Ps. 116:5,NIRV
In the pastwe stated our concern that God’s sacred tenderness has often been neglected in Christian tradition. In this post we consider one possible reasonfor this neglect: the nature of the Western mind. (Discussion of additional reasons for suchneglect can be found in earlier posts[1]).
The great writer C. S. Lewis once spoke of a time when the two hemispheres of his brainwere in “sharpest contrast.” On one sidehe sensed a “many-islanded sea of poetry and myth”—on the other (as he himselftermed it) he experienced a “glib and shallow ‘rationalism.’” All he loved most (that “many-islanded sea ofpoetry and myth”) he believed to be simply imaginary. Meanwhile, all he believed to be solidly real—thatwhich fit his world of “rationalism”—he thought of as “grim and meaningless.”[2]
Somethingsimilar often happens in regard to tenderness. In this case we are not likely to doubt that tenderness is real, but we mayunconsciously doubt that it is all thatsignificant. Tenderness cannot be measured, weighed, priced, pushed toward agoal, verified, or used (unless it issome sort of distorted, improper use).And God’s sacred tendernesscertainly cannot be used! Nor, for that matter, can it be put into aformula or a particularly logical (rational) argument.
Carl Jung (one of the threegreat founders of psychology as a science) once said, “[W]e have raised Reasonto a seat above the gods.” Jung also spoke of the cold “skyscraper of rational consciousness” in whichthe modern Western mind tends to get trapped.[3] (Perhaps this would be another wayof describing C. S. Lewis’s dilemma above.)
Jung also spoke of the cultural disability or disablement that “one-sided cerebralthinking has produced.”[4] Ina comment that might explain this disabilityhe said, “The intellect does indeed do harm to the soul when it dares topossess itself of [i.e., does a takeoverof] the heritage of the spirit.” Or hesaid, “Never before [modern times] has eternal truth been faced with such ahybris [or hubris] of will and power”--as well as an onslaught of views based almostexclusively upon “rationalistic materialism.”[5]
If thestrictly rational, “will and power,”that which can be apprehended by the senses, and verifiable goals andaccomplishments are what we see as of sole importance, much will be left at
thewayside. Too often that includes tenderness and the soul.
Inregard to “will and power,” Pope Francis suggested: Tenderness is often perceived as a weakness. Not practical. We do not understand the hidden “power of tenderness.”[6]
We saw that C. S. Lewis spoke (above) ofthe two hemispheres of the brain causing a dichotomyof values in his life. Jungian analystEugene Pascal, similarly, writes that in the Western mindset “the [rational] left cerebralhemisphere [of the brain] has beendeified to the neglect and denigration of the other ninety percent of theaspects of human psychic [i.e., psychological] life” (emphasis ours). Pascal also notes a “rift” in the Westernmind that is related to a shift in that direction.[7] Putting this “rift” in colloquial language,we might say that there tends to be a certain cool,top-heavylopsidednessin the Western mindset.
With deification of only one side of life a culture tends (often unconsciously) toward a dismissive, reductionistic attitude toward much that does not fit theprevailing or predominant mindset. Tenderness is clearly one of thoseelements; it can seem unimportant and inconsequential in those terms. Jung also spoke of a “two-dimensionalconceptual world in which the reality of life is well covered up by so-calledclear concepts.”[8] Tenderness will never be a clear conceptand sacred tenderness—God’stenderness—does not fit into a two-dimensional world. Thus, it tends to be a victim of thatphenomenon Jung describes: where the genuine “reality of life is well coveredup by so-called clear concepts.”
And this is true even in the religiousrealm. Here, too, the Western mind has atendency to prefer “clear concepts,” formulas, and getting things down pat. There is a long, tragic history in Western Christianityof arguments about formulas and “so-called clear concepts” from the chilly, top-heavy, attic level of the “skyscraperof rational consciousness.” Once we areinto those chilly arguments, God’s sacred tenderness (which often enters quietly like the "still small voice" of the prophet’s encounter[9]) canhardly be heard. Furthermore, all thatwe have learned from Christian teaching about love and compassion andtenderness toward our fellows seems to get pushed to one side. (E.g., the Apostle Paul writes: “[W]ith allhumility and gentleness, withpatience, bearing with one another in love, . . . be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, asGod in Christ has forgiven you.”[10]For, indeed, we are to become more like our God, who is a God of “tendermercy”: James 5:11,NIRV,KJV;Luke 1:78, NIV, NRSVCE, NRSV.)
Or stop to consider the arguments inAmerican culture today. One media“talking head” says this and anothersays that. We quote one at a family gathering; someoneelse quotes the opposite, and off we go. Family gatherings and celebrations thatshould be days in which we share heartand soul turn into days filled with hard feelings because we have batted ego-opinions [11] back andforth. The deep down love we have forone another—the deeper than words connection—gets lost. It is a scene that is played out endlessly in
today.
The saintly Flemish poet Hadewijch ofAntwerp wrote: “But we must detach ourselves / From the agitation ofreasons . . .” Hadewijch understood that aslong as we live in this “agitation” God’s tender love (and our love for others)will have a great deal of trouble getting through. (How tragic that in our public discourse in
today we live almost continually in such“agitation.”) In contrast to this stateHadewijch speaks of “Speechless Love”[12]—which is not based onreasons or formulas or arguments. It simply is. And yet, as the Apostle Paul tells us, suchlove is the greatest gift of all (1Cor. 13).
God’s sacred tenderness is often “Speechless Love”—it can be known (itcan be pictured in stories like Jesus’ parables of the Prodigal Son andfaithful Shepherd[13] and consummately in the story of Jesus’ ownlife), but it cannot be rationalized or entirelycaptured in words. And therefore,because of prevailing attitudes in the Western mindset, too often such tender lovegets short changed. (Note: we are speaking here of prevailing or predominant attitudes. However,less dominant voices also exist--including deep within each one of us!--andthose voices must speak up if balanceis to be attained. Note the ApostlePaul’s concept of the “body of Christ” [1 Cor. 12]: wholeness is found inbalance.)
We suggestthat the reader take time to meditate upon the Apostle Paul’s great “LoveChapter” (1 Cor. 13). It is very wellknown—rightfully recited at many weddings—and yet ever and again its larger than life spiritual values getlost as we are caught up in its opposites: in prevailing Western views--viewsthat push God’s sacred tenderness andour tenderness toward one another into an inconsequential corner. (If no Bible is handy, one can Google “1 Corinthians 13.”)
Because ofthe prevailing Western mindset our prayer life (by which we draw closer toGod) also tends to suffer: it can seem like a waste of time in our overcrowded mental agendas. Marjorie Thompson has written an articleentitled “Wasting Time with God.” Shespeaks of “meaningful one-on-one time with the Lover of our souls.”[14] How often this (the source of ourempowerment) gets short-changed in our jam-packed, driven lives. And then wewonder why everything else is a bit off-kilter. But what is prayer? One possible definition:
The soft rains of God are something like thestill small voice. Soft
rainsfall upon thetender, open (“unfolded”) heart. Such softrains
(think ofrefreshing springtime rains)might include a sense ofhealing,
restoration, forgiveness, and revivification; the peacethat passes
understanding(Phil.4:7); a sense of comfort or being upheld in trial;
agentle sense ofguidanceand empowerment; or a quiet sense of joy.
And, in all, asense of God’s “tender mercy” and the assurance that
weare Lovedand then Lovedall over again. (Furthermore, we will
wanttopass this onto our sistersandbrothersin need of God's
tender Love.)
(Note: Carl Jung--and those who value his thought--do not in the least disparage the intellect orthe proper place of reason. It’s allabout balance! We quote Jung once again:“The intellect does indeed do harm to thesoul when it dares to possess itself of [i.e., does a takeover—sometimes a hostiletakeover--of] the heritage of the spirit.”The latter is not balance, nor is it respect for the fullness of thehuman being.)
* * *
We close with thoughts for meditation, prayer/poetry/proverbs:
(With reflection upon Gen. 1:27; Col. 2:7; Eph. 3:17-18; Ezek. 36:26.) *** 
✮ No Words (a meditation):
Robin, you are busy.
Oh, I am busy too!
Busy: that American"thing"—
Expanding till it kills thetrue.
But you are busy joyfully,
With tender purpose in your wings.
Our purpose? "Things"? And then more "things"?
But yours? Life's secret to renew! [15]
Speaking in terms that are somewhatsimilar to our theme above,
Joan Chittister writes:
"It is so easy to come to believe that what we dois so much more
important thanwhat we are.It is so easy to simply get too busy to
grow. It is so easy to commitourselves to thiscentury's demand for
product and action until the productconsumes us and theactions
exhaust us andwe can no longer even rememberwhy we set out
to do themin the first place. . . . [T]hen I havebecome more of a
thing than a person and life is really passing me by. Or, I am
passing it by."[16]
God’s tender Love is always for “what weare,” who we are: an unconditionallyloved child of God. But our mind-set and busyness so easily shut out such Love.
***
“The Heart Knows Things it Cannot Tell”
Violet shadows on the❆ snow ❅,
Pink above in sunset—
Reflections of a worldunknown
Caught within the heart’snet.
The heart knows things itcannot tell—
The mind cannot conceivethem—
So these must spill in mystic lines
The mind can but . . . believe in.
♡ “The hearthas its reasons, which reason does not know.”
– Blaise Pascal
***
Prayer beneath a cloud: (Quoting some of the "old saints": e.g., the anonymous classic “The Cloud of Unknowing” and John Arndt, John Tauler, and Julian of Norwich [quotes in purple and maroon], who speak of the “substance” or “ground” of our being in God and God’s being [image] in us.[17] Also see Mt. 28:20; Gen. 1:27.) *** And finally, simply in celebration of the season & its lessons: "Taste and See" “O taste and see that the Lord is sweet.” – Ps. 34:8 [18] Dragonflies and cattails And sweet September sun, The toad that hops beside me To see what I’ve begun . . . Some scribbles on a paper— Some moments in my mind, Some messages from nature If she should be so kind. The world is a-glitter On one rare, perfect day, And I will Taste and Fill my soul Before I’m called away. Howard Thurman: "[B]e true to the deepest things in me [you]. ... If the light that is in you be darkness, nothing outside of you can turn the light on again. Only you yourself can do that. Even God can't unless you give him a hand."[19] (At the same time see the first prayer in this section of meditations above--prayer is giving God "a hand.") ***
…………………………
Notes:
1. Especially: “Sacred Tenderness—Lost in Translation?”:
http://sacred-tenderness-christian-tradition.blogspot.com/2015_02_01_archive.html;
“Missing Sacred Tenderness and Missing Women’s Voices”:http://sacred-tenderness-christian-tradition.blogspot.com/2015/03/missing-sacred-tenderness-and-missing.html;
“Martin Luther’s Neglected Tenderness”:http://sacred-tenderness-christian-tradition.blogspot.com/2015/03/martin-luthers-neglected-tenderness.html;
“‘Love First’ or ‘Law First’”:http://sacred-tenderness-christian-tradition.blogspot.com/2015/04/law-first-or-love-first-and-gods-tender.html;
“The Great 'Divine Romance of Heaven' for us & its Frequent Neglect”: http://sacred-tenderness-christian-tradition.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-great-sacred-romance-and-its.html.
2. C. S. Lewis, Surprised By Joy (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1955), p. 170.
3. C. G. Jung Speaking: Interviews and Encounters, eds. William McGuire and
R.F.C. Hull (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1977), p. 223 (1952
interview with J. P. Hodin, “The Hell of Initiation”); The Collected Works of
C. G. Jung, eds. Herbert Read, Michael Fordham, Gerhard Adler, William
McGuire, trans. R. F. C. Hull (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press,
1953-79), Vol. 11, par. 56.
4. C. G. Jung Speaking, p. 45 (Jung’s phrase—from a 1928 press conference in Vienna—is
“the many cultural cripples one-sided cerebral thinking has produced.” We place the comment
in updated language.)
5. The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Vol. 9(2), par. 282; Vol. 13, par. 7; Vol. 16, par. 396.
Also see C. G. Jung Letters, ed. Gerhard Adler with Aniela Jaffé, trans. R. F. C. Hull (Princeton: Princeton University, 1953, 1973), Vol. 2, pp. 600-603 (10/19/1960).
6. Love Crucified Community, “Tenderness in Pope Francis’ Evangelium Gaurdium”
(paraphrasing/summarizing his thought first, then quoting from No. 270 of Evangelium
Gaurdium): http://www.lovecrucified.com/a_other/tenderness.html.
7. Eugene Pascal, Ph.L., Jung to Live By (New York: Time Warner, 1992), pp. 176-7.
8. C. G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, ed. and recorded by Aniela Jaffé,
trans. Richard and Clara Winston (New York: Vintage, Random House, 1961),
p. 144.
9. See 1 Kings 19:12, RSV, KJV, MEV.
10. Eph. 4:2, 32, NRSV, NRSVCE (emphasis ours).
11. By their very nature opinions come from the ego, rather than a deep soul level.
Convictions may come from a deeper level, but opinions are more on the surface.
12. The Flemish poet Beguine known as Hadewijch II (13th c.); quoted in
Emilie Zum Brunn and Georgette Epiney-Burgard, Women Mystics in Medieval
Europe, trans. Sheila Hughes (St. Paul, MN: Paragon House, 1989), pp. 132, 134.
13. Luke 15.
14. Marjorie J. Thompson, “Wasting Time with God,” Weavings, March/April 1989, p. 30.
15. Meditations, prayer/poetry/proverbs by Lorraine B. Eshleman.
16. Joan D. Chittister, O.S.B., Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of
St. Benedict Today (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco: 1990) p. 30.
17. Classic writers like Johann Tauler spoke of “the ground of the soul”; John Arndt
spoke of “the ground of the heart”; Julian of Norwich of the “Substance” or “Ground”
of our being in our deepest soul where God is "knit" to us. The idea of the “cloud”
and the “sharp dart of longing love” come from the anonymous classic The Cloud
of Unknowing.
18. Translationof Ps. 34:8 and Martin Luther in “The Magnificat,” ed.
Thomas S. Kepler, An Anthology of Devotional Literature (Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1977),p. 262. Also see Luther's sensitivity to nature:
Notes 32-33 of "Martin Luther's Neglected Tenderness"; https://sacred-tenderness-christian-tradition.blogspot.com/2015/03/martin-luthers-neglected-tenderness.html
19. Howard Thurman, The Growing Edge, quoted in Rueben P. Job
and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other
Servants (Nashville, The Upper Room, 1983), p. 403 (emphasis added).
