The Holy and Bright 50 is a time of struggle for me. The struggle comes out of the great tension between memory and the immediate or current times or current states of affairs. The memory I am called to hold to, to be full attuned to and fully alive for is the Resurrection of our Lord Christ.
The immediate is all the things that seek to occupy my attention, not just thoughts and judgement of vapours kinds, but also my proclivities, my vices–those things I do that bring me deeper into the world and all its cares (like writing this knowing the Leafs are going into overtime of game 3 against the Panthers, and wondering if I’m going to cave … probably will …), worries, and current affairs (like bank rates going up, the new Pope elected, ‘the tariff wars’, etc).
Even all the needs of my body: exercise, supplements, just the right amount of protein, physiotherapy to finally deal with that damn shoulder injury …
Now some might think that I’m crazy because these are straightforward ways of living well, right? But the care for my body actually idolizes it to some extent which thus shifts the focus of my attention more on the process of getting more and more (physically) healthy, rather than seeing God, seeing the Logos in all of it. And it takes my eyes off the cares and concerns of others, thus drawing me into the sickness of my ego.
For since creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead. So that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened (Romans 1:19-21).
When we lose sight of Beauty Himself, we are not longer present to what is true and good, but rather become futile in our thoughts–houses, cars, six packs, etc–and our minds become darkened; and the darkened mind is the enemy’s playground.
And then the reading for today provides the antidote to the darkened mind …
Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life. For My flesh is food indeed and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and I in Him (John 6:54).
To haver the renewed mind, the resurrected mind, we must partake of the Body and Blood of our Lord; we must partake of Beauty Himself. It’s very simple: We go tot liturgy and receive Him; His Body and Blood brings un into loving union with Him, for Christ says,
As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so He who feeds on Me will live because of Me … [For] he who eats this bread will live forever.
Bright and Holy 50 is a continued call to holiness and the Eucharist is paramount. I am writing this not having received or partaken of Him since Pascha. I miss Him so much while still basking in the radiance of His Resurrection. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life because He is Being, the Logos, the One Who Is.
Carl Jung once observed that creativity is to the soul what food is to the body. In the Holy Eucharist we have real food for the soul AND body; and that Food, Christ, the Logos Himself, nourishes us; and it is that nourishment that fuels our creativity that then feeds others.
Our art, our writing, painting, sculpting, film making then becomes our offering back to God and out to others. Our artwork, our creative work must also be nourished by our Lord Christ in loving union with Him; to see Beauty we must partake of Beauty Himself, then we can spread that Beauty to others as light, as services, as art.
