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Mark 10.46-52
46 Then they came to the city of Jericho. When He was leaving the city with His followers and many people, a blind man was sitting by the road. He was asking people for food or money as they passed by. His name was Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus. 47 He heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. He began to speak with a loud voice, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, take pity on me!" 48 Many people spoke sharp words to the blind man telling him not to call out like that. But he spoke all the more. He said, "Son of David, take pity on me." 49 Jesus stopped and told them to call the blind man. They called to him and said, "Take hope! Stand up, He is calling for you!" 50 As he jumped up, he threw off his coat and came to Jesus. 51 Jesus said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Lord, I want to see!" 52 Jesus said, "Go! Your faith has healed you." At once he could see and he followed Jesus down the road. (NLV)
Christian spirituality is a correlating, or, literally, "Com-Relating (relating with)." Without this exchanging-between, there is no Christian spirituality.
This is the dialectic of spirituality, as the story above pictures for us. The dialectic is movement between lack and fullness. The exchange is based from our side on faithing. Therefore, the blind man offers energy of trusting, as embodied by voice, but the faith arises from the internal posturing of confidence already moving inside him.
Christian spirituality, then, is offering all-need, which implies all-openness. In recognizing need, we recognize opening. Trusting is our offering all-openness.
Spirit is the opposite in the correlating: All-Sufficiency. As says Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464), "Oh, how great is our God, who is the actuality of all potency!"
Christian spirituality is the process of all-need in dialectic with All-Sufficiency. Only the person who is willing to enter fully his or her all-need can enter, consciously, All-Sufficiency and be entered by All-Sufficiency: and in mutual interpenetration.
Spirit never withholds Potency--Spirit Itself--, for the Nature of Potency is Exchange. Therefore, the positive of Exchange in Itself cannot be other than Exchange, cannot become Non-Exchange or Un-Exchange. However, Potency is accessed by openness, based on faithing, which is our part of the correlation. Therefore, we ourselves must be totally involved in the Exchanging, for openness in need and All-Sufficiency is all-personal by Nature.
We will receive no more from Spirit than our Desire is able to offer to Spirit, for the Desire opens to receive an infinite, perpetual outflowing of Grace. Desire is the measure of our openness and true love for the Christ.
*Quote from Nicholas of Cusa--Nicholas of Cusa--Selected Spiritual Writings, Trans. H. Lawrence Bond, in "The Classics of Western Spirituality"
*OneLife writings are offered by Brian K. Wilcox, a United Methodist pastor serving in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. He writes in the spirit of John Wesley's focus on the priority of inner experience of the Triune God; scriptural holiness; ongoing sanctification; the goal of Christian perfection (or, wholeness). Brian seeks to integrate the best of the contemplative teachings of Christianity East and West, from the patristic Church to the present. Brian lives a vowed contemplative life with his two dogs, Bandit Ty and St. Francis, in North Florida. OneLife writings are for anyone seeking to live and share love, joy, and peace in the world and in devotion to God as she or he best understands God.
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