22 Chapter 2
THE NATURE OF REALITY
2 The Nature of Reality (part 1)
Covenantal Theology proposes that if we really wish to stand
somewhere and know the meaning of human existence and the nature
of reality, the sole place to stand is around the altar, participating in the
Eucharistic worship of the Church. To Fr. Keefe, this is no pious way
of talking, but literally true.
1
This has the advantage of making the
Eucharist the most serious Event in the universe, but it has the
disadvantage that you must give up much of what you already 'know'
to assert its truth. To see something of what he is saying, here is one
basic assumption, made by nearly everyone, Catholics and non-
Catholics alike, that simply can not be true, if it is literally true that "...
the Eucharist makes the Church":
2
1. "The objective truth of human existence is
given in the liturgical freedom of the Church's
mediation of her faith, and only if we stand there
may we understand. This is a hard saying, but it is
ancient in the Church, and Catholic theology
exists only in the service of its truth." CT, p. 652
2. Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994).
English translation for the United States of
America. Washington, DC: United States
Catholic Conference. 1396.
The Eucharist is over here,
< - - - and here we are, standing
some place else, in the 'normal
universe,' looking at it, and trying to
understand it.
Here are three more ways of saying the same thing:
Here is the "supernatural" world,
and here is the "purely natural"
world of our experience.
Here is "Grace,"
and here is "Nature."
The Time-less is over here,
< - - - and here we are, standing in
time, looking at it, and trying to
understand it.
A fifth way. Note that the change in `spatial' orientation to vertical
does not change the meaning:
Here is God,
|
|
and here is Man,
and here is `the natural world.'
<- - - (What's in here, `between'?)
N.B. This is an html-ized copy of a page from the pdf file, The Knucklehead's Guide to Covenantal Theology.