I Love Jesus

Today I had the pleasure of attending a Communion and Liberation gathering. Used to be that whenever I heard the word "liberation" in any theological context, my hackles went up. Funny. Irrational, though.

Anyway, this was a very welcomed development, to come upon this group. I got the email last night, about 24 hours ago, that this group was to start meeting this morning. It requires no reading in advance, and children are welcomed to come. And it offers intellectual discussion on spiritual topics. Sounded like a perfect match.

We read an article, and true to my introverted ways, I found throughout the day that I was formulating the thoughts I might have offered in discussion, had I had them that fast. Really, I think I was more pondering the discussion and the reading that did take place. Even though I like these group discussion things, seems I usually keep quiet during them.

The discussion moved to Islam vis a vis Christianity. I have not done a great deal of thinking about Islam, but I did today. I chewed over some things that were said by the women this morning. And I'll chew them over some more here.

First, someone pointed to St. Thomas, and his famous doubts. She said, that in the Islamic system, Thomas would not be free to doubt, to state his disbelief. Either Allah would have finished him off on the spot, or at least his fellow Apostles would have. God is absolute, you are not to question but submit. Tromp, tromp, tromp -- he's dead/gone. She pointed to the beauty of Jesus' response to Thomas: "put your finger here, put your hand here. Do not doubt, but believe." Such an attitude of mercy. But WHY? And here's the real point we discussed: because God respects our humanity. He created us as human beings because He likes us this way. It's His plan, and He honors it. He honors our reason, our intellect. He honors the fact that we are created for relationship!

Another woman pointed out how the trend to removing the phrase "God our Father" and replacing it with "God our Creator" falls into this same trap that Islam is stuck in: it destroys the Father/child relationship language which Jesus came to reveal. The whole point of the Incarnation is that Jesus comes to reveal the FATHER -- not "merely" the Creator (as if that were a "mere" thing). That God loves us this much, and this personally, to desire relationship with us.

When I was a Protestant, I remember meditating on a few praise songs that were to or about Jesus. And I wondered to myself, why are we singing this to Jesus, and not the Father or not the Holy Spirit. I really didn't know. I just figured we could relate to Jesus since He was our Savior and the other part of the Trinity was just sort of nebulous. But saying "Oh How I Love Jesus" made some sense because He was a person, after all.

But how much do you/can you really love a person if you don't understand them or know them deeply? That's where I feel I was stuck as a Protestant. I just had this idea of a divinity that most of the time I called Jesus, although I knew there was a Trinity and it included God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, too.

It was only upon becoming a Catholic that I began to develop the faintest notion of Jesus as God's revelation of His own personal incarnate love. Then, of the Trinity as God as Life-Giver. As the One who relates. As the One who created us for Himself and to share His life. I may not talk much differently about the Trinity now than I did as a Protestant, but I have as it were a 3D view now rather than a flat picture.

(So the blog title -- can be either a shallow bumper sticker type saying, or the most profound reality.)

And I wonder -- it has been said that how the Church teaches what she believes might look quite a bit different if She had never been in the tussle with heresy. Seems every time the current wind of false doctrine comes along, God calls us to beef up our own understanding, our own practice, and to reach out to those caught in its error -- not only those practicing the heresy, but especially perhaps those Christians who swallow the same thinking without realizing it.

So, what about Islam. Of great offense to Islam is this notion of the Trinity. Of a God who desires relationship, who honors reciprocity, difference. Who deeply and profoundly respects the human person, including his reason and intellect, even to the point of respecting his right to refuse relationship with Him. Who has highly exalted a woman. Are there any ways in which I have swallowed "Islamic" thinking? Have I disrespected any human person in his inner being (like, perhaps some of the little human persons with whom I spend each day)? Am I focused on the value of relationship and do I count it higher than other goods/products? Do I praise God with every fiber of my being for the astounding miracle of the Incarnation and all that theologically flows from them -- the Sacraments, the Immaculate Conception, our own participation in grace?

We need to live and love these truths to their fullness to present to the world the God who Loves us, to draw the world to Him.