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Speaking of parables, do we have to take them as gospel truths?
At my age and only during lucid intervals, I cannot help but think seriously about the hereafter. Or, to paraphrase the saint, we might call it “contemplatio ad mortem,” a virtual death wish.
After all, my future on this planet is realistically just over the horizon. It’s no wonder that many churchgoers belong to the well-over-70 bracket. You might say they have been booked, ticketed and ushered into the ultimate “pre-departure lounge.” Somehow many senior citizens cannot help but get the uneasy feeling that it’s time to say their last two-minute prayers.
Without wishing to appear or sound trite, or unbelieving like the apostle Thomas, I have often asked myself some of the test questions Jesus suggested might be asked of us at the final judgment, such as, did I feed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, comfort the sick or visit those imprisoned. But then again, I would wonder, weren’t those suggested acts of mercy meant to be merely rhetorical or poetic license? Wouldn’t it be better, for instance, to provide low-cost housing for the homeless, give employment to the jobless, train the unskilled some trade or skill; in other words, instead of giving a man a fish or a can of sardines, to “teach the man to fish” instead? In short, do we really have to take Jesus at his word – literally? Are we being less than charitable when we fail visit the sick in a hospital during an epidemic or visit the local jail to watch the inmates dance “This is it”? Are nurses and doctors then at a distinct advantage since they operate in hospitals? Are lawyers who interview their clients in jail assured of heaven even though such clients may be guilty as hell? Hasn’t the rich businessman or industrialist automatically earned his permanent place in heaven after having provided employment for thousands of workers, albeit grossly underpaid and perennially contractual?
Do we have to believe as gospel truth all the parables the good Lord told us? If he wanted us to do so, why could he not simply have told us, in no uncertain terms? “That’s an order!” “Do it, or else, it’s hell and damnation for you.”
Why does the Pope speak in dogmas and not in parables? Believe, or be excommunicated!
Who invented the doctrine that God loves us “unconditionally?” Does that mean we can do as we please and still go to heaven? What the hell is hell for then?
When do we take Jesus at this word, and when do we take him lightly or even for granted? Why is an expensive “annulment” of a movie star acceptable whereas poor people have to endure a bad marriage? Why is divorce allowed in Italy but not in the Philippines?
Why is it that when we seem to be at a loss for some appropriate quote from the New Testament, we tend to fall back on some overused quote from Ecclesiastes or the Old Testament which is owned by the Jews who considered Jesus as a blasphemer or a heretic?
Am I going to die a completely confused old man? If God wanted me not to ask questions, why did he provide me with some intelligence and free will? Am I being restless and carefree or am I really trying to search for the truth in earnest?
When are we supposed to leave it completely to blind faith, or hope, or to the expert theologians? If to know God is to love him, are theologians necessarily more pious and assured of some well-appointed mansions in heaven?
Nowadays, to fulfill my Sunday obligation (under pain of mortal sin), I go to mass at a church in Marikina. For some reason (I think mainly to accommodate devotees who insist on sticking a lighted candle to go with their prayer requests) there is a small structure beside the church that now houses a framed picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary (it used to be an icon of the “Ecce Homo”). I have often observed, for instance, how a man on a bicycle and in his riding shorts would go there, reverently wipe his hankie on the edge of the gilded picture frame, make what might pass for the sign of the cross, and leave. That’s his idea of “Sunday services.” Now, I am not quite sure who goes home more blessed, him or me. I do not know whether to feel edified, embarrassed, shocked and scandalized, or all of the above.
Jesus once said, “unless you be like little children…you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Mt. 18:3. Obviously, he meant for us to be humble, little, insignificant, accepting, helpless, and definitely not smart-alecky. However, doesn’t it mean too that just like little children we should always be asking embarrassing, pesky, and nagging little questions, such as, where did I come from, or why did I see mama kissing Santa Claus?
Where is the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete that Jesus promised? Why do we automatically think of a white pigeon when somebody mentions the Holy Spirit? Isn’t the Holy Spirit just as important as the other persons in the Holy Trinity? Why does our “Credo” devote only one single short phrase about the Holy Spirit (“I believe in the Holy Spirit” – that’s it) whereas God the Father and God the Son are well-defined, their characteristics and salient features detailed or explained? Speaking of which, did we have to make special mention of “Pontius the Pilot” in the whole scheme of things while vaguely alluding to the entire “communio sanctorum” or the communions of saints virtually as an afterthought?
I have also heard the argument, particularly from pious, born-again Christians, who advise against asking too many questioning questions. They will tell us that what is needed is not so much doubting as much as believing. There are simply some things that cannot be known or explained by reason alone but rather “revealed.” That for one to be lucky enough to have such truths revealed requires “grace” to which not everyone seems entitled. It is a gift from God. (What isn’t a gift from God, pray, tell). It requires a deep and abiding faith. And faith they would remind us and quote from St. Paul “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1.
The argument of course must end when one quotes from the Holy Book, albeit inappropriately. It’s a bit like lawyers mouthing some old Latin maxims to bolster an inherently weak argument or to impress a gullible client.
The great writer, lay theologian and Christian apologist C.S. Lewis in trying to persuade his close friend, J.R.R. Tolkien, to understand some of the mysteries of faith, suggested instead that such reluctance may come rather from a “failure of the imagination.” Whatever our beliefs, it is often a lack of imagination as much as a lack of faith (or hope, or love) that we suffer from. An author then suggests to “let our imaginations feed upon the images they present so that we may believe just a little what ‘no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him.’” 1 Corinthians 2:9
I can appreciate this appeal to the imagination. It explains for instance how reading a novel can be just as enjoyable and descriptive (or better) as watching a movie about the same story or topic. As John Lennon suggested in that beautiful song (“Imagine”) he composed , “Imagine there’s no heaven…no hell below us, above us only sky…” Indeed, what a dreary, cruel and unfair world this would be.
If we fail to imagine a world after this one, indeed, one would be loath to leave it. In the poetic if creative words of the prolific and imaginative Shakespeare in Hamlet, we would merely think of the hereafter as “theundiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns…” It would thereby “puzzle the will…thus make cowards of us all…thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought and enterprise of great pitch and moment with this regard their currents turn awry and lose the name of action.”
Of the many parables that Jesus narrated, some have of course become classic and more popular than others. The Parable of the Prodigal Son immediately comes to mind. The rich man and the poor man Lazarus, the rich and greedy man who built a bigger grain silo, the Good Samaritan, etc. all remind us that there is life much better than this that we can only try to imagine but is beyond all human comprehension. Indeed, this was the favorite theme of Jesus’ parables, that heaven is simply too marvelous for words, that the only way to appreciate the “kingdom of God” or the “kingdom of heaven” is to use the eyes of faith, the faith that can move mountains, to use our imagination, just as we and/or our children are able to imagine and create and appreciate Spiderman, Superman, Batman and all the other superheroes. If we can imagine the world of Harry Potter as created by its best-selling author of all time, J.K. Rowling, I believe with a little imagination and faith we shall see a clearer picture of what heaven is like and therefore not fear death all that much. O death, where is thy victory, o death, where is thy sting? 1 Corinthians 15:55
The Pilipino word for parable is “talinghaga,” a big, impressive Tagalog word. Maybe that’s why Jesus resorted to parables when talking about the hereafter. It may not be enough to simply take him at this word. You would have to use your imagination, use the eyes of faith, use your 3D vision, or miss out on the message completely. Bro. James D. Lansang(jeemsdee@yahoo.com)
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When confronted with parables & paradoxes, I take solace in what one observer said that life is like an Algebra book; the more you read it, the more problems you get. Farther beyond math books, things become even more complicated. Mathematically, 1 + 1 = 2. However, sexually, 1 + 1 = 3. Religiously, 1 + 1 + 1 = 1. Commercially, 1 + 1 is shampoo with conditioner. So, I just read on. . . one page at a time, absorb whatever I can, pretend for the meantime that I understand those that I can’t, and hope that someday my barber will give me better answers. Wisdom, like Jose Feliciano’s love, sometimes comes from the most unexpected places. God works in mysterious ways.
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The Lord speaks in simple-worded parables. And yet they could be subjected to numerous interpretations and idea-playing from so many angles. Yet the kernel of truth that they want to convey remains. It makes the mind wander further than within the scope of the story per se to gain more life- applicable insights. The amazing thing is their timeless significance. The target audience during His time is no different in relevance from that in ours. There is always something for everybody. To be effective like the parachute though, our minds just have to be open to assimilate the lessons implied through enlightenment otherwise we would miss them altogether.
If all else fail, we can always listen to the words of wisdom of the barber and the singer. |
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