The Forked Flame #5

Enter "Pillars" Part 1 (written and produced by Msgr Robert Barron); and shared with us under the
tutelage of Msgr Andrew Baker, Pastor at the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena in Allentown, PA, at the time of this writing.  Part 1 opens with a lively discussion of Man's capacity for God. Man's deep desire for happiness--which inevitably leads him on a journey that if properly lived, brings him to a position where God draws him back into Himself.

According to the author of The Pillars Series, in order to be travelled with any degree of success, this journey must take account of teachings such as the Beatitudes and other Spiritual writings of the Church, and the role they play in the fulfillment of Divine Revelation. The ultimate end, if all goes well, is a spectacular meeting of man and his God. But we must remember that the twists and turns played out in this; as in any journey are central to the Christian Mystery of the Catholic Faith.

This brings us to part 2 of "Pillars" which takes us into delightful discussion of the Celebration of this 'Christian Mystery'. In pointing us in the proper direction to begin accomplishing the fulfillment of God's plan for us, the Msgr directs our attention to 1066 in the Catholic Catechism:  "In the Symbol of the Faith the Church confesses the mystery of the Holy Trinity and of the plan of God's 'good pleasure' for all creation". Further discussion reveals that the God accomplishes the "mystery of His will" by offering up his beloved Son and the  Holy Spirit for the salvation of the world. These things we know from historical documentation. From the very warm lips of Christ; and from His apostles, themselves.

Perhaps less well-known is the fact that this primordial meeting of man and God can and does also come in an explosion of Divine Revelation. And is well-known as an end-of-life phenomenon reserved for the elect. As part of God's extreme good pleasure, some faithful Christians-and of course angels and saints who sometimes walk the earth-are allowed extravagant glimpses of God's welcome through a process of Divine Intervention. Visions such as these are the reason the pain of the cross becomes a blessing to the astute. Yes, God is indeed good, and loving, and kind. This is why the spiritually gifted speak of "His loving goodness " and his "good pleasure".

This Divine Revelation is the second order of knowledge. The first, and the more common is Natural Reason.

And as man navigates this journey with the precepts of natural reason written on his heart, and in some instances gifts of divine revelation he must sooner or later come to the realization that he, the human being, [1703] endowed with "a spiritual and immortal soul, willed into existence for his own sake" and "destined for eternal beatitude" from the moment of his conception, is expected to achieve much more than just individual eternal re-unification with the Creator, Himself. He is expected to bring his brothers and sisters along with him.

Hence man's 'birth right' to reason, without which he would be unable to appreciate and understand and act upon any revelation from God. Or be able to judge right from wrong.
Along with the ability to separate right from wrong, man must also be able to comprehend the existence of "the first principle and the last end of all things" the essence of God himself. For the most part, this phenomenon is grasped by the faithful through the light of human reason since few of us enter this world endowed with divine revelation. According to the Church, generally speaking, knowledge of God comes from the light of human reason.

So once we're created and infused with the light of reason and knowledge of God; and with a clear destination in mind, we set out on what St. Paul calls: "the plan of the mystery and the patristic tradition". "the economy of salvation".

St. Paul also refers to it in expanded definition as the mystery of Christ revealed and fulfilled, according to [a] wisely ordered plan [1066] which basically encompasses getting ourselves and everybody else back to God. More simply put- to heaven- where we can praise God and play with the angels for ever.

But here's the bombshell! As we are told time and time again: "God [meanwhile] willed that "man should be left in the hands of his own counsel ". In other words, man is free to choose the way in which he accomplishes God's plan. Since we are made in God's image and likeness it follows, then, that man, like God, has the ability to reason. And, having free will, is perfectly capable of exercising mastery over his own acts. [1730].

This brings us to the focal point that since man is 'only human' he is also prone to error and is likely to make mistakes in any undertaking. Let alone the journey of life. That's why the Creator in his great wisdom and compassion laid out a plan - "the Economy of Salvation" which is meticulously outlined for us in Pillars.

I know the cross is difficult for us to contemplate sometimes. So we may as well begin with it. For myself I like to refer to cross of Christ as the devil in the details. (no pun intended). One of the dirty little secrets of the Church. Or perhaps I see it this way only because of the extreme naïveté which dogged me early in life.

I call the cross a secret because in the early days of my Christian formation I really believed that if I was good and did a faithful examination of conscience at the end of every day;  and expressed perfect contrition for my sins, then God and I would be such good friends that there would be no pain or sadness in my life. That there would be no need for me to experience the cross. I really believed that if I asked 'how high' whenever God said jump, then I would live in peace --and end up in heaven when I died.  Not so fast!

I have no idea how I could have missed the fact that Jesus had quite clearly said: "pick up your cross and follow me ....I am the way.....".  But I did miss it! For the longest while. Consequently, my homemade plan derailed and I struggled for sometime before I could find my way back to the "Economy of Salvation". There will be time to talk about that major detour later (perhaps). For now we'll stick to God's plan and the purpose of this discussion which is to trace the walk to heaven paying close attention to the "Economy of Salvation". )I rather like the sound of the word 'economy' because it sounds like an 'easy fix').

Please forgive me if I repeat here my earlier thoughts about the little monstrance -whose similarity with the big one ceases -when one's gaze takes in the unbroken circular band connecting all the fronds springing from the Body in  the center of the monstrance. Hidden behind glass yet always watching -hoping to nurture the profound if simple, realization that it IS literally 'all-about-God. He IS the center of the universe and every created thing emanates from him, and lovingly revolves around him. What's more, every created thing is attached to him by a thread that is invisible to the human eye. A thread that is meant to be permanent but can be fractured as in the relationship between Adam and Eve; and He. Or completely broken -as in the case of Lucifer's relationship with God.

It is precisely because of this seismic 'rupture' between man and his Creator that this painstaking, yet simple plan for salvation has been mapped out by God. And that plan begins with the Cross of Christ. I like to think that the interconnectedness between God and the rest of the universe only hinted at in the monstrance, is less subtle in the image of Jesus on the cross, arms widespread as he draws the whole world back into himself.

This complicated imagery between the monstrance and the cross of Christ becomes even more profound when we recall the lance that reached into the side of Christ. Had it indeed attempted to pierce the very heart of God. --unknowingly reaching for the center of creation -- the kernel of Love who had given birth to all that there is?

The reason for this lengthy monologue about the primacy of the cross in the Economy of Salvation is simply to remind us that in navigating the Spiritual Writings, the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the parables, the psalms and the Catechism of the Catholic Church- along with all the other 'bits and pieces' there will be hills and valleys and yes, trenches along the way. But once we keep our eyes fixed on the Cross of Christ, we'll remain humble enough to reach the end in good shape.