Paul says that only Spirit can hold and absorb the seeming contradictions and allow us to see and to know from an utterly new and unitive vantage point, which is the deepening fruit of contemplation.
Empedocles
(detail), by Luca Signorelli. Fresco Chapel of San Brizio, Duomo, Orvieto,
1499-1502.
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Paradox
"Understanding Spiritual"
"Things Spiritually"
Thursday, 31 July 2014
Paul’s exciting and paradoxical proclamation is that “God’s folly is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25). He says that only Spirit can hold and absorb the seeming contradictions and allow us to see and to know from an utterly new and unitive vantage point, which is the deepening fruit of contemplation. Only Spirit-in-us can know non-dually or paradoxically and absorb contradictions—inside of and with God. Only God’s Spirit-with-us can fully forgive, accept, and allow reality to be what it is. Neither logic nor law can fully achieve this, but participation with and in God can. (This does not make logic or law unnecessary; they are simply inadequate to the work of transformation.)
“Understanding spiritual things spiritually” (1 Corinthians 2:13-14) is Paul’s summary statement about a different form of intuition that he calls “spiritual knowing” or “wisdom” and which he juxtaposes to “folly.” As he so often does, Paul uses a paradoxical contrast to teach his major points. He does the same with other seeming opposites (flesh or spirit, Adam or Christ, death or life, Jew or Greek, and law or grace), in each case to bring us to a new synthesis on a higher level. Paul’s paradox of wisdom and foolishness teaches us how to begin to think non-dually or “mystically” ourselves.
Consciously, trustfully, and lovingly remaining on “the Vine” (John 15:1), which is to be connected to our Source, is precisely our access point to deeper spiritual wisdom. We know by participation with and in God, which creates our very real co-identity with Christ: We are also both human and divine, as he came to reveal and model. Thefoundational meaning of transformationis to surrender to this new identity and to consciously draw upon it.
Adapted from Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi, pages 71-72
Gateway to Silence: Abide in the One who holds everything together.
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Center for Action and Contemplation
1705 Five Points Rd SW
Albuquerque, NM 87105 United States (physical)
PO Box 12464
Albuquerque, NM 87195-2464 United States (mailing)
(505) 242-9588
cac.org
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