Through Jesus To God

I’ve never been very good at math. In fact, I’ve never been slightly good at math. I don’t like it; it doesn’t like me, and so when I went to college, we tried to avoid each other. Except for the unbending graduation requirements that dictated several basic courses, I ran from math every semester. I have friends, though, who loved trig and calculus; they gobbled those up and wanted more. Shifting to matters of faith and practice, the same constant message is heard from classrooms and pulpits: “Go deeper. Don’t stop at a fifth grade level of understanding. Probe in order to find a strong, vibrant faith relationship with God.”

This is the recommendation of Willigis Jager in his book Search For The Meaning of Life. He writes: “Contemplation deepens and transforms our faith in Jesus Christ. It leads us from Jesus to the Christ.”

From Jesus to the Christ! Think about it. Jesus was consistent in his desire not only to know God but also to reveal God in life stories and experiences. And, he urged his followers to look through him to a deeper connection with the Origin of Life. The early portions of John’s Gospel are loaded with the blessing of Christology, of the urgency of knowing Christ. Jesus never expressed a desire to establish Jesusology, a Jesus worship. He pointed beyond himself to God and he said it clearly: “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will never come to you.” (John 16:7) The way to shortchange your faith inquiries is to develop a love for Jesus, and stop there. He was the “door,” “the way,” the directional sign to a compassionate, caring God. There is truth in Jager’s strange comment: “We must let go of all ideas about Jesus if the true Jesus is to appear.”

Please don’t read this as a rejection of Jesus. He is the key to the door; he is the way, the truth, and the life. We love him and we follow him in trust, for he leads us beyond himself, straight to the glory of God. I invite you to think like a Mystic or a Contemplative. Keep your mind open and receptive to the whispers of the Holy Spirit. Allow Jesus to lead you to the place and moment of your own discovery. He is the pilot of the ship, but that ship floats on the enormity of the ocean’s mystery. Spiritual joy comes when we recognize the connection of the two.

Pray with me: Jesus, Light of my way, Guide of my life, show me the way to The Presence. I trust you to lead, to teach me about God as we walk along, to show me the things to do, the mind to develop in preparation for that indescribable moment of unity and union. May it be so. Amen.