Well, not exactly at church, but in the retreat series held between the Masses by a very wise deacon.
The series is called, "Who are you, Lord God, and who am I?"
One of the topics today was "the two main theories of why God became human."
1. God became human because we sinned and someone had to repair the relationship. Regular humans couldn't do it, so God did it through his Son.
2. God became human as part of the creation process. In this view all of creation climaxes in the incarnation--Jesus is the high-point of creation. Creation took place because the Font of Love desired to be revealed to, and poured out into, God's creatures. God's creatures are called to unfold the love that God enfolds within them during creation. The enfolded love is our potential. This is what it means to be created in the image of God. (1 and 2 are excerpts from the power point.)
Yeah, it's not the first time I've heard it said in Catholic circles...as a matter of fact, the series I'm attending combining the spirituality of Ignatius and Teilhard de Chardin does it, too. But every time I hear it I realize I'm not alone when the "salvation" story makes me cringe.
And hearing the deacon say it, with the pastor in attendance, is a step in the right direction.
The series is called, "Who are you, Lord God, and who am I?"
One of the topics today was "the two main theories of why God became human."
1. God became human because we sinned and someone had to repair the relationship. Regular humans couldn't do it, so God did it through his Son.
2. God became human as part of the creation process. In this view all of creation climaxes in the incarnation--Jesus is the high-point of creation. Creation took place because the Font of Love desired to be revealed to, and poured out into, God's creatures. God's creatures are called to unfold the love that God enfolds within them during creation. The enfolded love is our potential. This is what it means to be created in the image of God. (1 and 2 are excerpts from the power point.)
Yeah, it's not the first time I've heard it said in Catholic circles...as a matter of fact, the series I'm attending combining the spirituality of Ignatius and Teilhard de Chardin does it, too. But every time I hear it I realize I'm not alone when the "salvation" story makes me cringe.
And hearing the deacon say it, with the pastor in attendance, is a step in the right direction.
