Third Week
Still watching the series by Howard Gray SJ on Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises and I'm now up to the 8th video, "Passion and Death of Jesus" ....
In a month-long Spiritual Exercises retreat, the third week is devoted to this topic. In the online retreat given by Creighton University, which allows the retreat to stretch over many months, this subject is covered in week 28 and week 29.
I have a lot of trouble with the topic of Jesus' suffering and death. I don't like the idea of atonement - the belief that the purpose of the incarnation was Jesus' death. I don't like the mental gymnastics that turn torture and murder into a good thing - that felix culpa idea. And I'm not sure where I stand on what was going through Jesus' head about hid divinity and his choice of continued engagement in dangerous activities.
I didn't agree with everything Fr. Gray said, but the video helped me think about all this (not yet letting myself "feel" about it). One of the questions asked of Fr. Gray as he gave his talk was about Jesus' suffering, what he thought of the idea that the intensity of Jesus' love for us was shown by the intensity of the suffering he was willing to endure. Fr. Gray said that Jesus' suffering wasn't about some imitatable high benchmark of asceticism. He said ... "There's been so much asceticism that's been presented as 'the harder thing is pleasing to God because it's harder'. Think of what you say when you say that - that God gets God's jollies by watching us be unhappy. I don't believe that." Fr. Gray brought up the movie Mel Gibson had made, The Passion of the Christ, and said that he would not recommend it because its focus was on the physical suffering of Jesus, - he believed that it was not Jesus' suffering that was so important but rather the fact that Jesus' suffering didn't change him, didn't cause him to lose himself.
In a month-long Spiritual Exercises retreat, the third week is devoted to this topic. In the online retreat given by Creighton University, which allows the retreat to stretch over many months, this subject is covered in week 28 and week 29.
I have a lot of trouble with the topic of Jesus' suffering and death. I don't like the idea of atonement - the belief that the purpose of the incarnation was Jesus' death. I don't like the mental gymnastics that turn torture and murder into a good thing - that felix culpa idea. And I'm not sure where I stand on what was going through Jesus' head about hid divinity and his choice of continued engagement in dangerous activities.
I didn't agree with everything Fr. Gray said, but the video helped me think about all this (not yet letting myself "feel" about it). One of the questions asked of Fr. Gray as he gave his talk was about Jesus' suffering, what he thought of the idea that the intensity of Jesus' love for us was shown by the intensity of the suffering he was willing to endure. Fr. Gray said that Jesus' suffering wasn't about some imitatable high benchmark of asceticism. He said ... "There's been so much asceticism that's been presented as 'the harder thing is pleasing to God because it's harder'. Think of what you say when you say that - that God gets God's jollies by watching us be unhappy. I don't believe that." Fr. Gray brought up the movie Mel Gibson had made, The Passion of the Christ, and said that he would not recommend it because its focus was on the physical suffering of Jesus, - he believed that it was not Jesus' suffering that was so important but rather the fact that Jesus' suffering didn't change him, didn't cause him to lose himself.
posted by crystal | 6:04 PM
2 Comments:
Crystal I had signed UP for the course but I chickened out at the last minute but I must thank you for this video. Maybe "I'M" not as chicken as i am scared that some will think I'M crazy and/or even worst, I might just Drive someone crazy\?
My progressive and regressive thinking of my past and future in the present time of my own life at this moment doesn't know what to do NOW. I'm still trying to find out what is truly good/bad and what is really keeping me away from GOD?
Example... visiting my brother Albert at a mental hospital. God Bless his soul but while he was still alive of course, he was having problems with his Mary, I mean married life and rightly so, he got committed for a month. I decided to pay him a visit on his third week and long story short, "I" made "IT" in the hospital to see him and while walking in there, there was not "ONE" staff person who talked and/or stopped me like "IT" was when I was committed. Longer story short, because of what had happened, "I" told Albert that "I" had been sent to take him home to which he seriously replied in so many words, "IT" is OK Victor cause I've only got two weeks left and I'll be OK. Go figure after Albert when back home he had become a changed man so GOD must exist.
Victor! Victor! Victor! We gods do exist and if YA can't love U>S usual sinners and forgive our sins, we want nothing to do with your so called "Jesus" followers and.....
And sinner vic, I do but me, myself and i will never accept your sins in other words, GOD (Good Old Dad) will never accept that their Empathy sins are OK NOW!
Really Victor butt even when about 4% of your Cat lick, "I" mean your Catholic priest have sexually abused so many children and some have even seduced wo man so why can't we allow "IT" to be so, in other words, why can't we accept the sin with the sinner?
Sorry sinner vic! "ME", "ME" and "ME" can't speak for GOD and HIS ANGELS NOW.
Go figure! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0714IbwC3HA
Peace
Hi Victor,
I think retreats can be kind of scary. I haven't tried a real one, just the inline one that you do by yourself and can quit anytime.
Thanks for the link - Beatles! :)
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