Monday, October 26, 2009

conscious, consenting, responsible

When Jesus speaks of having life more abundantly, this, I think, is the life He means: a life that is not reducible by division, category, or degree, but is one thing, heavenly and earthly, spiritual and material, divided only insofar as it is embodied in distinct creatures. He is talking about a finite world that is infinitely holy, a world of time that is filled with life that is eternal. His offer of more abundant life, then, is not an invitation to declare ourselves as certified "Christians," but rather to become conscious, consenting, and responsible participants in the one great life, a fulfillment hardly institutional at all.
Wendell Berry, "The Burden of the Gospels" in Blessed Are the Peacemakers; Christ's Teachings about Love, Compassion & Forgiveness. Shoemaker & Hoard, 2005. 66-67