Ascension Day
In my next essay, I am going to try to explain the Pascal Mystery in the light of the Trinity and the Jesus Christ.
Today I remembered that I had asked my tutor whether or not I could "leave out" the Ascension from the Pascal Mystery, in order to just think about the Cross and Resurrection. Having a big feast day is enough to make me realise something was very wrong with my understanding to ask such a question.....
At CU it was fortunate to have an opportunity to reflect on this feast and find out the Protestants recognise it too...well some of them anyway.
We just spoke about the Ascension as the culmination of the incarnation. Jesus took on our flesh thereby sanctifying the most mundane of our daily tasks. He did the washing up. (Fr Tom's favourite example) To be able to do what God does is an amazing thing. God did the washing up. God elevated our humanity to a great height. A couple of CU asked whether this means they shouldnt have bought dish washers....!!!!!! The smallest of daily tasks take on a great dignity because Jesus has given them this dignity.
The Ascension is the fulfillment...because it trounces the Gnostic notions that only the Spiritual counts and that matter is evil. Jesus rose body and soul into heaven. No mere spiritual resurrection. Finding myself a practical Gnostic in day to day, ignoring my admin considering it as less important than the spiritual side of life, this is a significant discovery.
What I have said is not quite right (perhaps it's the Nestorian heresy, the idea of duality Divine and Human side by side by not "one") because of Jesus we can and should find the spiritual in the physical ordinary side of life. The human and the Divine are united in Him and both now in heaven.
As the chaplain commented, the Ascension is not just about the fact He is body and soul in heaven, but it speak volumes of what it means to be following Christ as spiritual corporal beings. Gaudium et Spes 24...only in Christ does the mystery of man become clear
Today I remembered that I had asked my tutor whether or not I could "leave out" the Ascension from the Pascal Mystery, in order to just think about the Cross and Resurrection. Having a big feast day is enough to make me realise something was very wrong with my understanding to ask such a question.....
At CU it was fortunate to have an opportunity to reflect on this feast and find out the Protestants recognise it too...well some of them anyway.
We just spoke about the Ascension as the culmination of the incarnation. Jesus took on our flesh thereby sanctifying the most mundane of our daily tasks. He did the washing up. (Fr Tom's favourite example) To be able to do what God does is an amazing thing. God did the washing up. God elevated our humanity to a great height. A couple of CU asked whether this means they shouldnt have bought dish washers....!!!!!! The smallest of daily tasks take on a great dignity because Jesus has given them this dignity.
The Ascension is the fulfillment...because it trounces the Gnostic notions that only the Spiritual counts and that matter is evil. Jesus rose body and soul into heaven. No mere spiritual resurrection. Finding myself a practical Gnostic in day to day, ignoring my admin considering it as less important than the spiritual side of life, this is a significant discovery.
What I have said is not quite right (perhaps it's the Nestorian heresy, the idea of duality Divine and Human side by side by not "one") because of Jesus we can and should find the spiritual in the physical ordinary side of life. The human and the Divine are united in Him and both now in heaven.
As the chaplain commented, the Ascension is not just about the fact He is body and soul in heaven, but it speak volumes of what it means to be following Christ as spiritual corporal beings. Gaudium et Spes 24...only in Christ does the mystery of man become clear
posted by Esperanta at 1:10 PM
1 Comments:
Yes, I agree, it's like a "challenge" to try and take seriously the value of everything we experience, even the seemingly very trivial, or too difficult parts of life.
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