The Mystical Body of Christ

by zyxonian

Christianity is not about worshipping and deifying Jesus – this is idolatry. Christianity is not about sacraments nor rituals – these are fun to do, but are unnecessary. Christianity is not about guilt, consolidating power, nor converting “heathens” – sadly, the history of the institutional church is.

Christianity is the practice of denying the self in favor of helping another.

 

But I say to you that listen; Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.   -Luke 6: 27-31

It does not require that someone converts to Christianity. It does not require that they attend church. It does not require that anyone worship Jesus. It does not require any reciprocity whatsoever. The very essence of its practice is unconditional giving.

When we give, we shall give more than what we are comfortable giving. If someone steals from us, we shall let them have what they’ve stolen – for, in God’s eyes, they need it more than us (and we actually never needed it in the first place). If someone speaks ill of us, we let them speak ill because we know it is what they need to say (and we, having grace, know it means nothing of our spirit). If a law prevents us from being compassionate, then we break that law.

For the story of Jesus is about unconditional giving. He healed people, gave compassion to the outcasts, and did not struggle when the government and religious circles condemned and executed him. The crucifix was a form of execution the Roman Empire reserved specifically for the crime of treason. Yes, the religious symbol of Christianity is associated with treason against the state. It is unconditional self-sacrifice for others despite corrupt institutional powers.

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But Christianity is also a faith. We believe in an ineffable, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent divinity. This divine presence is the same as the Tao, the same as Brahman, it does not matter what name we give it or in what manners we celebrate it. This all encompassing thing is fundamentally Good. Pseudo Dionysius the Areopagite, a 5th century Christian philosopher, described it as thus:

“It [God] is the Life of living, the Being of beings, it is the Source and Cause of all life and all being, for out of its goodness it commands all things to be and it keeps them going.”

The concept of “God”, by most rational human, can be seen as an arbitrary, morally ambiguous presence. It causes both pleasure and suffering, anxiety and bliss, blindness and lucidity, birth and murder. Having faith in a presence which is essentially the woes and joys of life is a moot faith – why believe at all?

However, for those who practice unconditional giving and self-denial will witness that the All Encompassing Divine Spirit is one of Great Goodness. It is a mystical experience that everyone can access – You will see that when you disregard your well-being for the sake of another person, especially a stranger, that God will care for you. Your environment will change, your perceptions will change, the horrible outcome you thought was going to happen ended up being to be the most wonderful and unexpected result. It is beyond rationality and science.

The only way to access this mystical experience is to step into the “lion’s den” for the good of someone else. When Jesus asks us to have faith, he is referring that we must trust that God will guide us as we take the plunge into our fear. Only then do we access the Mystical Body of Christ.

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Giving selflessly needs practice and patience. We live in a society which demands that we care only for our individual selves. Advertisements bombard us with offers of things we think we need. Vacations, food delivery, entertainment – all these things cost money, so we work in excess to receive in excess. We believe we need a nice apartment or a fancy neighborhood, lots of trinkets and expensive dining. We are searching for a lover, not so we may love them, but so we may be loved (and with whom we argue and manipulate when the relationship becomes no longer satisfying). We complain when things do not go our way, or when things break down on us. Social pressures ensure that we follow the status quo of the typical, bureaucratic, capitalistic state.

But, once one breaks away from mundane pursuits and focuses on God, they will awaken and see the absurd struggle of human affairs. They will be liberated and find peace within themselves. They will easily see through arbitrary rules and arbitrary social modes. They will realize that life is more abundant than they had ever imagined and that God is more giving and more powerful and more abstract and more mysterious than they could ever understand. They would have crossed the threshold into the realm of heaven, which exists now and is upon us. This is the “Kingdom of God”, and I dare say that only a few are courageous enough to enter it.

Like I said, giving selflessly needs practice and patience. Start with small efforts; when someone makes you angry or insults you, give them a dollar. Give to every beggar you pass in the street exactly what they ask for – if they want loose change, give them that – if they want a slice of pizza, buy them a slice of pizza – if they are collecting money to buy a bus ticket, give them what they need for their bus ticket. Do not question what they do with the money. Do not ask for any favor from them. And we should act with love. And what do I mean by love? Thomas Merton, a trappist monk, said it the best;

“Love, of course, means something much more than sentiment, much more than token favors and perfunctory almsdeeds. Love means an interior and spiritual identification with one’s brother, so that he is not regarded as an ‘object’ to ‘which’ one ‘does good.’ . . . Love takes one’s neighbor as one’s other self, and loves him with all the immense humility and discretion and reserve and reverence. . . From such love all authoritarian brutality, all exploitation, domineering and condescension must necessarily be absent.”

These small practices do not solve systemic problems – what these practices do is train you to let go of your possessions and perceptions. In giving away what you think you need, in showing compassion to the poor, in denying the self for the sake of a stranger, you will discover yourself.

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“One of the monks, called Serapion, sold his book of the Gospels and gave the money to those who were hungry, saying: I have sold the book which told me to sell all that I had and give to the poor.”   –Verba Seniorum