What is the Church?

Being with the absolute Person of Jesus is the heart of the Church. In itself it is a very exclusive love-relation. Somehow the world disappears whn you hear His words and His silence.

But we go to mass, we join tradition, we keep clear of heresies and keep loyal to the seven councils. So what is that? Well it is simply indefinable, even though many really want to define and discriminate it. It's very indefinability is the mark of the living Church. We cannot point to any one ecclesial function about which it can be said that is sums up all of the Church. What would the sense be of all the other acitivites, if that was the case. We can see all the unfortunate mistakes east and west, attempts to make the Eucharist the defining mark, or the Icon, or the Trinity. If you fall into this, turn to Jesus himself again. Be intimate with Him and fall into silence.

Likewise we cannot point to any formula or any book which could be taken as the fullness of the Church. If such a formula or book did exist, what would be the sense of all the others that we love and use? There is no concept of the Church. Oceanic christinaity simply let love and tranquillity supersede concept, being true to the fact of intimacy.

The life of the Church is your being with God and that is more tangible, more alive, than any definition of tradition or teaching. But if one must apply concepts to the living of the Church, it is best to use biological and aestethic ones. Jesus was raised from death and this new life is what is in waiting for all of us. Of course this is biological, although the popular science of Biology so far does not allow for it. The world of course does not allow for God either. That is the very definition of the "world". What is the criterion for this new biological life - which is also spiritual? It is beauty. The beauty and the beautified state of intimacy with Jesus, is the best criterion.

As the russian philosopher Pavel Florensky expresses it: "Yes there is a special beauty of the spirit, and, ungraspable by logical formulas, it is at the same time the only true path to the definition of what is orthodox and what is not orthodox". (The pillar and ground of the Truth) It is this beauty and this new life -- very tangible -- that is the Church. Otherwise you could become protestant or orthodox or catholic by simply reading books or talking to a teacher or listening to radio. That would be like learning to swim by making the swimming movements on the ground.

 

Marthas conversation with Jesus

In John 11 we can follow a conversation between Martha and Jesus concerning the dead brother Lazarus. He will rise says Jesus. Yes he will Martha says, on the last day. Then Jesus adds the astonishing fact: I am the resurrection.  He who has faith in Me will rise no matter what happens.

We are all in Marthas place. God is a man from the Middle East, giving astonishing information. You can choose to have faith in Him. Oceanic chistianity relaxes the whole situation. Just spend time with the Gospels, see Him there close up like Martha did. Rely on His words. Then you don't dramatize the words to be threatening or playing out dilemmas. Some people just can't live whithout tension and drama. Oceanic christianity want you to listen to His words as you listen to waves coming and whithdrawing - spend time just doing that. What else is important? Twelve hours daylight, says Jesus. If you walk in that daylight everything is great. What is problematic with daylight?

 

Footprints in the sand

My friend just turned 80 and he talked about his life soon being just a footprint on the sand and an ocean wave coming in and......

It's a lovely image. We dissolve by grace into His company. We leave a print just for a short while an then it is gone. This is what we call in swedish: forsvinnande gott -- disappearingly good. The process is in itself delicious. Sad but not so sad. Disappearance is comforting, come to think of it. It seem to be God's favourite technique. 

The Ocean of the Lord

20.06.2006

Oscillating

First comes Jesus Christ -- you go to Him, stay with Him, celebrate Him in the Holy and Glorious Mass, in his sacrament of reconciliation.

But then you take a step out of Him and encounter empirical reality -- sounds, sights, forms, colours, tastes, that whole original revelation of the Father, whose children we become as we surf those waves of experience.

And then, well, we oscillate between those two poles. We really don't need much more. That is oceanic simplicity. Of course, when you go to work you have to do the world, so to speak. But that is just a limited time, and a limited version of reality, like some type of waves you encounter everyday. By experiencing the motion of the waves you make work a graceful exercise -- as best you can.

As soon as you come home from work, actually the minute you leave your office or your place of work, you can start oscillating between Him and these energy waves of empirical experience. Prayer and surfing his Creation is the same thing, keeping sin out as best we can.

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11.06.2006

Emotions

Oceanic Christianity is not emotionalism, basing faith entirely on emotion or sentiment. But emotions will follow the passion for diving into the light of Christ.

Diving means using the body. It is not a purely spiritual dive. The body means emotions, organically caused, organically experienced, nerves and muscles partaking in mistakes and in sucessful intentions. Another word for organic emotions is passion.

We will always experience the difference between demons harassing the body and the sweet Holy Spirit gushing forth through our bodies in prayer and devotion. Both are passions. The rest St Paul often talks about is a dynamic flowing rest, not an absence of emotions. A passionate rest, a peaceful fire.

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10.06.2006

Sin

Sin exists.

No doubt about that - sin fills our time, forms our society, hinders our relation. There's no denying it.

But when you look into the constant rolling wave of Gods love for you and Jesus Christ in his operation of saving you now -- do you really think about sin? Should you really think about sin? Would you think about it in the midst of the light and the sound of this great rolling ocean?

Psychologically speaking -- no ! You simply cannot surfe and think about sin at the same time. You simply cannot listen to Jesus as he speaks his saving Word in your very body now, and also think about sin.

So not possible in practical terms. Your intentionality is what shows. Where should your intention be? On the sound and the sight of the Lord, so that you are dazzled away from all other intentions.

Intend the Ocean of the Lord -- sin is forgiven.

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