Day Thirty-one

I am truly blessed among all children! My parents inspired and encouraged within me an inquisitiveness about the nature of things that has made life’s journey both worthwhile and meaningful. Dad introduced me (along with thousands of others) to a remarkably progressive theology that I didn’t fully appreciate until I was exposed to more traditional, conservative settings. And while he was occupied with his ministry Mom (the most widely and well read person I know) nurtured the practical aspects of my spiritual development, things like praying, reading the Bible, and going to church and school. Their combined efforts provided me with a worldview that has served me well for over a half-century.

I was extraordinarily fortunate to have been brought up in an environment in which spirituality was regarded as more than just rote catechism. As a result I early on came to understand that something like prayer is more than just reading from a book, more than just memorization, more than just mechanical formulas. Certainly not in so many words, I learned from my parents that prayer is a dynamic process through which one enters into communion with God in an incredibly intimate and personal way. Rather than regard God as some sort of divine Santa Claus that one goes to with a wish list, I was guided toward a much more realistic understanding of prayer as a process of aligning (one of Dad’s favorite terms) oneself with the awesome “I Am”.

I have often wondered if Jesus felt the same way about his parents. Such information is not what the gospel texts intended to communicate. With an emphasis upon the divinity of the babe and later the man, there was little interest in the development of the boy and teenager in between. The tradition has made some attempts to fill in the gaps with childhood stories, but they too are aimed at promoting the miraculous and supernatural rather than the normal and natural character of Jesus. But he had to learn from somewhere that it is not only possible but alright to enter into communion with the Other on such an intimate basis that he called It “Abba” (Daddy)! This may have been Jesus’ first insight (and ours) into the nature of the Paraclete.