love and human dimension

When he had left, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Children, I am with you a little while longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so now I tell you: ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’

“I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:31-35

More than words, arguments, stances or theologies, we reflect Christ by our love for one another. Societal way of measurement would tell us that this love will cost us as we are told it ‘costed’ Him. I often feel this love asks for us to dye to ourselves more than I would like; and it sometimes means being misunderstood - even by those who share the same faith and belief in the same Christ. 

With all my reading these days I feel that there is a sense that human dimension is the foundation of all formation! This is not just within religious life, yet in all paths of life - Human Formation - 

Humans are complex, so complex. I have come across time and time again this longing to belong. What does this even mean? I have not fully come to a complete picture. Possibly I never will! 

Looking around the church this morning, here in this culture, peace is offered by a bow; there is a gathering of people from many different socio economic backgrounds; who all walk silently into the church, kneel and stand in silence, and silently walk out. Note that there is always chanting or music, the church is never silent in noise sense, just silent in terms of people talking to one another. We all bow in timing, chant to the ‘holy’ call and we would say we “belong” to this parish, to this community. Raising a question of loneliness within the belonging and then where is the connection? 

There is a great richness in doing the simple act of gathering.  The invitation to break bread with people who one would not otherwise engage with, meet or possibly even get along with. Yet to sit together, ofter our peace and to pray together, asking for the Lord blessing. Wow that is a graced moment to be celebrated in joy. 

Yes, positive looking, why all the silent faces?  I can not help wonder if our human dimension has resulted in classifying ourselves to the point of exclusion. Go to church, school, have friends, sometimes work, with the people who believe like us, resulting in very little space for those who don’t. 

In community I listen to the prayers offered up, one prayed for the church in Europe, I thought to myself, wow you pray for the church in Europe that you perspective to be in crisis where as I would have prayed for the church here that I perspective to be in crisis…. Why is it that humans want their world to be idealistic, to be the bench mark that all other countries are marked upon. This is human nature, this normal after all we perspective things from our experiences and where we stand in the moment. 

Raising another question..... 

If this is so, this is carried over to our world, leaving a sense of a crisis of sorts, one of spiritual connection! Spirituality meaning the deeply held belief that we are inscribable connected to each other by something greater than us and something that is rooted in love and compassion. 

I call this God. Some people call it fishing, or art, there is many titles for it, but I call it God. 

The inscribable connection between me and you, refugee and mother in the Congo; it can not be cut yet it can be forgotten! We have forgotten our inscribable connection to each other and  to the planet, 

There is a great beauty in coming together to sing, grief, share joy, exchange stories live in communion. All of this is what we are called to do, love one another, no matter what label or title you put on that love. We are connected, it is alive and real even if we forget it or not. 

And yet, when we can love one another with all our differences and disagreements, when we try to see the image of the Lord in the other person, we will not only show the world who Christ is, but we will also know Him more ourselves. 

I am left pondering what is it about our human dimension that we are so fast to label and cleanly sort the world into subcategories when ultimately there is no real thing, we are all connected with different expression and terms used. 

Humans are complex

The human dimension is the foundation of all formation.