what was going on around him, he set off a chain of events that gouged his eyes out and killed his queen/wife/mother. Likewise, Jason (of Argonaut fame) disdained reverence for the dead and was murdered for his hubris.
Reverence cherishes the mysteries of religion and children; of marriage, child-bearing and sexuality; of sickness and death; of ignorance, poverty and helplessness. Reverence understands that we will never know or comprehend much of life, and that our stockpile of facts is little more than a Tower of Babel before the incomprehensible wisdom of God. Even now the data we’re collecting in “the cloud” threatens to overwhelm all of our systems. Technicians will “mine” the data for knowledge but the odds are good they’ll emerge stunned and perplexed with conflicted confusion.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a Luddite. Science is good; technology is beautiful. When these human endeavors are driven by compassion and channeled by humility they can serve God’s purposes. But without compassion or humility knowledge serves only to make red war yet redder.
Like Saint Paul, a “steward of the mysteries,” we should welcome revelations of wisdom and knowledge with grateful, humble hearts.
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation,
as I have written briefly earlier.
When you read this
you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ…
Faithful readers will, by now, know I am fascinated by the word mystery. I pounce upon it every time it turns up in our scriptures or the liturgy. There is something here of inestimable value. We should not only recognize it; we should seek access to it. If Jesus never mentioned the word, it may be because he spoke no Greek. Saint Paul, however, recognized the mysterious quality of Jesus and this new religion and used his Greek language skills, along with his Hebrew training, to introduce Jesus to the world.
Saint Paul was the first to admit he had not come to this mystery by the power of his mind; it was revealed to him. The mystery of Jesus is not available to human wisdom. We find it through faith. Or, to put it another way, we find it through careful attendance to the prayers, rites and liturgies of the Church. Being a good person is not enough, nor is being a member of the church society. Disciples must enter through their own self-consciousness, realizing that God speaks to each one of us, as well as to all of us together. Without the experience of being noticed, known and called by God, our prayers seem like so much mumbo jumbo or hocus pocus.
That’s how Paul thought of Christianity -- as so much mumbo-jumbo -- until the Lord spoke to him on the road to Damascus. Once he heard that infinitely gentle, infinitely suffering Voice call him by name not once but twice – “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” – he could not ignore the mystery of faith that opened before him. He had to step through it.
With this letter to the Ephesians Paul once again invites us to go with him. He cannot explain the mystery; that is neither possible nor desirable. Mysteries are apprehensible but not comprehensible to the human being. Or, to put it another way, when they appear we feel apprehended and we know that Something has stopped us dead in our tracks.
The ancient Greeks from Sophocles onward knew that human beings cannot grasp or control knowledge. The attempt is pure hubris. When Oedipus the King attempted to find out who he was and what was going on around him, he set off a chain of events that gouged his eyes out and killed his queen/wife/mother. Likewise, Jason (of Argonaut fame) disdained reverence for the dead and was murdered for his hubris.
Reverence cherishes the mysteries of religion and children; of marriage, child-bearing and sexuality; of sickness and death; of ignorance, poverty and helplessness. Reverence understands that we will never know or comprehend much of life, and that our stockpile of facts is little more than a Tower of Babel before the incomprehensible wisdom of God. Even now the data we’re collecting in “the cloud” threatens to overwhelm all of our systems. Technicians will “mine” the data for knowledge but the odds are good they’ll emerge stunned and perplexed with conflicted confusion.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a Luddite. Science is good; technology is beautiful. When these human endeavors are driven by compassion and channeled by humility they can serve God’s purposes. But without compassion or humility knowledge serves only to make red war yet redder.
Like Saint Paul, a “steward of the mysteries,” we should welcome revelations of wisdom and knowledge with grateful, humble hearts.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.