Reflection - Super-Heroes

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/052019.cfm
Acts 14:5-18
John 14:21-26

When I was younger super-heroes were largely of the human variety. Even Superman was essentially in the same category aside from the fact that he was an immigrant from Krypton. Villains too, were, for the most part, human — think Lex Luther or The Joker. Even the sad but vile creature assembled by Dr. Frankenstein was made of human parts. Things have changed. The combo of super-heroes in The Avengers movies and the X-Men movies seem to herald a return to Greek or Norse mythology where each god had his special strengths and weaknesses. Still, today’s super-heroes all seem to participate in ordinary human life — meeting for lunch, having relationships, mending/repairing their costumes. They fit in well with today’s society. I wouldn’t be uncomfortable having dinner with one of them — just maybe a bit intimidated because I didn’t have a fancy outfit. Little should we wonder at the people of Lystra who initially took Paul and Barnabas as ‘god’s.’ Whether super heroes or ‘gods’, we are generally comfortable with those who are like us.

Thinking clearly about super heroes is relatively easy; but thinking clearly about God is not. It’s probably my academic orientation, but, when I think about God I became disoriented and confused. After all, the theologians tell us that God is totally Other, and this in spite of the fact that we are made in his image. That’s nice to know; but it frequently seems a bit of a stretch.

So what is it like thinking specifically about God? For myself, I can only draw some weak parallels. It’s like a cloudless, crystal clear night, deep in the mountains immersed in the immensity of the universe — and that’s even before remembering that God made it all. It’s like being in deep waters with no land in sight and wondering what’s underneath. It’s like being over one’s head in in a discussion of math or physics or art or any field of study where comprehension is, itself, devoid of meaning. It’s easy to set aside rational thought for a few hours and let the incomprehensible play out it’s drama with super-heroes and their outrageously devious villains. It’s not nearly so easy to maintain one’s rational thought and truly confront reality, especially when the reality is the ultimate reality.

It’s easy to conjure up a god with super-human powers. He would be intelligible because my imagination would concede to him a level of intelligibility. In other words, I give him meaning. It’s a bit more difficult to focus on a God who is God. Neither my intellect nor my imagination can contribute anything useful to the reality. Indeed, it demands more clarity in accepting the reality than is normally possible.

These difficulties are probably, in part, the rationale behind the Incarnation (As if God needs a rationale.) As with the people of Lystra, so too for us. A God who comes among us in human form is certainly easier for our limited intellects to grasp than the God of philosophy or theology who is totally Other. We can walk and talk with an Incarnate God; we can eat and drink with him; we can hike or fish with him. Or at least we could if we lived two thousand years ago. That’s a problem with being temporal. Furthermore, after two thousand years it takes a bit more than the average time to establish a relationship. In many ways it’s easier to approach Jesus as a super-hero than it is to approach him as God. The ’God’ part just resurrects the confusion and dissonance. How can I grasp the convergence of two parts into one when both are mysteries. On the other hand, the human part can be quite comforting. Jesus’ words and acts are those of someone whom I desire as a core part of my life. A particular favorite among his sayings are these words from John: “No longer do I call you servants,for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15)

There is a distance between ourselves and God. That much is obvious.

There is a difference between ourselves and Jesus. That too is obvious.

How do I deal with this difference and this distance?

I can’t. I can’t reconcile the human and the divine. I can’t integrate humanity and divinity. Yet, I know both are true. I know that which is like me and super-heroes are like me and yet approach the limit of my comprehension. That is why I know my faith is a gift of the Spirit. He is why I can be comfortable with the unknown, the incomprehensible, the totally Other. He is why it is within my grasp to be comfortable knowing that Jesus is the Son of God. He teaches me all I need to know.

“The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name
he will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you."