We are faced with the enormity of living with our new understanding of Christ’s ongoing Incarnation. This is a life vision change of Christ capable of transforming our lives. How do we make it change our lives?
First, we need to analyze our intentionality toward Christ. Has any change in our attitude toward Christ occurred? Second, we need to set a goal that is in keeping with our desired intentionality toward Christ. Third, we need to develop an action plan to accomplish our goal. Intentionality, goal, action comprise a dynamic model for changing our lives.
Intentionality. Rollo May’s book, Love and Will, introduces the concept of intentionality by describing a scene of a house in the woods. He has a number of people come into view of the house. The reality of the house is always the same, but each person’s perception is different, depending on what each brings psychologically to the scene. For example, a real estate agent sees the house one way, an artist sees it very differently. Intentionality is the combination of our mind, heart and will that impacts our vision of reality. So there are two factors in the concept of intentionality, our perception of reality and how we respond to it.
Let us put Christ in the place of the house in the woods. What is our intentionality toward Christ? A wide range of perceptions and responses to Christ’s ongoing Incarnation are possible. From near zero on the scale, to notional, to real, to joyous insight. Many may still see Christ as both human and divine, a man of radical love, but still as an historical figure. Their response to Christ may still be just great admiration.
However, Christ is not dead but alive, and in some mysterious way alive in us. Further, the Spirit is busy at work penetrating us with Christ’s presence and powers. Our relationship to Christ has been entirely transformed. We cannot escape Christ. He is present in every part of our lives: eating and drinking, work and play. Has our intentionality toward Christ changed dramatically?
Goal. How do we incorporate this deep spiritual insight into our lives? That is where the second factor of our dynamic process for change must be brought in. To help actualize our desired intentionality, we need a goal. Simply, what should we strive for with this new revelation of Christ?
To give birth to the Christ within us. To incarnate Christ in our own unique way. To be attentive to the Spirit’s inspirations. We still have to study the mind, heart and will of the historical Jesus so as to guide the way we live our lives. But it is not slavish imitation. It is not imitating someone outside ourselves. It is attempting to bring out the Christ within us through the thoughts and actions of our unique personalities.
Action. Action is the third member of this dynamic process, but it must be action that is relevant to our desired intentionality and goal. Our intentionality impacts our goal, and our intentionality and goal impact our actions. Working together they can incorporate this new revelation about Christ into our spiritual life. What kind of action is relevant?
We have to work at our vision change of Christ through a transformation of our heart, mind and will. We have to pray ardently for a deeper grasp of this truth. We have to study its meaning through spiritual reading. We have to act as if we are Christ already, attempting to heal, to forgive, to bind others to Christ through love. We have to incarnate Christ in our whole life, in our life as body persons, in our life of the senses, in our everyday lived experiences, in our relationships to others. The place of the divine is in the human. We have a new kind of God Who dwells in the human. Our God was made flesh and continues to dwell among us.
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