Posted on: March 12th, 2009 The Social Dimension of the Mind of Christ
Chapter 7 of James Finley’s book Christian Meditation, about which I have blogged much, is called “Entering the Mind of Christ.” This is another aspect of what is going on in Christian meditation, or contemplative prayer.
Finley writes that the practice of disciplined contemplation (which at one place he describes as “the intimate understanding of the texture of my own heart as feelings play across its surface, flow through it, and alter its state from one moment to the next”) gives us an awareness of our unity not just with God but with our fellow human person:
It takes time, but little by little we enter the social dimension of the mind of Christ in awakening to how perfectly one we are with everyone living and dead. As this awareness slowly seeps in, we are able to grow, day by day, into a more patient, gracious recognition and acceptance of and gratitude for others. Little by little the graciousness of Christ’s empathetic mind of oneness with others is translated into a thousand little shifts in the way we think about people, our attitudes toward them, and the way in which we actually treat them day by day. (page 195)
One Response to “The Social Dimension of the Mind of Christ”
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ichsteh Says:
April 12th, 2009 at 11:08 amI really like that aspect of Finley myself (and blogged about it) … it’s pretty much the only source of hope I’ve come across lately to counteract the the let-down-ness and boredom I seem to feel lately toward every Xian community I come across.