on freedom and truth

conference #6



do i believe that the TRUTH will set me  FREE??
i know i say that i know christ said it i know the
apostles were convinced of it
but am I  ??


the film    of gods and men     shows a very genuine
display of human imagination in the ideals and hopes
of the trappists...and it was in the sharing of their impending deaths
that the whole community was united in both truth
and their shared  imagination

TRUTH  flourishing in the BODY
....."glorify GOD in your body".....st paul

western society appears to be deeply  CARTESIAN
we are content to recognize one another as MINDS
and this has sadly compromised
what catholics always believed about
the goodness of the body

flourishing is stultified with ignorance of the BODY

the glorious truth of JESUS is that in his life and death
he expressed the inherent godgiven beauty of the body
and CHRISTIANITY at its bese GLORIFIES THE BODY
for we then see our bodies as gifts
not really ours in a direct sense
given to us so that we can give of ourselves
GIVE OUR BODIES AWAY  in  degrees of imitation
of the PASCAL MYSTERY

the  LAST SUPPER is the great drama the model
for christian marriage
this is my body
this is my blood
i give to you

even for professional religious
unmarried
we are to GIVE our bodies our very lives

for thomas aquinas
TOUCH is the human of the senses
it is intrinsically good
it distinguishes us for other animals
what we affirm by touch is our intimate connectedness
to the rest of the world

man is made in the image and likeness of GOD
christian life is to be formed into the image and likeness of JESUS CHRIST
an ever new image and likeness one complete with mystery and beauty

i do not recall her name
i do know that she was a contemporary of anne frank
she was jewish
before she died she wrote about the christian gesture of kneeling
... she felt in her body the desire to kneel

the church's mission began
with the healing of the LAME  MAN in
ACTS 3
clear evidence that CHRIST intends to glorify the BODY
(numerous examples from the gospels)

the story is told about a young woman
developmentally disabled and challenged
in the    L'ARCHE  community in OTTOWA
she was given to self mutilation and violent gestures
outwardly
JEAN VANIER had the idea to begin to find nice dresses
to offer to paint her nails
to give her little smellgoods
nice shoes etc
and this changed her
over time she became a smiling person
when she could accept her body as beautiful worthy of beauty
she lost her monsters she became sweet and enjoyable

the christian transformation of the world began with the words
"the TEMPLE of the HOLY  SPIRIT"

"the face is the soul of the body"    -   ludwig wittgenstein


WE CANNOT FLOURISH BY OURSELVES
we are meant to love we are meant to be with others
it is in this context that christians have always hungered to see GOD'S  SMILE
and this is the christian mission which began in ACTS 3
peter conveyed he SMILE OF GOD and it was transposed onto the healed man
every good miistry begins with this GAZE OF AWE

how different is this GAZE this SMILE
from the faces that dominate the  "bully"  culture of modern politics


the tough domineering totalitarian hard gazes of warped idealisms


the christian ministry is as simple as a deliberate gaze
infused with the love of god
when our faces then are most beautiful

the beauty of the FOOT
a beautiful practical design
26 bones comprise the foot
the foot is designed for walking
this walking marked the life of christ
it was emulated by the first christians
even though many settled into communities
it was expected that a long pilgrimage
would be part of the life of a believer

christ's gesture to WASH the feet
was actually a very old custom amongst nomadic peoples
and even in the households of the jews
to receive a vistor without the obligatory washing of feet
was considered tantamount to an insult

to the man he healed in  ACTS 3
peter says
STAND UP AND WALK

the name  TEKAKWITHA :
she who walks groping her way
(  this is thought to be related to the fact that she was partially blind
      after contracting the   'white mans'   illness   )



the WORD became   FLESH AND BLOOD


500  yrs ago we became quite dull we forgot to pray with our bodies
a whole intricate body choreography of hands gesturing kneeling bowing
kissing was nearly wiped out
it survived in the post-tridentine church out of sheer stubborness
(  it's by no means lost in the african american churches  )

the cured man in ACTS 3 rises up and runs to CLING to peter and john
the healing has given the man freedom and he clings in love
to the man who has given him the ability to walk again

the LAME MAN now cured is moved in his body to relate to peter
and john to be with them it's as if the only thing that could make sense to the man is his
being with those who have healed him

we are made to depend on one another down to the very reality of our bodies


the story of   VINCENT   the   BLIND   DOMINICAN

one day vincent was visiting liverpool for the first time
it was most disconcerting but he was dedicated to
negotiating the streets and sidewalks on his own
(  fr timothy relates the huge gift in his DOMINICAN house
      the bodily dependence they have had to agree to
         because there's a blind person in the house  )
well vincent arrives at a street crossing and hears the
walking assistance beeps but isnt' quite sure about things
until he hears two sets of steps approach and he blurts out
excuse me could you help me across
why certainly says the voice
they make it to the other side
and vincent expresses his gratitude 
and the reply comes
o not at all... thank you...really... I'M BLIND



THE TRUTH OF CHRIST INCARNATE IN THE TRUTH OF OUR BODIES












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