The Mystery of Christ

I am a day late on getting back to you on the question posted in my original post on the Mystery of Christ. Have you decided on what you would tell the adulterous women? It seemed a pretty obvious priestly answer to tell the women that she in fact is living in sin and should dissolve the relationship with the man that is not her husband. In fact, it was what she thought Father Capon would have said. Instead...
Father Capon asked her what she wanted to do about it. His reason? It really boiled down to what she wanted to do and there wasn't anything that he could say that would change that. Essentially, when we ask people questions, we are not looking for additional information. We are trying to find out who thinks like we do. If we get a response to a question that does not match up with our way of thinking, we simply disregard the information. Yeah, we may nod our heads and say quaint things like "I see your point" or "I hear what you are saying" but we are really just being polite. Really, we are looking for people who think exactly as we do already. Unique is the person that asks questions who really just wants answers, not alliances.
Getting back to Helen, she is of course bewildered by in all and even asks,"Aren't you supposed to tell me to quit sinning?". The answer is no. Who on this green earth is going to stop sinning? No one. It is impossible to quit sinning. Who are we kidding when we try? God is not fooled, and we shouldn't be either. Jesus did not come to remove sin. He came, in His words, to find and save the sinners. He knew that sin wasn't going anywhere, but He brought us the Gospel, the Good News. Do you know what the Good News is? It's not just forgiveness of debt, it's much more. It is the Mystery of Christ.
The Old Testament or Covenant if you wish, paints a rather unhealthy view of God. He is blood-thirsty, angry, malicious, killer of women and children, and if these characteristics were in any other "person", we would call them evil. Because I believe the bible is a evolving revelation of who God really is, this does not offend me. Jesus shows up at halftime and says to us, "Hey, man, if you can see me, and you'd have to be blind not to, you have seen the Father". Wait a minute, God is not going to kill me if I don't give the right sacrifice at the temple today? You mean God is not going to strike be with a lightening bolt if I sin? What are you saying Jesus? Are you crazy? You are hanging around with gluttons, sluts, cheaters, swindlers. You are a drunk, party goer with no conscience. Are we to believe that God is this way? Yes, He says to us. That is exactly who God is. A friend of the sinner. A forgiver and forgetter. He is saying to all of you, I don't care about this "transactional" relationship we have going on. This tit-for-tat stuff has got to go. I love you as you are!! I made you this way, why are you trying to be something else. I realize that you are sinful and will continue to sin, but I don't care! I still love you!
Helen, as well as anyone who is living in "transactional" religion, is dumbfounded by this news. It sounds to good to be true. It can't be that simple. But that dear reader is exactly what it is, Good News.
Tomorrow I will try to be a little clearer on this subject to the Mystery of Christ, but in the mean time don't discount what has been said here just yet. If you unconvinced, please continue to read.

Till then,
SIM CP