Friday, April 14, 2017

Clinging to What Passes Away

Bernadette Roberts

"It is because Christians have never honestly let the man Jesus die, they miss the whole revelation of Christ. In their view, the man Jesus, the same that walked this earth 2000 years ago, is the same that arose, the same that ascended, and the same now seated in some heavenly chair waiting to come back to earth.  This utterly simplistic, static view, however, totally misses “Christ”. …

"As to why Christians cannot accept that the person Jesus is gone, it is because they cannot let go their own person – their own subject, “I am”, who they are, their own personal identity.  It is because they do not want to lose their identity they hang on to Jesus’ historic identity.  They could never countenance Jesus having to give up his personal identity lest “following Jesus” they too, would have to surrender their personal identity.  But then, who really “follows Jesus” by recapitulating his same oneness with God?   True followers may be rare indeed!"


(Good Friday: What died on the cross was the self of Jesus. It is incorrect to say that, once his self was  gone, Jesus realized he was God. When self is gone, there is no one to ‘realize’ anything. God reveals Itself, and there is no Jesus – or Joe or Betty, to know it. At an Easter retreat with Bernadette Roberts, in 1997, she said that Good Friday is the Feast of No-Self. The Church tends to see and focus on Good Friday as being sad and dark. But it is actually a marvelous event. Happy No Self Day to all.)

1 comment:

  1. This is the most beautiful post ever! Happy No Self Day to One and All!

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