The Center for contemplative practice
A Lay Cistercian Looks at Spiritual Reality
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
There are six questions which I think everyone, every human, that is, should answer, if they are to prepare to live Forever. It is all about perspective and your perspective determines the world you create here and in the next world to come. Here are my Lectio Divina (Phl 2:5) thoughts on perspective, one that asks us to have in us the mind of Christ Jesus.
Jesus only gave us one command, love one another as I have loved you. The Resurrection remembrance of last week speaks to the fierce love God has for humans, despite their penchant for always doing what God says is bad for us. One of the take aways from the Resurrection is us being able to do what Jesus commanded in the context of Faith (individual and community). We must DO the resurrection as part of what it means to love as Jesus loved us. At the heart of Resurection Mystery is transformation. Not that Jesus was not God from the moment the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary, but the human side grew in knowledge and wisdom before God and man. As a Lay Cistercian, one of the things that hit me as a brick between the eyes is, I must daily convert myself to living the Life of Christ according to the Cistercian practices and charisms, moving from self to God, seeking God first and then all else next. The power of the Resurrection in my age and at my age means, once again, I take up my cross with whatever the day brings and rise with Christ to a more meaningful approach to life, a more positive and productive way of looking at what is of value, in short, the perspective to have in me, with all my strength, the mind of Christ Jesus. The problem is, I am not there yet. Some days are better than others, but it is a ride I must take on the roller coaster of life. I just hope I don’t fall off the tracks.
SIX QUESTIONS YOU MUST ANSWER BEFORE YOU DIE
I just published a book entitled, Six Questions Everyone must answer before they die. (2018) You can get in on Amazon Books.
Here are the six questions you must answer. Remember, you must answer them correctly. I began the quest for answers when I was in Eighth Grade and am still trying to figure out the depth of meaning in each of them. I would say I know all six to some degree but they are in process of unfolding like a rose bud unfolds in the warm Florida Sun, slowly but steadily.
- What is the purpose of life?
- What is your purpose in life?
- What does reality look like?
- How does it all fit together?
- How do you love fiercely?
- You know you are going to die, now what?
If you are like me, you look at these six questions and think, “Are you crazy?” Probably! But, can you answer them, not to the fulness of their meaning, which may take me a lifetime of processing them against my life experiences and faith struggles? Don’t be sidetracked by superflueous questions that steer you away from confronting these six questions. Don’t worry about who is right, instead concern yourself to be right.
Another thing I thought about was the statement about answering them correctly? Ah! Here comes the real test of your perception. Who determines what is right and wrong? You? Somthing outside of yourself? What or Who would that be? If your center (the second question above) is you, you have a fool for a god. You as god makes no sense. For one thing, you may only live to be seventy or eighty, if you are strong. Then what? Is having you as god something that will propell you to the next level of reality, the Kingdom of Heaven? If you don’t believe in the Kingdom of Heaven stuff, what stuff do you believe in? Do others share that belief system?
Life is simple yet quite complex. We must believe in something or someone that is sustainable beyond our lifetime. The Resurrection is a statement that there is someone who can be that center now and Forever. You can hold any philosophy or belief system you want, but not all beliefs will lead you to the truth., no matter how sincere their followers may be. Again, who determines what is truth? You have reason for a reason. You have faith, informed by reason, for a reason. Use what God has given you to open up the layers of meaning contained in the Resurrection and discover how good the Lord tastes. Once you taste God’s love, nothing is ever the same…Forever. Bon appetite!
Praise be the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and Forever The God who is, who was, and who is to come at the end of the ages. Amen and Amen. –The Cistercian Doxology
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