The power of being

Christ, by Mary Grace Thus, OP

I like words. But words hold no real power by themselves. Perhaps that is why Jesus never left us anything in writing. He knew that somehow, we would get stuck on the words, and miss the message.

Antonin Gilbert Sertillanges writes How did the Savior proceed in his preaching? He offers no text, no system, and nothing organized or presented according to any order whatsoever. He presents himself, and it is he who is the doctrine and the truth. He permits himself to be seen, and that is already teaching; he acts, and that is teaching; he speaks, and the teaching becomes more precise, but without being fitted into the adapted framework of a system. His message exposes itself to the apparent chance of circumstances, and it is the ordinary environment of Jewish life that will be that of his apostolate...

All of this speaks to the power of being. I find myself so persuaded by good words that I sometimes forget the real power comes only when I am convinced of their truth. Because words can do nothing for me by themselves. To go beyond, I must find the spirit and become transformed, enlightened, and inspired.

If I stay with words, I will get caught up in discrepancies, in accurate histories, in contradictions. If I look at the model, I will be able to bypass all of those cracks and see a person, one giving me an example. I am the Way, the Truth and the Life Jesus is quoted as saying in John 14:6. And Jesus' way is free-flowing, appropriate, and sustainable. He refused to be caught up with the politics of his times. Because he came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly (Jn. 10:10).