(Don't Always) Mind the Gap

The gap between the Divine and man / Father and son / the Supernatural and the natural can not be crossed easily. Only simply. We tend to over intellectualize it, search for its ontological underpinnings, and construct a moral order that attempts to close it. While these are fruitful efforts to cultivate as above, so below, it will always be limited by the mind that contains it.

The bottom line is we want to know how to live, and we hope bridging the chasm is the way to cure our spiritual disease.

Let's take a look at some of the major diagnoses that have been made over eons. It seems like if I got a problem in-here, the solution is going to be out-there (not ideal) or go-deeper-in-here (better). Kreeft summarizes how many of the sages and saints have gone about unpacking their version of problem-to-solution approach.

And if we were going to nitpick here, I would say Christ and Buddha got closest to cutting the problem at its root. And why would that be? It would seem to me that the chasm has caused a split in our soul, and the only only thing that could heal it is a transcendent bridge. 

This bridge goes by many names, but it can't be conceptualized or willfully enacted. It can only be invited and experienced. Richard Rohr recently gave it many invocations during a homily to celebrate the recent Pentacost. Here is a partial summary...

pure gift of God

indwelling presence

promise of the Father

Eternal praise

inner defense attorney

inner anointing

reminder of the mystery

homing device guiding you home

implanted peace maker

overcomer of the gap

magnetic center

God compass

inner breath

Divine DNA

given glory

hidden love of God

implanted hope

seething desire

fire of life and love

sacred pacemaker

the nonviolence of God

seal of the incarnation

first fruits of everything

Father and Mother of orphans

truth speeker

God's secret plan

great bridge builder

warmer of hearts

space of love between everything

flowing water

wind of change

descending dove

uncreated grace

cloud of unknowing

cloud of knowing

deepest level of our longing

attentive heart

sacred wounding

holy healing

softener of our spirit

great compassion

generosity of God

universal sadness

universal joy

God's tears of joy

welcoming within

internal covenant

covenant written in our hearts

dynamic flow of life and love through the body

the great connector

Holy Spirit

And while the Holy Spirit may not always tell us how to live, it can reveal where we should live from.