"For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God. ― Saint Teresa of Avila
Dear Friends,
Count me in on a religion-less Christianity. To reduce God to a set of creeds and/or half-baked definitions misses the point of true Christianity altogether, in my opinion. As St. Thomas ‘a Kempis once asked,
“What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity? Indeed, it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel contrition than know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live without grace and the love of God?” (Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ)
Christ is first and foremost found in an encounter, an experience. Indescribable, yet vividly true. Surely in all cases, the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.
The central question for every man is, ‘Do you know Christ? Not about Him, but know Him as a friend and a brother? We must concern ourselves with the "who" in the incarnation, not the how." We must not concern ourselves with “How is Christ in the Church but rather who is Christ in the Church.” We must never reduce Christ to a “how?” but rather on all occasions relate to Him as a “who?”
As with Peter, the Apostle, the perennial question Christ asks all is, “Who do you say that I am.” Peter answered, and rightly so, “You are the Son of the Living God!”
Surely the letter of a dead creed kills unless it introduces us to the Son of a Living God. Christ said, and not without cause, “Behold, I am alive forevermore! (Revelation 1:18)”
May God burn this reality on the hearts of us all,
JimR_/
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