A Trinitarian Interpretation of Humanity, Inspired by the work of Douglas Meeks

Douglas Meeks is a professor of theology at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. The following post is an interpretation of segments of chapter 5 (God and Property) of Meeks' book God the Economist.

When we understand God as the Trinity (the Father, the Son and the love between them, the Holy Spirit), we can understand humanity as a community of individuals. The reason for this stems from the assumption that human concepts of authority derive from human concepts of God. When God is conceived as an indivisible, immutable unit, incapable of suffering and isolated from human beings, authority will be shaped in the image of this conception of God, especially when the existence of God becomes irrelevant in the context of human authority.

If we accept the assumption that human concept of authority is shaped in the image of human conceptualization of God, then the vision of an immutable, indivisible God will shape authority into a state authority concerned with an efficient allocation of resources (at all levels), and not with livelihood. Please note that by state authority I mean all sorts of political arrangements, from socialist governments (now outdated) to the welfare states of contemporary western Europe. Furthermore, in this context by livelihood I understand enabling humans to achieve their potential, which is the enjoyment of their capabilities, without being bound to them.

Nevertheless, once we conceive God as the unity between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, humanity becomes a community of individuals with distinctive functions and interests, that belong to one another. In this conception, no function is more important than the other, and there are no fixed roles. This is, the janitor cleans while the professor teaches, and yet these functions are essential to communal livelihood, as well as individual livelihood. Neither the professor nor the janitor is more important, and the janitor -if livelihood is the goal of society shaped in the image of the Trinity- can become a professor in as much the professor could become a janitor.

The reason for this stems from the notion of Trinity. The Father creates, the Son redeems, and the Holy Spirit enables the work of the Son; the Three are One, and their relationship is dynamic. This is, the workings of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are dependent on one another. Therefore, a society that shapes authority conceptualizing God as the Trinity will assure livelihood in community, for authority will be conceived as a figure that is dynamic in their components, and such components, human beings, depend on one another. All humans are one community. The next question is, how to translate this theologically based argument into secular terms without annihilating individuals of other beliefs?

In Christ,
Through Mary,
Mateo

On the Natural and Healthful Attachment to Material Things

As an economist (and there is only one kind of economist in contemporary society, the microeconomics-based one), I understand that markets work under certain assumptions that are oftentimes met, if only in the long run. I also understand and agree with the notion that people behave with the purpose of maximizing their utility, that is, of maximizing the utility they gain from things (goods, services, relationships of any sort). This means, people seek to make a use of what they consume and produce.

Furthermore, this notion, that of the homo-economicus, is not contraire but consistent with a Christian life. When we seek to obtain things to make use of them, we are considering things as what they really are: means to attain a purpose. In a Christian life this idea entails: things are means to get to Heaven and to praise the Lord, Jesus Christ.

We buy a bible not for the bible itself, but for the word in it, in fact, the Word in it. We work to speak and develop a language to communicate the grace of God, not for the language itself. The only purpose we can seek for itself is God because He is the origin of all causes, He is the origin of creation.

We should, we ought to be attached to things as much as they are facilitators of our holiness. Their obtention and accumulation, as well as the things themselves do not take our peace away when we see them in their true light, that of means that have a purpose because we love the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

In Christ,
Through Mary,  

From the Catholic Book of Prayers

For we walk by faith, not by sight, Saint Paul said on his 2nd letter to the Christians of Corinth, (2Cor 5:7).

Today I want to share with you my sisters and brothers one prayer I love. We will discuss human will in the next couple of days.

"Prayer to Bring Christ into Our Day"
Lord Jesus, present before me in the Sacrament of the Altar, help me to cast out from my mind all thoughts of which You do not approve and from my heart all emotions which You do not encourage. Enable me to spend my entire day and night as a co-worker with You, carrying out the tasks that You have entrusted to me.

Be with me at every moment of this day and this night: during the long hours of work, that I may never tire or slacken from Your service; during my conversations, that they may not become for me occasions for meanness toward others; during the moments of worry and stress that I may remain patient and spiritually calm; during periods of fatigue and illness, that I may avoid self-pity and think of others; during times of temptation that I may take refuge in Your grace.

Help me to remain generous and loyal to you this day and this night, and so be able to offer it all up to you with their successes which I have achieved by Your grace and their failures which have occurred through my own fault. Let me come to the wonderful realization that life is most real when it is lived with You as the guest of my soul. Amen

In Christ,
Through Mary

On God's Will and Human Decision, Based on the Work of St. Francis de Sales

Short prayer: Lord, give me wisdom through prayer and reflection, rather than through bitter trials.

Today is Sunday. Today is the Resurrection, when all things become new and better, when heaven and earth become reconciled forever in the everlasting Covenant that is Jesus Christ. Today we can change forever, for the best. Rejoice!

Many times, especially lately, I have heard people saying "I am praying about it" or "I believe God calls me to do this", or "I can see this is God's will". All these expressions, even if well intended and honest, are terrible excuses and verbal manifestations of fear. It is very common to believe that God will give us an epiphany everyday, or that He will speak to us on a date with our bible at Starbucks, or another hipster coffee shop. My brothers and sisters, do not deceive yourselves from the truth that is so clear and giant, also, so grand and beautiful for us to enjoy. I shall address each one of these expressions individually. First, I will prove all the expressions mentioned above as equivalent, and then as silly and inadequate, then I will suggest how it is always our will what makes us do things, and that the only way we can do, experience and never-know-in-advance God's will is through devout, constant prayer.

The following lines are based on my conclusions and reading of St. Francis de Sales' Finding God's Will for You. First, "I will pray about it". How do people pray about this? Most likely they speak to themselves as opposed to speaking to God, by the intercession of the Saints and Mary, or without it. When people say that they prayed about something, they do not know or acknowledge that prayer is a process of stripping all distractions from our hearts and bodies, even if for a moment. This process entails reading of the Scripture, the Psalms are beautiful tools, and then the Gospels become clearer. For Catholics, this process will lead to the ROSARY. These three things: Tears, Scripture, and the Rosary (sometimes the Chaplet to the Divine Mercy) will lead to moments of desolation and consolation in which our will shall be broken. This is prayer. Therefore, we cannot pray about something, we can request something in prayer, in explicit communication with God. This is true of the other two expressions above. We cannot know what God calls us to, nor we can see what is His will. We are unable to interpret God. He is infinite and our language is finite, as a friend from Vandy Catholic would say.

We know God by doing. When we do pray, when we humble ourselves before the altar (most preferably the Blessed Sacrament) we let our hearts be broken and in misery. This is prayer. Then we make our requests, and it should be clear that ALL of our requests will be met. We oftentimes request the object for the object itself, and this may not be granted. Nonetheless, what we expect or hope to gain from the object in our path to holiness, that will indeed be granted. As you can see, our requests are a product of our own will. We will and desire this or that because those things are of use to our souls on earth, i.e. our bodies. Then if those objects are granted, or not, we act accordingly. This is still our will. This stage is the Sorrowful Mystery of the Agony in the Garden, when Jesus Christ wanted to refuse the Cup from the father, He still had a will of His own.
 

On the Cross, however, Christ said: "Father, in your hands I commend my spirit". Our will resides in our spirit, and I will explain this in our next post. This last word of our Lord means that He has no will left. He comes back to the Father. To us this represents when our decision is constrained by past decisions that we have made, and it is time to trust the Lord. Such as a test, or marriage. We prepared by using our will, and now how it turns about it, in the immediate run, is in the hands of God.
 

Finally, the only way our will is united to God's is through constant prayer. That is the only way when we do things it will not be longer us but Him who lives in us, as St. Paul said, and we will not know, we will just witness the marvel of His mercy as it happens.

Pray the Rosary daily. 

In Christ, 

Through Mary,   

Everything we do is a form of prayer.

Thank you so much for reading, thank you so much for praying with me as we read together. I would like to welcome you with this very first note by saying that this will be a place for Christian prayer, and suggestions, reflections and testimonials of applications of the teachings of Jesus Christ in our lives. I am not a theologian, formally, I am an economist from Vanderbilt University, and a in a few months, will become a professional in corporate America. Above all things, I am Roman Catholic, and love Our Lady of Guadalupe with all my heart and all my will. I hope my prayers will not offend anybody, for we as Christians ought to be united. Those who do not love or venerate the Blessed Mother, I ask for their understanding and forgiveness, and encourage them to focus their attention to the prayers and reflections that will exist in this blog.
The title of this post is "Everything we do is a form of prayer". Yes, now that I type I'm praying (and listening to St. Teresa of Avila's "Consumed by Grace"). When I take the bus to go to school, or walk around campus, even when I offend those who listen or read my words, I am praying. That is, we pray not only by reciting the Our Father, Hail Mary, the Psalms or the Scripture. We pray even when we do not think of God. Prayer is a dialogue with our Creator, with He who is. All our actions, interactions and relationships are directed to Him. This is, for Catholics, when the devotion to Our Lady becomes so crucial. She loved Jesus more perfectly than anyone. She, the Handmaid of the Lord, humbled herself and her heart was broken into pieces. It is in this lowliness that She found grand delight. It is there where we ourselves find, must find great delight. We need to ask for Her assistance in our endeavors to love Jesus, to make our love perfect. (Please do remember that Christian perfection resides in human imperfection.)
I must share though, that I find it hard, heart breaking to humble myself to my fellow men and women. Why would I ever bow down to injustice and tragedy? I say to you my brethren, Do not bow to injustice, but rejoice in it by pursuing the Christ and finding peace in war. Live in austerity and you will find peace, for your dialogue with God will be afar from distractions.
I hope these words are useful and hopeful. For we are body and soul always, death is temporary if we believe in Christ Jesus. Believe and hope, Christ is here and now, He is body and soul, He is the Eucharist and the Wine. We can hope for and expect Him, and He will answer our prayers tangibly. So, go and be confident and come back with a broken spirit and a contrite heart (Psalm 51).  We will meet here again on the web.
In Him,
Through Mary