February 26, 2010

Hebrews 2

I'm sure it's partially the late hour and partially the fact that Shutter Island is currently running rings through my head (not a fan of it, incidentally), but I'm having trouble making heads or tails of the second chapter of this book.

Which is odd, because this morning I skimmed over it and missed what I think is the most beautiful thing. How ridiculous it really is what happened when God became Man. The Son of Man elevated humanity, o so much lower than angels, to something like Himself.

That's just shocking behavior.

And all the time that we don't spend ascending is therefore wasted - we who have heard and understood just how magnificent a gesture God has made must not rest on our salvation.

But so often, especially, I often think, us Catholics, we let it go. How shocking it is to hear God Himself say, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters and in the midst of the congregation praise you." Paul's quoting. The Word of God that created the world came to the Sabbath service. And said hi to his family. Made us his family, sharing flesh and blood in no metaphor or symbolic union but a nothing-but-literal-one.

Just like he does at Mass every day.

I remember once at Youth 2000 a retreat director told a story about a friend of his who said, "I don't know how you Catholics believe what you believe and walk to communion, because I would be crawling." God doesn't ask you to crawl, because the gift is freely given, but it's just amazing how we've normalized experiencing heaven for fifteen minutes before it digests in the stomach. You know, before the pancake breakfast.

It's one of my favorite quips for why Catholics are so crazy, especially from the inside, but it's an issue Paul seems to be grappling with all the way back here. It's almost barmy what God has done for us. We can't wrap our heads around it if we recognize it for what it really is.

So we don't, but dang do we miss out because of it.