More on "New Spirituality: life against death" in The Source of Life by Jurgen Moltmann. Is there such a thing as a mysticism of the soul without a mysticism of the body? No, every good meditation begins with eutonic physical exercises. Every healing of the soul begins with movements of the tense body, so that hurt and sick souls can become one with the body again. Is there a spirituality of the individual, closed to the world and other people? Of course to be alone can be a step on the road to oneself, if society has robbed us of our freedom and alienated us; but individual spirituality is never there without the spirituality of the community, just as the spirit of a community is never determined other than by the spirit of the members. In 'the fellowship of the Holy Spirit', individuals do not dominate the community, and the community does not dominate individuals. I find this to be one statement that is most in line with how I look at spirituality. In reading previous sections of this book, I really had this feeling - but here he says it. There is no separation - our spirituality is us: all of use and each of us as one. The followers of Jesus are not isolationists. We participate in life alongside others and in conversation with other. What is mystical is not that which is beyond us. Rather, what is mystical is what is so close at hand that we too often fly past it in pursuit of something else that we think is more than what is already. I have used the words urban mysticism to describe what I see as a journey into the everyday of life that is no farther away than the room in which I sit right now. Here, heaven and earth come together and we are made welcome into the wholeness of God's Reign. This doesn't mean you cannot go off on a pilgrimage to distant place and experience some solitude and isolation. It means that one need not do that in order to be pulled up into the wonder of life that captivates and inspires. There are many ways to see again what is so obvious and so available. The very physical life that surrounds us can be repulsive. And yet, it is a part of the fullness of life that brings us another glimpse of God's face. We need not be afraid of the common, the ordinary, the less than perfect, the irreverent, the dirty, the spontaneous, the orderly. This is it and we are in the middle of it. Connection: Come and fly within the day at hand and experience what is so easy to walk by and ignore. Holy Spirit, come and take us for a ride within God's Reign throughout this day. Amen. |
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