Deeper than an Idea

The question which the religious authorities ask in the text from John’s Gospel from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today is often the “deal breaker” in the movement towards intimacy with the Divine. Understanding of the Mystery of the Divine becoming human is a very difficult, perhaps not comprehendible, concept. The place of the Christian believers as the living “Body of Christ” is more approachable. The indwelling Spirit is necessarily part of the Body of Christ. John’s Gospel encourages us to go further. This intimacy sought by the Creator with the creature is realized at the level of matter and molecules and the basic substance of the universe. The “idea” of intimacy is replaced with material and physical intimacy. The episode of the conversion of Saul, as related in Acts is an attempt to describe in words the calling of Paul as an apostle with the consequence that Paul will count his calling by the Risen Jesus to be as “real” as the experience of the other apostles with the human Jesus. The completion of the story of Saul’s call to a new vision is literal… ‘Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul* and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’’ (Acts of the Apostles 9.17:)