Chapter One
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, "God is not a hypothesis derived from logical assumptions, but an immediate insight, self-evident as light. He is not something to be sought in the darkness with the light of reason. He is the light."
I'm struck by this quote because it is as true for the God of Issac, Abraham, and Jacob as it is for the Son of Man, Jesus, for Christians. But for atheists, this light is not apparent. They see the world through a lens defined only by the forces of nature and their own free will, not by the grace of a loving God.
Heschel contines, "More decisive than the origin of the Bible in God, is the presence of God in the Bible." I think this sentence speaks volumes about how the Spirit of God moves in the reading of scripture. Whether or not you understand what you're readig, the Spirit of God is still there.
This is similar to what St. Ignatius Loyola experienced while reading the Bible as an injured soldier convalescing from a war injury. Lying there is his hospital bed, he noticed how light his heart became after reading scripture as compared to the stories of battle conquests he had formerly revered. He noticed the power the words had on him eventhough he was not a practicing Christian. Inherent to the words was the Spirit living within them. The experience changed his life and led to his development of the Spiritual Exercises.
Chapter Two
Gretchen Jackson says, "Grief is the pain we all pay for love." By it's very nature love includes suffering. To truely love someone or something is to give a part of yourself, or to 'give a piece of your heart' as Janis Joplin would say. However painful, we all long for that connection: to be known and understood in both our joy and our suffering. It's the intimate connection we crave. It's what makes us fully human.
2 comments:
Great reflections! Questions: 1. How do you personally define God? 2. Have you talked to atheists about their beliefs?
Those are great questions Stacey. Not sure I can give a concise answer to your question but I'll try.
In the book of Matthew, Jesus asks the question of his disciples, "Who do you say I am?" so I think this is a question all of us need to answer as Christians. For me God is my creator and savior. I am simply a steward of the gifts he's given me for the short time I am on this earth. So hopefully the life I lead is one of loving my neighbor and being the best version of myself that I can be.
As far as atheism goes, I am admittedly no expert. My mom is an atheist and I've based my frame of reference on many on her opinions. So I am open to learning more in this area.
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