The Good News, Justice, and the Tar Sands XL Pipeline

Mendenhall Glacier

“But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.”

Paul waits. As the parousia seems to be delayed, he is becoming more patient. He is waiting for the Cosmic Christ, the Risen One, who will bring all things to completion—a new heaven and a new earth. Paul senses that the Creator is flaring forth and that the cosmos is evolving into what it already is—a new heaven and a new earth. It is far from perfect when Paul writes but he sees it coming. Continue reading

Prepare ye the way of the Lord

The readings for the First Sunday of Advent set the tone for the season. Richard Rohr, reflecting on Advent, tells us that we must adopt an adult view of Advent and Christmas. We always have a threefold dimension—part, present, and future. The past is the physical birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The present, about which we will say more, is the presence of the Risen Christ in our hearts and our universe. The future is the coming of the Cosmic Christ to bring all things to completion.

Jesus of Nazareth is history, so to speak. Jesus today lives on as the Christ—the Son of Man anointed by the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. Today, the Christ lives in our hearts and in our communities of faith. Merton was fond of quoting the Eastern mystics, “God became human so that we might become divine.” Thus, Christ lives in us as our deepest reality, our true self which is aligned with the will of God as Jesus was during his earthly life. We are created in the image and likeness of God. God is our deepest reality. Continue reading