Mystic Musings: Lent 3/20

“One may never have heard the sacred word “Christ,” but be closer to God than a priest or nun.”

St. Thomas Aquinas, a 13th century Catholic theologian

I remember when my seminary professor who taught Greek first introduced me to the fact that eis could be translated just as likely as “into” as “in.” This was important because many Christians base their Christian life and, indeed, their very salvation, on “believing IN Christ.” I grew up in a community where it was commonly accepted that salvation was as straightforward as giving intellectual assent to the fact that Jesus was the Son of God. I never fully bought into that assumption as I thought something as serious as salvation couldn’t be as easy as checking the appropriate box on a form.

Photo by Neil Thomas @finleydesign

When I discovered that eis could be translated as “into” my adopted faith started mirroring my understanding of the world. If one could “believe INTO Christ” then it meant that anyone who lives a life that goes deeper and deeper into the values of compassion, empathy, love, grace, healing, peace, and justice were on the way to “salvation” (a whole other topic!). To believe INTO Christ meant to commit one’s life to embodying the values reflected in Christ’s life. That made sense to me!

Which gets me to St. Thomas Aquinas’s quote. You don’t have to know Greek. You don’t have to have the word “Christ” at the tip of your tongue. You don’t have to believe certain things about Jesus. In fact, you don’t even need to have heard of this character Jesus. All you need is a life that reflects the same values embodied by Jesus.

Being close to God isn’t about believing the right things with your head. It’s about embodying the right things with your life.

Sit quietly. Breathe deeply. Ponder this question:

• Examine your beliefs. Examine your values. Are they in alignment?