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Wisdom Story
A Catholic sister came to a profound experience that brought her to tears during a Zen retreat. The words that arose from the depth of her being, accompanied by many tears, were "I am innocent."
"She was indeed gifted with a glimpse of her 'original nature,' as she was able to experience this realm of the 'holy and blameless' in her practice of silent sitting."
*Story and comment from Ruben L. F. Habito. Living Zen, Loving God.
I, Brian, sat in my chair. Disturbed by my failure, my still struggling to be healed of brokenness, feeling guilt. I saw my failure again, the sight flowed through my mind like a dirty piece of debris that keeps returning to travel the same stream.
I thought, "Here I am, again, feeling this failure." Suddenly, everything changed, for I was introduced to, I did not conjure it up, the reality that I was innocently broken like so many but not sinful, in the sense that I had been taught. Right away, for possibly the first time in my life ~ and just recalling this brings bliss and thankfulness ~, I rejoiced at Grace showing me my true nature: innocence.
What a relief, and my heart filled with gladness and gratitude. I saw myself as I had never before seen myself. What a gift!
*Brian K. Wilcox
Comments
People tend to live up or down to what persons say of them. What others say of us shapes what we believe about ourselves. What we believe about ourselves forms much of our thought and action. No wonder, then, that much of the historical Church witnesses a pervasive failure of professing church members to live the Good to a noticeable degree beyond the general citizenship.
This is a logical outcome of telling persons, following St. Augustine ~ who himself was ridden with guilt-feelings much of his life, especially over his libido ~, that they are innately sinful, basically marred, creatures from birth, and that they are so awful God had himself killed on their behalf for them. A penal-substitutionary view of salvation is a heinous statement on the original goodness of Creation.
And, a literalistic, simple reading of the Garden of Eden story ~ which was never history but is story ~ has contributed much to the teaching that we are basically, thoroughly full-of-sin little beings when born.
Then, we wonder why many Christians struggle to live the Good? Maybe, we should cease wondering and start affirming the innate goodness and divineness of all souls. We might get better results from us who claim Christ as our Way. We might find that faith in our original innocence is a better foundation for living the Good than faith in our original badness.
Some sects of Christianity, including the Orthodox Church and Celtic Christianity, do not teach that humans inherited an original guilt. Following is a statement that clarifies this in the Orthodox Church, contrasting it with the Latin, or Roman, Church in the West:
The general framework of this understanding of the God-man relationship is clearly different from the view that became dominant in the Christian West--i.e., the view that conceived of "nature" as distinct from "grace" and that understood original sin as an inherited guilt rather than as a deprivation of freedom. In the East, man is regarded as fully man when he participates in God; in the West, man's nature is believed to be autonomous, sin is viewed as a punishable crime, and grace is understood to grant forgiveness. Hence, in the West, the aim of the Christian is justification, but in the East, it is rather communion with God and deification. In the West, the church is viewed in terms of mediation (for the bestowing of grace) and authority (for guaranteeing security in doctrine); in the East, the church is regarded as a communion in which God and man meet once again and a personal experience of divine life becomes possible.
*"Orthodox Church Beliefs," at http://mb-soft.com .
Therefore, through participating in the Mystery of Christ, we are freed to express our original innocence.
But this whole subject of our nature has to be subject to close scrutiny and more indepth understanding. We are growing to fathom more the complexities of human genetics, the influence of societal shaping, and other aspects that impinge on human character. Good theology must be open to including all data in its interpretations and revising conclusions.
However, for the purpose of this writing, the view of the Orthodox Church is an affirmation of original goodness, and a proper one. While many things might limit freedom to express original innocence, the path of Christian spirituality is Grace freeing us, progressively, to live more wholly and in the Image of Christ the original innocence within each and all.
Reflection
Do you conclude that we are born with original innocence or original guilt? Explain your response.
How does your answer to the following shape your view of God, other persons, and the Christian Way?
For Brian's on-line audio sermons, go to www.wherethelightshines.org and select Pastor's Corner; on the following page is his weekly sermons given at Christ United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL.
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For replies and biographical information, and submission to "The Light Shines" daily devotionals ~ a ministry of Christ Community United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL, see next page:
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