Brian’s Reflection: Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Leonardo da Vinci


One of the “messages” of Incarnation (Latin: meaning, “coming into flesh”) – I prefer this term to “Christmas”, as “Christmas” is a churchy, religious term referring to a church liturgy, and I don’t like that hijacking! – is that the essence of what we call God can be and is found in the human person.

I’ve always thought that God was very clever. God, being by definition Unknowable, figured out that we Humans would get the hint by pandering to our all-too-human Ego. “I’ll be one of Them” She said! And the angelic host chuckled, saying behind their hands to each other, “Really, She is TOO much!”.

Simple, right? And that lovely human Leonardo (Gay, bless his heart) knew that if God is anything, She is “sophisticated” – the meaning of which comes from the Greek “Sophia” meaning knowledge, and means knowing how to be Wise. “I’ll just become Human”, said She ….. and hope that SOME of those humans will get the point. The point being, that WE are the manifestation of the Mystery of Devine. Got it?

Problem: only a few of us seem to get the point, alas. We make all these flowery, grandiose claims for the nature of “God” – Goodness, Love, Compassion, Justice, Kindness – and we claim that we are Children of God made in the Imago Dei ….. and then we mostly reject the connection!

The message of Incarnation is Simple, and therefore ultimately sophisticated:

Be God.

Got it?

Brian+