“The devil is more spiritual than God.”
After nearly forty years, I still remember those words spoken by Fr. Dennis J. Bennett (St. Luke’s, Ballard) in Seattle, where I was a parishioner. I was new to the Church and new to the Faith, and Fr. Bennett was explaining something about the importance of “the incarnation” to our faith.
I don’t remember any more about what he had said, but I was often impressed by his insights and with how clearly and memorably he was able to express many of them.
The devil is more spiritual than God; indeed!
I sometimes find myself pondering the many images we have of God: an Old Man sitting upon a Great Throne dispensing wisdom; a Rock of Ages doling out justice and judgment; a Mighty Shepherd dividing sheep and goats; and I find myself wondering if those images don’t do more to estrange us from God than to draw us nearer to his loving embrace.
While those are certainly biblical images, I find myself, at times, needing a different kind of God, or at least a different kind of image. I don’t want to imply for a moment that we have a variety of gods hanging in our closet, ready to be swapped out or exchanged as our needs change – the way we might swap our Sunday morning suit for a set of bib overalls for working in the garden on a Sunday afternoon.
No, God is God, and nothing I say or do will change that – thanks be to God!
But sometimes the face of God I need to see differs from one day to the next. There are some days I certainly need to see God sitting high upon a throne, and knowing that I will stand before God answering for things done and for things left undone; for my charity and for my lack of charity; for my character assets, and for my character defects. Knowing I will face God one day … no, let me change that: I know I stand under God’s judgment daily … and that knowledge keeps me firmly grounded on my knees.
But I am not sure it is God’s desire or intention to keep us solely upon our knees. While I can get a fair amount of praying done when I am on my knees (and weeding), I believe God gave us feet so we can go places, and eyes so we can see those in need of food or shelter, and ears so we can hear the cries of those in sorrow, and hands so we can comfort those in pain, and hearts so that we can be passionate and compassionate in our lives and in our living.
Ultimately, it seems to me, that “the generosity of God is expressed in all kinds of physical things”. I believe in a God with dirty fingernails.
The opening scenes of the Bible depict heaven and earth as a mighty construction site, and while God can be viewed as a General Contractor directing matters in the first chapter, we see him actually playing in the dirt in the second chapter as he brings the human race into being. Considering how thick I can be at times, I wonder if God didn’t use Central Valley clay in constructing our brains!
Be that as it may, the universe in which we live and move and have our being is a physical universe, and the One who inhabits the Universe and all of Eternity fills both with his divine presence. It is no secret, then (or surprise) that the expression of God’s affection is not to be found in wispy spirituality, but in the beauty of creation and in the fellowship of humanity, and in the substance of our lives.
God has dirty fingernails. That means God has been at work in this, our valley. Let’s see if we can’t give him a bit of a hand. And while you’re on your knees, you may as well check for litter as well. I’m sure we’ve all left a trail to mark our passing; and there’s the devil to pay. Fortunately, God brought his checkbook; His generosity knows no bounds.
Images culled from internet, copyright holders or authors unknown.
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