PARADOXICAL

Last Saturday, Bishop David said that the Christian is messianic in that he is not merely saved, but saving. In proclaiming oneself saved, he implied, the Christian stops at himself; to bea saving individual, there is a need to involve oneself in a larget community.

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From HJMN's With Open Hands (pp. 108-109):

"Who are these revolutionaries? Critical prophets are people who attract others by their inner power. Those who meet them are fascinated by them and want to know more. All who come in contact with them get the irresistible impression that they derive their strength from a hidden source [that] is strong and rich. An inner freedom flows out from them, giving them an independence [that] is neither haughty nor aloof, but which enables them to stand above immediate needs and most pressing necessities."

"These critical prophets are moved by what happens around them but don't let it oppress or shatter them. They listen attentively, speak with a self-possessed authority but don't easily get rushed or excited. In everything they say or do, it seems as though there is a lively vision before them which those who hear them can intimate, but not see. This vision guides their lives. They are obedient to it. Through it they know how to distinguish what is important from what is not. Many things which seem of gripping immediacy scarcely stirs them, and they attach great importance to some things [that] others simply let pass."

posted by Resty Odon  # 10:36 PM