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| Fr. Sebastian Thottippatt |
Arriving at union with God is the destiny of every
human being on earth. We originate in
God and we are bound intrinsically to go back to him. But the paradox of it is
that it is not something we arrive at the end of time for each one but a
realization that must come before time ceases for us. In this context it is of
paramount importance to recognize the truth about God and have a living relationship
with him in this earthly life itself. God is not one among beings but ‘Being’
itself. Anything has its existence because it is in touch with the source of
being whom we call God. Hence, it is true to say that any encounter with
anything that exists is becoming aware of God Himself who is making his
presence experienced through any person or thing that is perceived by our
senses. We conscious beings perceive anything material through the senses. What
does not come under its purview is not perceived as existing but is understood
as belonging to the sphere of imagination. However, as reality is not merely
material or gross in nature, what is spiritual too ought to be acknowledged as
having existence, though it can only be perceived by the spiritual part of us.
Such perception is strictly personal and cannot be proved. Hence it is, that we
hold that God can only be experienced by a person through grace but cannot be
perceived by his or her senses.
From time immemorial humankind has sought to
find God in nature. Ancient religions were all pursuits after the truth of God
and diverse ways to please him for the purpose of living happily. In
Upanishadic times the sages of India grasped the truth that the divine reality
can be realized or discovered only by conscious beings. It reiterated the conviction
marked by personal experience of the Seers of the Upanishads that there is a
spark of the Divine in every creature and that to realize this divinity is
life’s highest goal. It was Christianity that revealed with a degree of
certainty the existence of the divine reality in what appears as matter. It
came to be so when the infinite God entered finite nature as he became flesh
taking on human nature in Jesus of Nazareth in historic time. We call this
event the Incarnation. This is a mystery that has by and large been grossly under-estimated
by most of humanity while Christmas and Easter are celebrated with much pomp
and splendor throughout the Christian world. Through the Incarnation God was
not merely appearing as human but taking upon himself human nature in a body composed
of flesh and blood, an event taking place in history while at the same time
transcending history. But in doing so God was under no compulsion except his
infinite love for humanity and creation.
In the Incarnation of God in Christ, we are
confronted with the great paradox about God: in what is finite and temporal in
material nature, we meet reality that is infinite and eternal as well. The
finite and passing phenomenon before us hide the infinite and eternal reality.
Hence, we are invited to look upon everything as manifesting the hidden
presence of the infinite and eternal God. Nothing that exists or strikes the
senses is devoid of this hidden reality and ought to be considered with
reverence so that what is not obvious to the senses comes to be known by the
spirit within the human person who alone possesses consciousness. The human
body functions according to the laws of biology as does the body of a living
organism. However, it differs from the working of a computer that is programmed
by a technician who is, however, not part of it. The living body has life in it
that continues till its purpose is accomplished. Sustenance of life depends on
the source of that life which is God. Hence in a living being, God’s life-force
passes into the being through breath and is sustained in being by it personally
and not through remote control. The awareness each person has of his or her
being is called consciousness which is possessed to an eminent degree only by
human beings. Only humans are aware that they are aware.
Consciousness is nothing else but awareness of
reality which is basically a divine attribute. Hence every human being who has
some degree of awareness, partakes of divinity. Nothing in nature that
surrounds us has conscious awareness as humans have, including living creatures
that have an acute sense of awareness that is geared to self-preservation. Human
beings have a grasp even imperfectly of the objects that are perceived by their
senses. They use their reason to understand, though imperfectly, the purpose behind
whatever is grasped by the senses, following them up with appropriate responses.
The level of understanding by the person, however, determines the course of action
that he or she adopts.
Human consciousness is heavily dependent on
sense perception. Since the senses are always turned outwards, the danger of
judging reality by only what is perceived remains. One must be aware also of
aspects of reality that lie hidden. They are revealed only to those who are attuned
to the inner world. All religions speak of the search for the ultimate
reality. Brahman of the Upanishads and
Nirvana of Buddhism refer to it as the end of all human search. But no other
religion but Christianity offers its followers the possibility of finding the
ultimate reality of God in the flesh and in what is perceivable to the senses.
We would not have been able to do so unless God Himself had come to meet us in
the flesh which is called ‘Incarnation’. This was done in the person of Jesus whom we
call the Christ. In him the paradoxes of the human condition can be resolved.
In Christ God comes into our human world and makes his home there. “The Word became
flesh; he pitched his tent among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the
only Son coming from the Father, full of grace and truth”. (Jn.1:14). Through
this mighty gesture God was taking his place at the heart of the paradox. But
to understand him is to hold the key to understanding ourselves as men and
women, possessing the spark of God. The paradox of Jesus is our own paradox. If
we find it mind-blowing to accept him as God and man, it will be the same to
accept ourselves as human and divine at the same time, because Jesus is the
archetypal human being of whom we are all faithful copies. If we want to know
what it is to be truly human, Jesus is the supreme example. But if we find it
hard to accept the human conditions in Jesus, we shall find the same difficulty
to accept it in us and others as well. At the same time, over emphasis of the
human condition should not be at the expense of missing the transcendent
element which is the divine element in human nature. A one-sided picture of
Jesus is a one-sided picture of ourselves. No statement about Jesus can be said
to be complete because he is deeply mysterious. This fact applies to us as well
for the simple reason that no one can define us fully at any given time. Some
statements and expressions about Jesus are more complete but no expression can
grasp the complete truth because there is a mystery behind the words that we
use to describe Jesus. Therefore, if we fail to see Jesus as a mystery, we
shall fail to see ourselves or others too as a mystery. Hence, we shall never
be able to predict how we or anyone else will react to a given situation because
unpredictability is a characteristic of mystery.
It is very hard to face the truth of a being
who is both divine and human, material and spiritual, mortal and immortal. The
temptation that remains forever is to get rid of one of the elements of the
paradox. A being who is wholly spiritual will not be troubled by the
humiliating worldly facts of suffering, weakness and death. On the other hand,
a being who belongs entirely to this world needs to have no worry about what
happens beyond it but care only about improving the material environment around.
It is difficult to recognize both the elements of the paradox and be prepared
to live in the midst of them. Human life is to live with this paradox and be
perfectly content with it because God Himself has lived it in Christ.
The complete truth of the Incarnation consists
in the historical revelation of God in Christ which was at the same time the
mystical revelation of God in Jesus Christ. In the teachings of Meister Eckhart,
the emphasis is on this two-sided aspect of the same mystery in the person of
Christ. This consists in God entering human life historically to lead us all
out of the bondage of history. Every human person has a historical entry into
this world so that he or she may be reborn mystically with Christ and reveal
the mystery of the divinity hidden within him or her over time. According to
Meister Eckhart, If God had not been born historically in Bethlehem as son of
Mary and Joseph, he could not be born mystically here and now, in us. They are distinct
components of a single mystery which transcends space and time. “Why did God become
man? Asks Eckhart. I would answer, in order that God may be born in the soul
and the soul be born in God.” In Eckhart’s
view, Christ is one in whom God and Man are made one whilst Man is a being
capable of becoming one with God. Eckhart is really restating the ancient formula
of St. Ireneus and St. Athanasius: that “God became man so that man might become
God”. In other words, God became Man about 2000 years ago in Palestine that he
might become Man here and now in me and in you so that you and I, here and now,
may become God. The mystery of Incarnation is also the mystery of our
deification. The Incarnation in Christ at Bethlehem can be fully understood and
becomes a present reality in us uniting us with God now. If Christ had not
entered human history at a particular time and place, he would not be relevant
to anyone who occupies a slot in history. There would then be no possibility
for us to transcend time and space. In the words of Cyprian Smith, OSB who has
written extensively on the teachings of Meister Eckhart, “Until Jesus came, the
historical world was a prison; but now it is the antechamber of heaven.” (Cyprian
Smith, The Way of Paradox, Darton, Longman & Todd, 1996)
Jesus came not only to establish the truth of
our own historicity but to free us from history as well. If Jesus existed in history,
we cannot confine him merely to a historical epoch. With his resurrection from
the dead, he has outlived history and become a man of all ages. The resurrected
Lord could not be contained by walls any longer. Nothing blocked his presence
anywhere and anytime. It is then an indication of what every human being is
called to in time so that no one needs to take his or her historicity in time
and space too seriously. In other words, we are called to transcend history and
live out the design of God from within ourselves. Christ is that which is most
central and internal in us. He is truly the most powerful and real force within
us rather than someone external to us. Hence if Christ is to be truly relevant
to us, it is in the inmost and permanent part of ourselves that we must
discover him present. Christ who dwells here is the treasure no thief can
steal, the unshakeable rock on which to build our lives. This, according to Eckhart,
is the real Incarnation of God which is far more real than his taking on flesh
and blood in historic time. According to him, Incarnation is the moment when “In
the Person of God the Son, Jesus the Carpenter of Nazareth, entered the Ground
of the soul, that inner sanctuary common to all human beings in all periods of
history, and has remained there ever since.”
The Ground of the Soul is that which is most
private and intimate in each of us and cannot be communicated to another
through any expression. At the same time, it is also what is most common to all
of us which makes it paradoxical. To arrive at the ground, we must strip away
what is strictly proper to us and considered as part of us in the ordinary
sense – whatever is distinctly part of us as others see us. This is called our
human nature where we are at our best and truest. This is the stage when we are
totally detached from self and creatures and totally open to God. Human beings
are essentially creatures capable of union with God. Therefore, we are most
human, most ourselves when we are at this stage. The discovery of this
essential part of us is self-realization or self-discovery. It is indeed a
discovery of ourselves from the false notion we had about us with a name and
the characteristics proper to ourselves. Here we come on a par with every human
being, shedding our individuality. But this may turn out to be strange and
unfamiliar as we are normally accustomed to a version of us that is defined by
what is peculiar to ourselves. This is a state of abnormality which has come to
be considered as normal. It is possible to get over this abnormality through Christ,
the Incarnate God. In him all the potentialities of human nature were actively
in force but the extent of detachment he had from it enabled him to bypass
their consequences and remain true to his inner being which was being the Son of
God. He cast aside the limitations to his human nature and plunged into the
mystery of God in the ground of his being. Thus, at the garden of Gethsemane, Christ
experienced an intense mental agony that found expression in sweating of blood
but in his inner being Christ remained totally detached and united with God.
The same was true even through the agonies of crucifixion. The physical
sufferings were real and felt intensely as well, as any human being feels. However,
the physical or mental sufferings did not surpass the strength of his spirit
that was in union with God his Father. This is what every human being is called
to rise above the tendencies of the outer man and enter the life of Christ within.
The strength of love that filled the heart of Christ enabled him to bear the
weight of suffering in his outer being. The martyrs of the Church were filled
with this strength borne of love for Christ. The same possibility is open to us
if we are present to our Christ nature within. The Ground of every human being
is Christ, and we shall encounter him there in this world itself if we learn to
take our outer selves not too seriously.
“If we strip away from ourselves, all that is
accidental, relative and individual in ourselves, we shall attain that
universal human nature which has been united to Christ, and the incarnation
will become a present reality for us, here and now in our lives. The German
Works of Meister attest that “All that God has ever given to his Son he has
given to me as perfectly as to him and not less…” (Treatises and sermons of
Meister Eckhart by Clark and Skinner) Christ is of central importance in our
seeking for union with God because it happens through the Incarnation which has
an outward aspect as well as an inward aspect. On the one hand, God incarnates in
the flesh as Jesus of Nazareth, into a particular historical and cultural situation.
This is what we call the outward aspect of the Incarnation. The inward aspect consists
in God entering universal human nature which is the transcendent Ground which
is common to all human beings wherever they are in space and time. This aspect
is more important because it touches us here and now and transforms our lives. What
was true in the life of Jesus is true in the life of every human person. Hence
there is an outer and an inner man in all of us. Both aspects must be considered
in the mystery of our salvation. The outward Incarnation takes place when we
live the life of the external Church through the Sacraments, the scriptures and
a moral life in accordance with Christ’s teachings. The inner aspect of the
Incarnation is embraced when we enter the Ground of our soul. It is here that
real transformation and union with God takes place. The Incarnation is no longer
a historical event in the past that is recalled about Christ but becomes a
present event here and now which transforms our lives. Christ becomes then an irresistible
force within us uniting us with God in the here and now. Christ is no longer an
external figure of worship and devotion but one with whom we are already
united. We share the relationship with the Father in the Son. In this way we
are caught up with the very life of the Trinity through the Holy Spirit who is
present in any relationship. We do not just become followers of Christ or believers
in Christ but become Christ ourselves in the true mystical sense. Christian
life is no longer an external and superficial encounter with Christ, but we
discover the inner Christ directly in its paradox. We discover the essential
paradox of Christ’s nature and our own nature which is potentially divine and
human simultaneously in time and space, as we enter the Ground of our being.
The problem is when and how shall we enter this Ground that realizes our union
with God.
Union with God consists in detachment from creatures
and images but is not bound to any activity or consciousness. It is a matter of
total surrender to the will of God and of complete renunciation of self will.
Through detachment we enter the nameless depths of ourselves and call out to
the nameless depths in God as the psalmist says: “Deep calls to deep.” Uniting
with God involves stripping away the images and peeling away the projections
that veil our true nature and God’s as well. Through detachment we remain
unaffected by the movements of joy or sorrow, honor, disgrace or shame. But it
must not be misunderstood to mean coldness and indifference to what happens. On
the other hand, there is passion and intense longing for God behind it which
cannot be content with anything other than God himself. Whatever is fleeting or
passing is seen as transient and will not satiate the thirst for God. It is nothing
else but rising above the creature to find the creator.
Christian way of detachment, however, does not
allow us to remain indifferent to human suffering nor evade our
responsibilities in mitigating it out of love and true concern for our fellow
humans. In fact, not even our interest in prayer should prevent us from
involving ourselves in works of charity when called upon. What really matters
in my dealings with the world is that it should be totally free from
self-concern. We ought to be attentive and ready for the demands of the present
moment, which may be very different from our inclinations. We must be constantly
seeking God in all that we do, trying to discern what he wants of us at any
given situation and doing it readily regardless of our personal likes or
dislikes. What we do or how we serve God is not important; what matters is the
surrender of selfish desire and our alertness to the demands of the present moment
here and now. In practicing this form of detachment, we shall soon find out how
hard it is to serve God in the way he desires of us rather than in the way we
might like to serve him. It is obedience to the will of God and indifference to
our personal feelings that constitutes true detachment. Once we have this, it matters
little what we do: whether we retire to a hermitage to pray or take up the
running of a youth club in our vicinity. We can help the world by spending our
days in a life of prayer and mortification like St. Teresa of Lisieux or living
an active life of service to the poorest of the poor like St. Teresa of
Calcutta. Both call for unconditional giving and limitless love.
“None of you can become my disciple if he does
not give up everything he possesses” (Lk.14.33). The last delusion of
possessions that we let go of is that of self. We falsely think that we belong
to ourselves and have mastery over ourselves. The truth is that we have nothing
that we can call our own except what has been given freely out of love. “What
have you that you have not received? “(1Cor.4:7). Albeit nothing has been
imposed upon us we ought to use them with gratitude in our hearts and not with a
sense of pride, claiming them as belonging to us. Spiritual life is not simply
our seeking God, but it is also a matter of God seeking us. Therefore, it is
best to balance striving for God with detachment, love and restraint. Union
with God detached from creatures and images, is not bound to any activity or
state of consciousness. It is basically a matter of total renunciation and
surrender to the will of God. The more we are free from our personal moods, likes
and dislikes, the more responsive we shall be to respond to the demands of the
present moment. That brings us closer to the Birth of God within ourselves. It
is that awesome moment when self goes out and God comes in. What matters is
that we have surrendered whatever forms a block to this union from taking place.
If there is a compulsive urge in us to manipulate people to “make my mark” on
the world, it is far better to practice detachment and remain still without
doing anything. If on the other hand, we feel caught up with the blissful
feelings from prayer experiences and cannot be moved to any activity on behalf
of others, it is advisable to engage ourselves in some social activity that is
useful to people; because that is the only way to stop clinging to inner
satisfaction that certainly blocks our way to God.
The birth of God in the human soul is a unique
event that turns a person totally to God in Himself divested of images and representations.
Nothing that speaks of images or creatures is God. When one has entered the
Birth of God in the Soul he or she has come to a stage of absolute seeking for
God alone. However, it is supremely paradoxical because it transcends time
though occurring in time; it transcends creatures, but creatures help in bringing
it about; it is an experience of God and yet it is an experience of the world
as well. Hence, it is not easy to conclude whether the Birth is really
occurring in oneself but rather to wait in silence for it to occur. The Little
Way taught by St. Theresa of Lisieux illustrates the simplicity of experiencing
God in his transcendence whilst remaining who we are in our littleness. ‘Unless
you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of
heaven.” (Mat.18:3) It is our capacity to lose our sense of self in becoming
little that we become capable of experiencing God’s presence within ourselves.
It is the obvious manifestation of our complete dependence on God rather than
on our capacities or that of anyone else. The Kingdom of God is nothing else but
God Himself; to enter it is to know and experience him as He is. It is to
realize that we are only branches sustained by the Vine plant who is Christ and
nourished by him to produce fruit. (JN.15:5)
Realization of God is not confined merely to discovering humanity in oneself but in the presence of God in creation as well. Francis of Assisi attained the heights of contemplation through his penetrating vision of creation. Some regard him as “the first materialist” in the best sense of the word because of the way he looked on the material world—not for what it is but for how it is—God’s creation.
Coming to an awareness of God’s presence in creation was not an immediate
experience for Francis but required growth in love. Conversion is a slow,
lifelong process. It is a constant effort of moving away from sin-cantered
attitudes and behaviours toward God-cantered relationships. With this movement
from sin toward God, there is a gradual change in one’s consciousness or
awareness of others and in one’s relationship to others. It took Francis a
lifetime to realize his integral relationship to others, not only to humans but
to all of creation. The Canticle of Creatures, which sings of Francis’s
cosmic fraternity, his integral relationship to all the elements of the
universe, was composed in 1225, one year before he died. It took Francis a
lifetime to realize that he was truly brother to the sun, moon, stars, fire and
water, that is, to the whole cosmos….
St. Bonaventure claims that everything in creation “spoke” to Francis of God.
He came to “see” God’s goodness in every aspect of creation, so that everything
ultimately led him to Christ, the Word of God. That Francis came to “see” God
in creation points to the idea that Francis contemplated God in the things of
creation. Contemplation is a penetrating gaze that gets to the truth of
reality, and Francis came to “see” the truth of things by following the
footprints of Jesus Christ. In the last analysis we come to believe that God
truly fills the universe and every expression of life and being proclaims his
presence. //-
Fr. Sebastian Thottippatt
Assam, Northeast India
10th October 2026
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