The Need for Myths

“But Jesus said, Allow little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 19:14

I once attended a conference at Saint Louis University, where Fr. Paul Coutinho, S.J. spoke.  While speaking he talked about a conversation with another priest on what would be done if the historical Jesus of Nazareth was proven not to have existed.  The other priest said he would turn in his collar and give up the priesthood.  Father Coutinho’s response was “I would die for the myth.”

So much of our understanding of Jesus is myth born out of individual spiritual experiences.  Many believers picture a personal relationship with Jesus even though they have never met him in person.  Pastors and priests study ancient history and archeological information and describe Jesus’s life as though they know personally know what Jesus experienced.  Tens of thousands of books have been written on Jesus.  How could so much be known about Jesus based on the Four Gospels?  We write as if we know Jesus because we all need individual and shared myth stories.  Myths can be rooted in human truths that cannot be expressed any other way than with stories.  Stories and myths allow us to connect with each other and our society with shared understandings and values.   These stories inspire us to do better and unconsciously affect everything we do.

Sometimes, a myth needs to be reframed for us to shift paradigms and act differently.  In the Christian faith, Jesus is expected to return and judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.  (Nicene Creed, 325 A.D.) This belief that Jesus needs to come again because we are not capable of overcoming our sinful nature runs counter to our belief he already saved us on the cross to pay for our sins.  He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us and Jesus has not left us when we love him as written in John 14.

15 “If you love me, you will obey my commandments. 16 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever. 17 That helper is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it doesn’t see or know him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be in you.  (John 14)

18 “I will not leave you all alone. I will come back to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. You will live because I live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father and that you are in me and that I am in you. 21 Whoever knows and obeys my commandments is the person who loves me. Those who love me will have my Father’s love, and I, too, will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14)

Perhaps we need to reframe our myth believing that Jesus already gave us everything we need, if only we believe in his love and the Kingdom of God now?

Are we like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz where we always had the power to go home in our ruby red slippers?  If only we believe as children do?

“But Jesus said, Allow little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 19:14

What We Believe Changes Everything

"It is our duty as men and women to proceed as though the limits of our abilities do not exist." Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Pierre De Chardin Teilhard, a Jesuit paleontologist and writer, wrote that humans are not just another species, but another form of life that reflects upon itself.  He wrote about the noosphere, a shared consciousness that evolves towards “greater personalization, individuation and unification of its elements culminating in the Omega Point an apex of consciousness” (Wikipedia) which is based on love. He also wrote of the Divine Milleau an energy envelops us and that all of creation is immersed in.  Teilhard wrote that is affected by everything we think, say, and do.

Carl Jung, the twentieth century psychologist wrote of the human collective unconscious that is inherited and wired in our brain, populated by “instincts and by archetypes: universal symbols such as The Great Mother, the Wise Old Man, the Shadow, the Tower, Water, the Tree of Life, and many more.”  Wikipedia

I have been attempting to reconcile these two perspectives with my personal experiences of thought.  Am I a separate human being prewired through DNA with a symbolic structure from my ancestors?   Or is my consciousness really a part of an infinite consciousness (God) that contains all there is to know?  Can both perspectives be true?  Are scientific advances individual breakthroughs based on genetic brain abilities (Einstein postulating relativity) and the collective accumulation of scientific information contained in shared databases and analyzed by artificial intelligence?  Are we part of a larger energy field or are we an animal species walking through a mortal existence?  Are we all of these?

Are my creative thoughts and deep insights a product of a mental illness or am I somehow connected to an infinite consciousness that has revealed them to me?  Am I a psychic vessel that is sometimes wide open and cannot block or filter thoughts or energy from others in the greater consciousness?  Or is this merely my brain synapses misfiring or delusions created in my brain? Is my mind open to alternative realities including an eternal reality?   Am I a visionary of things yet to come or are they already here only to be revealed?

Ellen Langer, a psychologist, in her book Counterclockwise writes of the effect of our environment, especially those created by the medical profession as we age, on our mind and subsequent behaviors.  Many times, in our lives our thoughts and behaviors are dictated by attitudes and expectations of others that keep us from breaking outside our mental boxes.  What I do know, is that our ability to create our own positive narrative is critical to our mental health especially after undergoing trauma.  What we choose to believe changes everything.

My Personal Savior and the Cosmic Christ

“I am telling you the truth,” replied Jesus, “that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. A person is born physically of human parents, but is born spiritually of the Spirit."  (John 3:5-6)

My heart and soul see Christ in two ways.  Christ the Lord, my Savior, both human and divine who tore the curtain between Heaven and Earth by dying on the cross and sacrificing himself for our sins.  He is the personal presence I can count on when praying and asking for guidance in my life.  He lifts my spirit and shows me the Kingdom of God on Earth through the love of others when I am discouraged.  He is my human face of God.

And then there is the Cosmic Christ that has been with us from the creation of the Universe.  He is the loving force unseen but by faith that propels us forward in our evolution of consciousness and spirit.   This is the Christ that we feel in awe of as we gaze at the stars and explore the universe.  This is the Christ that we are one with and astounded with the gifts of nature.  This is the Christ that tore the curtain in the temple separating eternity from our human existence on Earth.

In our churches, we emphasize the individual salvation through believing in Christ, but we ignore the Cosmic Christ.   Christ will not come again, because he is already here.  The Cosmic Christ is the creation of a shared consciousness or spirit that is the complete body of Christ.  We are not solely on a journey to save souls, but to create a shared consciousness that will sustain our Earth and humankind.  Although our humanity is a beautiful gift from God, we must remember we are spirit first and that Jesus is the unseen force propelling us forward in love.  Without the balance between the two – the love of the Cosmic Christ with the Personal Savior, we miss our connection of our spirit to our humanity at our peril.

My Church Home

“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it” Ephesians 4:7

My church home is a network of individuals whom I have met who share with me a deep spiritual reverence and commitment born out of pain and the joy in their redemption and healing by God.  These individuals are spread across different churches and denominations and have touched my life profoundly.

I love the Episcopal church for its high mass and Christmas traditions.  It is the church home of my parents and my childhood in the sixties.  Leaving church after midnight mass on Christmas Eve in the snow and the family gathering afterward around the Christmas tree are vivid memories.  My parents were military, and their worship was reverent and traditional.

Another church that tugs at my heart is a small UCC church which serves the homeless in Belleville with a passion that belies their small congregation.  They meet in a bar and discuss how best to serve the community by raising our consciousness of about God, ethics, and others.  You can count them in the many fundraisers in the community serving others.

I also love my evangelical Methodist church that meets in small groups.  My small group is filled with individuals who are wise in spiritual matters and I am astounded by their personal stories of pain and redemption.   They great me with hugs and they miss me when I am not present.  A group of people more committed to Jesus as their personal Savior, you cannot find.

And then there is the Baptist church I attend with my former in-laws.  Pastor Randy has taught me how Bible passages govern our everyday lives as a Christian.  Every year I join Mom and Dad for the Singing Christmas tree service.

And last, but not least is the Catholic Church services led by the Jesuits with their Ignatian Spirituality.  They fill my need for a Cosmic Christ as one that is connected to our universe and all of creation.  I love the small group I meet with to discuss Spiritual Singularity and their deep concern for the environment and the oppressed.

All of these individuals and groups are my church because they serve one loving God and I am overwhelmed with their grace.