A Roomy Spirituality: The Elemental Understanding of a Room

Why at all a room need a door to enter in? A door that can be ‘latched,’ ‘locked,’ and opened only with a ‘key,’ is in itself teach an interior philosophy. In the “Theory of Everything,” Stephen Hawking makes a mention of what Ludwig Wittgenstein said, “the sole remaining task for philosophy is the analysis of language.” So intend to analyze the three words mentioned above, namely – Latch, Lock and Key and proceed to an elemental understanding of the constituents of a room.

Latch: This term is different from “lock” (a small metal bar that is used to fasten a door or a gate. You raise it to open the door, and drop it into a metal hook to fasten it). We have a phrase in English – “Latch on” which would mean to understand an idea or what somebody is saying. Hence, just after you enter your room, you need to latch on the profound sense of being You in the room. People ask – who are you when you are alone in the room? You are yourself when alone, no one sees you. God sees you as you are. There is also a saying, “God is closer to me than I am to myself” – Here then, as you enter your room latch on the conviction that God is closer to you.

Lock: There is no meaning for a lock if it cannot be opened. Lock presupposes a closure with an openness veiled in it. In theology we speak of God revealing while hiding. Our minds can be opened only when it is opened to the grace of God. Check whether the cells of understanding in your brain are locked with prejudices, fear and many other anomalies. Open them to purify with the key of understanding.

Key: a metal already shaped to fit the keyhole. Only a particular key will work for the particular key whole. Master key is yet another thing to consider.

Hope the following elemental understanding of a room will strengthen the above three words. Their connectivity is the work of the readers.

A room with windows: Our body and its senses are windows to the soul. The spirituality of most saints consisted in training their senses because they knew that senses are a powerful way of awareness, healing if properly trained. Our understanding is facilitated by the senses. St. Thomas Aquinas would say that there is nothing in the intellect which has not first been in the senses. One enters their room with one’s embodied self. The body is housed in the room. The soul is housed in the body. So even though you are alone in your room, there is always a relationship – between your soul and body. No wonder why saints advocated the mortification of senses.

A room with darkness and light: the presence of light is not a complete absence of darkness, darkness is still there. Similarly the light is still there in darkness. Just like clarity contains the previous non-understanding, our bodies too carry the cells of our historicity. To see the things in the room, an ‘entering in’ in invariably and unalterably a ‘necesstiy.’

Chair: Chair symbolically connotes authority. So sit on the chair of your conscience.

Crucifix: A Crucifix is considered as a hermeneutical key to understanding our salvation history. Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You trust in God, trust also in me. In my father’s house there are many places (rooms) to live in;… I am going now to prepare a place for you (Jn 14: 1-3). The whole history of mankind’s salvation is summarized in Jesus’ death on the cross. He teaches us a deep truth “you do not live for yourself only, but for others.” Therefore, I prefer to pray – Lord make me a blessing to all the people whom I am sent to. The crucifix also teaches that I am not my own – “You are not your own property, you have been bought at a price” (1cor 6:20). 

Books on the shelf, mirror, and a picture: a monk of the 12^th century Alanus de insulis, in his De Incarnatione Christi writes: “Every creature of the world is for us a book, picture and mirrore.” Fulton Sheen would say that we are all books issued from the divine press. A broken mirror reminds me of Balthasar’s mention of a limpid mirror – “limpid mirror has been shattered, the infinite image has been shattered over the face of the world, the world has become a heap of fragments. But every splinter remains precious and from each fragment there flashes a ray of mystery of its origin” (Balthasar, Heart of the world, 1954).

Space: Eckhart Tolle in his book The Power of Now says, “… you are not what happens, you are the silent space in which all things happen.” The space in my room is limited, but out there, the space seems limitless calling me out to transcendence.

There are many other elements in the room, if I go on it will be a tedious business. But I can stop with this concluding remark: everything points to something or the other, but the greater pointing is the limitedness pointing to the limitless.

Being-with-others: Lessons for a Meaningful Living

“I feel so horrible, when I have to be carried by someone else, I can’t walk, I can’t go anywhere by myself,” said a hospitalized young postgraduate girl who suffers from a minor spinal cord injury.

Now when you are caring for the people you serve need only to affirm her and be-with-her in moments of doubts, fear, helplessness and the inevitable negativity that seems to come upon the sufferer. Hence the first lesson for a fruitful ministry is being-with. This will give him/her a sense of ‘togetherness,’ a feeling of being cared for. 

In a situation of helplessness experienced by a person, how can you be part of his/her life and share meanings in this shared existence? Affirmation is the key in positively affecting the person you care. Someone undergoing a physical struggle, which would eventually evade the inner strength of the person facing it, affirm the inner strength of the faith, courage and positivity. In fact, in our visit to her, we affirmed her saying, “You look happy, smiling and cheerful.” She was indeed smiling because I feel she understood her helplessness and was trying to understand the powerful yet the existential reality of being dependent. She definitely learned to do things by herself but in the situation that has come upon her, she has to accept and say “I have to smile and be dependent on the other because I realize that I cannot do anything by myself, until some power comes from above.” In our conversation with her, she was so happy to say that she received a SMS from a priest which contained the words – “I really admire your courage and faith to stand up against all odds of life and still be happy.”

She narrated her life story. “I was attacked by ulcer, malaria, and many other possible sicknesses, but I came through all of them safe… and I want to get out of bed as soon as possible.” In Viktor Frankl’s terminology, her ‘will to meaning’ remained strong. We affirmed her, “you say it so and it will happen.”

The hospital surrounding, especially the ward in which she was admitted provoked a thought in me. Suffering is not a lone affair; there are others with similar sufferings. In fact in suffering is solidarity. Jesus identified himself with us precisely to tell that I am part of you. Jesus showed through his life powerfully the meaning of the existent reality of ‘being-with.’

In one’s suffering, if you shift your focus of attention from yourself to others, there is a hidden treasury of meaning awaiting you there. Look at the nature, when all around you is darkness, you feel that the nature smiles at you; the sun shines before your very face and brighten you up.

In this shared human existence, sharing one’s experience of pain and suffering can boost the inner spirit of the other and lead to a meaningful bind of trust.

All these are not enough if you do not affirm the presence of God. Hence praying together is another aspect of the story of dependence and ‘being-with.’ These tell us that the ‘other’ is significantly ‘the other.’ The other is a trace of the infinite as Emmanuel Levinas puts it. In independence the ‘ego’ is baffled by the myth of ‘egoism.’ This raises the slogan, ‘I am because I can.’ This awareness should necessitate a movement towards the ‘significantly other’ and raise the existential realm to the living out of “alone I can’t, together-with-others I can.”

Odd man in a group and the dynamics of ‘relating’

The fact of being ‘looked at’ is a risky communication rather than the real ‘wordy’ expressions. Here I am not hinting at what Sartre Stated through his world vision – others are threat to his existence and the other becomes a hell. Through his ‘keyhole’ experience, wherein he felt that the other is looking at him, strongly affected him to think that he is a worm in front of the other. The other swallows you up at the fact of being ‘looked at.’ What I want to intent is - we are relational beings and the beings in relation always adapt to the ecosystem of the situational adjustments of the beings-in-relation. Now when you are in a group, how do you relate? It is interesting to note few dynamics. The world around you weaves a lingual world (one of the weavers of the world around you) of internal perceptions, self-talks in relation to a supposed meant meaning from the communicant. 

One has no control over the perceptions of others, but one does have on one’s perceptions. All these happen in a relationship – either in ‘seeming’ or in ‘being.’

We speak of the ‘odd man out’ in games. But in a group, what are the games people play? What are the scripts they go on writing? What interpretations are given? Let’s suppose that in a group, there is a small celebration. Individuals are invited. They come, they share, and they go. Among the invited, do all have the same mind-set of celebrating a person? I doubt. Everyone adapts to a situation: “talking” is an easy way to get in (noise). Noise really hides ‘silence.’ But silence and its meaning is often sunk either in interiority (self) or in exteriority (talk). But amidst the noise and talking, a visible pointing of the silent man is invariable noticed, of course when there is nothing else to talk or if the silent man feels uncomfortable in a group. The silent man can even become the subject of the talk. Hence he is scapegoated to the extent that he is subtly rejected or indifferently treated.  Jesus came to his own and his own did not recognize him. Now what quality do you require for recognition and what necessitates rejection?

The Questioners are questioned (Mt 21:23-27)

The elders and chief priests questioned the authority of Jesus’ doings. They asked by what and who gives the authority? Jesus throws to them a question back – implying that every question presupposes an answer. He asks: did the baptism of John come from heaven or from men? Jesus implied two realities: the vertical (heaven) and horizontal (men/earth).

The vertical dimension involves a fundamental option for faith, a committed leap to the beyond. This is the reason why (although they knew) they thought – if we say that baptism of John came from heaven, ‘why didn’t you believe?’ – a matter of faith.

They sense the invisible but do not see because the divine is hidden in the human. ‘Every seen aspect is also an unseen aspect at the same time.’ Some theologians express this fact in other words, ‘in revealing He hides. ‘Every revelation is a veiling of the real, every uncovering is also a covering….. Inexhaustible….’ Since they did not understand, Jesus says “neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. They reason and admit – ‘we do not know.’ Is it an escape mechanism? A sin of pride! The simple truths of the eternal can be learned only in the school of patience, simplicity and humility.

Understanding Resurrection: Meaning of our Faith.

I was just listening to the sermon of Fr. Robert Barron (The impossibly goodnews of Easter). He said the following (not in exact words):

Easter proclamation is the strangest message ever delivered. He says of the need to defamiliarize with the fact of the Easter proclamation. The ancient Israelites wondered what happened after their death. Some Jews of the time were of the opinion that nothing happens after death – a human being just go back to the earth and fades away. This is very much expressed in the psalms of the Old Testament, for e.g., “Dust cannot praise you.” This meant that only when you are alive, you can praise God. So death is just the end according to the ancient belief. Some Biblical Jews had the opinion that after death one goes down to the shadowy underworld, “Sheol”. This shadowy underworld is characterized by darkness, sadness and gloominess. This underworld can be compared to the underworld spoken of in the Greek and Roman Mythology. No one longs for the underworld because there is no fulfillment out there. Again in the psalms we find – ‘neither of those who go down to the pit await your kindness’ (Is: 38). One can easily see the mentality of the ancient people (especially the Jews) reflected in the psalms.

The Jews also believed that a Spirit might return to the earth. This we find reflected in the first book of Samuel when Saul consults the witch of En-Dor to bring back the unhappy ghost of prophet Samuel (1Sam 28).

In Jesus’ time, the Jews began to speculate that there is a resurrection of the Just at the end of time in their restored bodies. They enjoy communion with God. This belief is also reflected in the words of Martha to Jesus, 'I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.' (Jn 11:24). We also know that in the New Testament we have Sadducees who do not believe in the resurrection, but the Pharisees believe.

We also see in the New Testament another kind of belief among the Jews – belief in reincarnation (an eastern view). We see it in the gospel of Mark 6: 14-16:

¹⁴ King Herod had heard about him, since by now his name was well known. Some were saying, 'John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’¹⁵ Others said, 'He is Elijah,' others again, 'He is a prophet, like the prophets we used to have.'¹⁶ But when Herod heard this he said, 'It is John whose head I cut off; he has risen from the dead.' (Taken from http://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=9) 

Now what was the intellectual milieu of Jesus? The speculation of the Jews was also mixed with Greek culture. Plato advocated that when we die, the soul escapes the body. The soul always longs for the spiritual world and pines to move into the realm of pure forms. Our body is only an instrument to house the soul. Hence body is a prison and soul is captured.

Now when Jesus died on the cross, those who were spiritually optimistic might have thought He would also rise at the end of time along with the righteous. No one thought that He would rise on the third day. Now the gospel of John 20: 1-9 vividly narrates the true faith in the fact of resurrection as held by the early Christian community.

¹ It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb ² and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,' she said, 'and we don't know where they have put him.' ³ So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. ⁴ They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; ⁵ he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. ⁶ Simon Peter, following him, also came up, went into the tomb, saw the linen cloths lying on the ground ⁷ and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. ⁸ Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed. ⁹ Till this moment they had still not understood the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

(taken from http://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=9)

When Mary Magdala saw that the tomb was empty, it was commonsense to assume that his body was stolen. But observe the minute details given by the evangelist (this we would not find in a mere mythical narrative). If at all the robbers robbed the body of our Lord, why did not they carry the fine linen clothes with them?  The burial cloths were in just order. John and Peter also saw the ‘empty tomb,’ they came running to find out what has happened (perhaps also to find out the grave robbers). But finding the cloths in order, gave rise to imagine something new – He is Risen!! It is foolish to assume that Jesus was not dead, because Roman Soldiers executed him, they would make sure that He was dead.

In Jesus’ subsequent appearances, He was thought to be a ghost by the disciples. He assured them that ‘He is He.’ He greeted them ‘peace be with you.’ When our blessed Lord appeared to our doubting Thomas, he asked him to ‘touch and see.’ Thomas’s doubt was so much existential. He was shattered by the crucifixion; it was too much for him to grasp the story of the resurrection – the story of the empty tomb. This was the first Easter. (Watch this in youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5kvMyCIr8M)  He was not a ghost. He ate with them in the coast of Tiberias. This was the experience of the Risen Lord for the First Christian community. The Risen Lord commanded them, to go forth all corners of the world to evangelize, to make him known. We see the apostles doing their continued mission of our Lord with vigor and enthusiasm and all the more with the attitude of ‘life and death.’

I would also love to add an excerpt from an Easter greeting that I got from my professor  Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Sydney Mascarenhas, O.F.M (28 March 2012, Rome):

Often, we remain Tombs of God’s love for us and His World!!!!

It is up to us to unravel His Love buried in us.

We are all made in the Triune God’s Image and Likeness.

Interestingly, His Tomb is sealed and guarded by us humans.

It disturbs and upsets our systems.

It sets in question our will to power.

But the seal was unsealed and the stone was rolled away by God’s Love.

Finally, His tomb was empty, except for the clothes he wore, which were neatly wrapped.

May our faith in the resurrection strengthen us and give meaning to our existence. So we can now say together with St. Paul – “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is pointless” (1Cor 15:17)