Life is about letting go, moving into another space that is more expansive and freeing than the one lived in before. It is about idols being demolished and the courage to face fear and anxious concern and moving forward in trust. So ideas about ‘god’, which are just projections of our own human limitations, are difficult to let go of…. and a kind of death is needed for that to happen. Most of us do it slowly throughout our life, others can have a profound experience (NDE one of them) that places them apart from the rest of us who live in faith and hope and yes an ever deepening trust in a love that is infinite.
None of our experiences are prototypes for others; we are unique, so our paths, even if we share a certain traditions are different from each person on the way. Patience is needed for those of us who trudge along within our own traditions, imperfect as they are, yet we do grow in love and compassion as we draw close to the mystery we call God, the infinite, and other, beyond all image and understanding. We all stutter when trying to explain the “why” of our different paths, but they are important and each needs to be respected.
I was never taught to hate, kill or to malign others who think differently than I do, for we are all made in the image and likeness of God. It is when we love and are compassionate that we live out that image.
Br. Mark Dohle, OCSO
Holy Spirit Monastery
