John Henry Cardinal Newman is noted for taking the "notional" ideas of Christianity and making them real/ concrete/ particular. It is what needs to happen in all of our lives. Someone once said, "The man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument." I think this is why the entire Old Testament is comprised not of rules and commandments, but rather of experiences, of "stories."
But the stories we read must become our own if they are not to remain just history. Which of us had not had the experience that Abraham had, of releasing (sacrificing) our children to the hands of God? At some point, we have to let go of them and surrender them into His loving Providence and Care. If we read the bible as just history or stories that happened back then, it will never be our story.
Usually, the Bible begins to come alive, to become "ours," when we encounter Jesus Christ. He is the eternal Word of God, and only He can bring the written word to life for us. On the Sunday of the Resurrection, the Risen Christ encounters two disciples as they leave Jerusalem in sadness and disappointment: "We had hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem Israel." But Jesus said to them, ...how slow of heart you are to believe all that the prophets have spoken. And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
My favorite Greek icon is the one portraying Jesus holding the open book in one hand, with the fingers of the other hand in the traditional pose of teacher. The thing about icons is that they are meant to be "read," or interpreted, like literature. Here, the meaning is clear: only Jesus can open for us the book of life; only He can show us its reality and meaning. St. Paul says somewhere, "the letter kills, but the spirit gives life." Those who read slavery into the scriptures are good examples of what Paul is saying. The bible without the Spirit can be read the way we want it to. But Jesus promised at the Last Supper that He would send the Spirit who would reveal all things to us, taking from what is "Mine" and making it known to you (Jn. 14 and 16).
Today is the feast of the great St. Augustine. In his autobiographical Confessions, Augustine reflects on the meaning of his life in light of its pivotal turning point -- his conversion and baptism. In his reflections, he discerns the hand of God, caring for him and guiding him towards his eventual happiness. Though he had long sought the meaning of life in philosophy, he ultimately recognized what the psalms call "the fair beauty of the Lord." The words of Scripture suddenly became real for him; they were written about him!
It's not about religion; it's about relationship with the Living Word, who alone can show us its beauty.
Augustine wrote: My soul is like a house, too small for you to enter, but I pray you to enlarge it. It is in ruins, but I ask you to remake it.
If we remember that "soul" refers to our minds, hearts, and wills, his words become even more penetrating: My mind is too small for you to enter, enlarge it. My heart is in ruins, but I ask you to remake it. My will is too weak to embrace You, but I beg you to strengthen me.
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