Christianity in one word
Often people want to boil down complex subjects into simple-to-understand concepts. They are afraid that if something is too complex, some will reject it even if it is true because they can’t easily grasp it. This is also true of Christianity: throughout our history people have tried to simplify the web of truths which make up Christianity into easy-to-understand ideas. This is a noble project, although it does have its dangers. Sometimes in the process of simplification you leave out essential elements and thus distort the reality. But it is still praise-worthy to try to help others to understand Christianity and to try to break down any barrier to it.
If I had to boil down Christianity to just one word, it would be communion. I would define communion as “mutually self-donating union between two or more persons.” It is a union in which each person freely and completely gives himself or herself to the other out of love.
Communion is the leitmotif of all of Salvation History:
- Before creation, there is the Trinity, in which God is a communion of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- In the story of creation, the first time something is noted as “not good” is when man is alone (Genesis 2:18). It is only after man is joined with woman – in communion – that he is complete.
- The Fall ruptures two communions – the one between man and God (expelled out of Eden) and the one between man and woman (no longer able to be naked without shame).
- In the Incarnation, God entered into communion with man by becoming one of us.
- In his crucifixion and descent into hell, Christ entered into communion even with the depths of man, taking on our sins and dying for them.
- In his resurrection, Christ re-established the ruptured communion between man and God.
- In establishing the Sacrament of the Eucharist – “communion” – Christ gave us the ability to be in communion with both God and with our fellow man.
- In establishing the Sacrament of Matrimony, Christ re-established the ruptured communion between man and woman.
- At the end of time, those who are saved will be completely united to God and become like Him; we will “come to share in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4), thus being in complete and full communion with God and with all the other saved for all eternity.
So you can see that communion is the essence of the Christian Gospel. This has profound implications for how we live as Christians. One of the most obvious is that we cannot believe that our faith is an individualistic one, just between Christ and me. Through Adam, we were lost together, and through Christ – the new Adam – we are saved together. We are bound in this process of salvation as one Body, and to think that the salvation of our neighbor is irrelevant to my salvation is to distort the Gospel.
One of the defining characteristics of Hell is that you are completely and utterly alone. The person is Hell has chosen himself as his god, and God honors that choice by leaving him by himself for all eternity – no God, no communion with anyone. Heaven, on the other hand, is complete communion with God and with all those who are saved. Thus, as the Church Militant we are called to imitate, as much as possible, the Church Triumphant by living in communion with one another and with God.
Let us live out the reality of communion in our churches, in our marriages, and in everything we do on this earth. It is by living out communion that we are truly Christian.
Your thoughts put you in great company. First Pope John Paul II encouraged ‘self-donating love’, then Pope Benedict XVI promoted his dual theme of ‘covenant and communion’. If I was a cardinal, I would next choose Pope Eric Sammons I!
Brandon,
Let us thank the good Lord that such a thing could never happen!
A wonderful post, Eric, but I stumble a bit over the last bullet point, i.e., “At the end of time, those who are saved will be completely united to God and become like Him; we will “come to share in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4), thus being in complete and full communion with God and with all the other saved for all eternity.” This seems like something more than what the Catechism says: “Those who die in the grace of God and have no need of further purification are gathered around Jesus and Mary, the angels and the saints. They thus form the Church of heaven, where they see God “face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12). They live in a communion of love with the Most Blessed Trinity and they intercede for us.” Communion is still an applicable description for this eternal situation, but we are gathered “around Jesus and Mary, the angels and the saints,” not absorbed (which is what your words “completely united” evokes in me). That all being said, this is a great post. Thanks for your blogging.
Bill,
Just to be clear, I am not saying that we will be “absorbed” into God at the End. In a great mystery, we will become like Him and be completely united to Him, but we will always remain distinct. “Communion” always presupposes the distinction of the persons involved – they are united, not fused. As always, the Trinity is our model: Father, Son and Holy Spirit are intimately and completely united as one God, yet they remain distinct as three persons.
Thanks for your reply, Eric. Would you extend your analogy to the hypostatic union of God and man in Christ? And can you recommend any reading from within the tradition of the Church that I could consult to enhance my understanding of your position? Bill
I would have to say the one word would have to be “Jesus”.
1. The “Jesus” prayer, consisting only of the Name, has a place of honor among the traditional prayers of the Church.
2. Fully expanded, the Name means something like, “HE WHO IS Saves”. In one word it both describes God and our relationship to Him.
Eric…this is “strong” stuff…lots of thought has gone into
your”thesis”for describing Christianity in a single word. I think the word Jesus is better..He is the Word!None other is needed!
The word “communion” is much more apt than simply “Jesus” – as far as I am concerned. If Jesus is there, but you have no communion with him, what do you have? Nothing.
CORRECTION BILL, YOU WILL NOT BE “LIKE GOD”. NEVER.
IF THE SNAKE TOLD YOU THAT, TELL HIM TO GO BACK TO HELL AND TAKE HIS APPLES WITH HIM.
G.
ACCORDING TO MY ACCOUNTS, YOU WON`T FIND HELL EMPTY EITHER.
@Gabriel — Don’t shout.
2 Peter 1:4 (KJV) “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
1 John 3:2 (KJV) “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
This “partaking of the Divine nature” is called theosis. It is taught in Scripture and has been taught by the Church in every age. Please read the article at http://orthodoxwiki.org/Theosis, which carefully distinguishes theosis from heretical ideas such as apotheosis and Mormon “deification”. In particular,
The statement by St. Athanasius of Alexandria, “The Son of God became man, that we might become god”, [the second g is always lowercase since man can never become a God] indicates the concept beautifully. II Peter 1:4 says that we have become ” . . . partakers of divine nature.” Athanasius amplifies the meaning of this verse when he says theosis is “becoming by grace what God is by nature” (De Incarnatione, I). What would otherwise seem absurd, that fallen, sinful man may become holy as God is holy, has been made possible through Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate. Naturally, the crucial Christian assertion, that God is One, sets an absolute limit on the meaning of theosis – it is not possible for any created being to become, ontologically, God or even another god.
Mother Teresa spoke of the alienation of many in our society, those who were unwanted and unloved and abandoned in our world. I am one of them. Other Catholics don’t include me; they taunt me and say that I am alone. So, I must have my own special communion with Christ because no one will share Christ with me. I simply must have an individualistic communion with God because I am so alone. There are many like me, who are left out of the elites of the Church. I have no car to get to the meetings or bible studies and no one comes to me. But even I have not given up hope. I have decided to form an order of nns called the Howardine Sister of Joy. My faith makes me have hope somehow. Please pray for me, that God sends me companions on Earth! I would do well by them. I would give them a reason to be truly alive in the Church as I long to be!
“If I had to boil down Christianity to just one word, it would be communion.”
Really? Well instead of making up your own faith why dont you open up the Catechism and find out the Church’s definition of communion?
While you’re at it, you might consider the word Charity. And, try looking that one up too before you go any further.
HCSKnight
Bill,
Would you extend your analogy to the hypostatic union of God and man in Christ?
I don’t think so, because communion is always between persons (I can’t have communion with my dog, for example), and in the hypostatic union two natures are united in one divine person.
And can you recommend any reading from within the tradition of the Church that I could consult to enhance my understanding of your position?
I think the writings of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI reflect what I am saying here. Also, Howard’s post at 12:11am has some good resources as well.
Howard and Shamrock,
Don’t you know the rules of Scrabble? No proper nouns allowed!
Eric, great post. You have presented some valuable insights. I took a shot at understanding Luke 12 with similar sentiments in this post… http://tamingthewolf.com/blog/light-the-fire/
If I had to boil down Christianity to just one word, it would be communion.
And what is the source of that communion? More to the point, what is the cause of that communion? What is it that makes multiple persons one being?
Hint: God is it. It’s all you need. It makes the world go round. It is how we were made and why we were made. It starts with L and ends with OVE.
LOVE, love is the answer. Communion is not self-creating. Rather, it is the fullness of love which is unifying, so that multiple persons are one with each other (communion). And such fullness of love is, by its very nature, not only unitive, but fruitful as well, so that communion of persons is not stagnant, but grows and grows.
Christianity in one word.. Bang-up