Henri Nouwen faced a dilemma when he was talking about resurrection. On one hand, our bodies return to dust. On the other hand, Nowen believed that "nothing we have lived in the body will go to waste." How can these two awarenesses be reconciled?
His answer came from the teaching of St. Paul where the body that returns to dust is compared to a seed. Seeds are virtually indistinguishable from dust. And yet seeds hold the promise of life. The seed carries both sides, the return to dust and the transformed life.
Nowen said that this teaching really woke him up, and made spiritual sense. "Our life is a seed that must die to be dressed in immortality."
That message mirrored my own experience. The moment of lying flat on my back breath and intensely aware of my mortality was a seed moment. I could not see it then, but afterward it was clear that I to be led through the seed moment of death against my will before my life could be clothed in a heavenly body.
It is my spirit now, not some angel living in me. and yet on the other hand, I am no longer the center. I am a witness. I need to practice receptivity.
Nouwen was interested in embodiment. "There is no divine life outside the body." He was not neo-platonist. The body is where it is at. But it is not the same body. It is an end-time body. For those with eyes to see, the second coming is here now. It is here and now in the spiritual realm, it is hidden in the lives we live. The spiritual body is hidden in the physical body. That is why the trapeze artist is like an angel. The trapeze artist gives a spiritual message with their bodies. The fly and they catch.
That night I received in my body the flier, and I was witness in my body to the power of the catcher. It was the most amazing flight show I have ever witnessed. It was the apocalyptic trapeze.
But it is not enough to see the end of time. What is needed is a path to move us into the end. Not just for people with special mystical gifts, but for everyone. That path in short is prayer, study of the life of Jesus, ministry of reconciliation across social divisions, and intimacy between lovers. It is the path of present moment prayer, it is the path of receiving the death of loved ones as a gift -- the greatest gift. It is receiving Nouwen's death as his greatest gift.
To understand how is mortal death is a gift, we must realize that he died many times before. He died daily. And in dying he sent out his spirit on the wings of love to all his Angels.
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In the name of Allah,the Most Compassionate the Most Merciful.
ReplyDeleteSay, "O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you - that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah." But if they turn away, then say, "Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him]."
O People of the Scripture, why do you argue about Abraham while the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him? Then will you not reason?
Here you are - those who have argued about that of which you have [some] knowledge, but why do you argue about that of which you have no knowledge? And Allah knows, while you know not.
Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a Muslim [submitting to Allah]. And he was not of the polytheists.
Indeed, the most worthy of Abraham among the people are those who followed him [in submission to Allah] and this prophet, and those who believe [in his message]. And Allah is the ally of the believers.
A faction of the people of the Scripture wish they could mislead you. But they do not mislead except themselves, and they perceive [it] not.
O People of the Scripture, why do you disbelieve in the verses of Allah while you witness [to their truth]?
Holy Quran 3:64-70
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