Wednesday, January 31, 2007

The Sole Sufferer

In his discussion of "Rhenish-Flemish Mysticism," Hans Urs von Balthasar refers to a passage in the writings of Heinrich Suso:
In a great prayer Suso praises God in "the pains of all wounds, the groans of all the sick, the sighing of all who mourn, the tears of all who weep, the insults borne by all the oppressed;" this is possible because God the Son is "the sole Sufferer": thus all who suffer should form a circle around him, thirstily drinking from him who is the "overflowing wellspring of grace." [Theo-Drama, Vol. V, p. 456.]
A few pages earlier, von Balthasar quoted another of the Rhineland mystics, the 14th century Johannes Tauler, who wrote: "we do not follow God by experiencing a sense of well-being but by taking up our Cross."

Liz had a seizure tonight. She recovered, but we welcome your prayers and are grateful for them.

1 comment:

jill said...

I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying what you write now that I read you every day.

My prayers join many others for you and your wife.