“Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.”
The New Testament continually challenges us -- the Church -- to live by the Spirit. "It is the Spirit that gives life!" And so we ask -- because we want to know -- "What is the Spirit?"
We cannot live without reasonable explanations for what we do and how we live. But neither can we explain everything we do and how we live. There is always more to human life than we can define. Most of our thoughts, words and deeds do not come with a ready explanation; much of our experience, knowledge and wisdom is not remotely "scientific." We operate by habits, customs, and traditions; we develop skills and intuitions that cannot be explained. We don't know where our most creative inspirations come from. Some things just appear when the moment is right.
Like Jesus, who was born in the fullness of time.
Or the man who walked into the classroom one day and you said, "There is my husband!"
Saint John's Gospel describes a man who is continually challenging his listeners, whether they are disciples, curious bystanders or opponents. His explanations make no sense to them and yet they are true. He will not come down to their level because their level cannot comprehend what he is about. They must ascend to his level. But that happens only when he is lifted up and draws everyone to himself.
Jesus' Spirit may be called another "level" or "dimension," to use a mathematical metaphor. Physicists explain some of their theories with multiple dimensions -- more than the ordinary three of space and one of time -- and that makes sense to them. In some cases they develop applicable theories for Global Positioning Systems, but they still sound like nonsense to the uninitiated.
Similarly, those who trust the Lord understand that "the wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Arriving at the end of John 6, we hear that many disciples of Jesus left him after hearing his sermon on the bread of life. They would not eat his flesh or drink his blood. They could not accept his teaching as analogy, metaphor or symbol because it was not offered with any of those typical explanations. If he was speaking of bread and wine as "sign" they could not separate the sign from the person, anymore than one can separate a living body from the person.
He spoke literally. They knew it and they could not accept it. It would cost more than they could afford, even as our salvation cost more than God could afford.
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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.