Today is the feast of Saint Andrew. Andrew is described in the gospels as a fisherman and is the brother to Simon Peter. He was one of the first disciples of Christ, among the first four, along with Simon Peter, and the Sons of Thunder:James and John. (Jesus calls them the Sons of Thunder for their passion I suppose)according to John, all were formerly disciples of John the Baptist, so I guess they were likely Essenes, a Jewish sect of the first century.
The part that I like about Andrew's revelation of the Christ is that it is automatic, reflexive. Jesus calls and Andrew answers. Dietrich Bonhoeffer explains this reflex answer in Andrew to simple authority on the part of Jesus. Jesus calls and Andrew drops everything and moves.
I find this comforting. Jesus calls us all to peace. Peace within the world, and perhaps more importantly, peace within ourselves. But Jesus calls us to follow, not to become better, then follow, but to follow...period. We are not called to get our act together, then go with Him. Go...now!
4 comments:
This post reminds me of two things--first it seems to me that Andrew's promptness in responding, his immediacy is an example of the "realization" aspect of mystical experience as distinguished (but not wholly separate from) "attainment" varieties. He has a moment of direct knowledge (gnosis) and response (obedience). His experience of the Christ will certainly be in degrees of understanding (attainment), yet this is a moment of clear response and vision.
It also reminds me of my searching into Orthodoxy and how people kept telling me, "come and see" when i wanted to talk with them about Orthodox theosis, the Jesus Prayer or the Liturgy. It was as if they were suggesting--jump headfirst into the waters of the Liturgy and THEN do your reading and research, not the other way around. Is this not an Andrewian response? Come and see first.
I agree, I think "Come and See" is what most Liturgical Christians say to their curious friends and family, liturgy is not a doctrine per se but an ethos to be experienced.
I'm with you on the realization versus attainment, but we must not forget the relational! Jesus, the man, called to Andrew. I mean to say that an individual called to an individual. Andrew had an individual response.
Is it heretical to say that God plays the game of miopia that we all play? That is the game of seeing ourselves as seperate sacks of skin. I think that God calls to us on so many levels at once, just to cover the bases of our manifold personalities.
ahh...yes, the relational. i think that is where i was heading (though admittedly not explored) with the moment of response and vision point. it is that immediacy which really can be nothing short of encounter. i, personally, do not know of this kind of response outside of the realm of encounter--relational. i mean, even the trinity of persons whether distinct hypostasis or otherwise is downright relational,eh? very true dear brother, very true.
wow--is it heretical that God plays the myopic game? to go back to those famous watts sayings that we know well--whose asking the question??? what a far out divine game that God would hide so discreetly within us that we would be convinced of our separate-ness! So many levels, yes! this is what our mutual acquaintance Mike always said about Chaos theory--there are just so many variables!!
in another reference to your, "relational" comment--here is a refreshing statement from Fr. Seraphim Rose. This was an experience that happened to him after YEARS of searching...of following Alan Watts around, studying Tibetan Buddhism and Theosophy, etc., here's what he experienced at a Divine Liturgy
"A new idea began to enter my awareness: that Truth was not just an abstract idea sought and known by the mind, but was something personal--even a Person, sought and loved by the heart"
How much do we talk abou Truth as something to grasp, know, etc...when it too is relational!
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