Author: Daily Virtue

There’s an axiom in philosophy that asserts that the way we perceive and judge is deeply influenced and colored by our own interiority. That’s why it’s never possible to be fully objective and that’s why five people can witness the same event, see the same thing, and have five very different versions of what happened. Thomas Aquinas expressed this in a famous axiom: Whatever is received is received according to the mode of its receiver.  

We see this in Jesus, in how he perceived and in how he judged. His was a blessed consciousness. As the gospels describe it, at his baptism, the heavens opened and God’s voice was heard to say: “This is my blessed one, in whom I take delight.” And, it seems, for the rest of his life Jesus was always in some way conscious of his Father saying that to him: “You are my blessed one!” As a consequence, he was able to look out at the world and say: “Blessed are you when you are poor, or when you are persecuted, or suffering in any way. You are always blessed, no matter your circumstance in life.” He knew his own blessedness, felt it, and, because of that, could operate out of a blessed consciousness, a consciousness that could look out and see others and the world as blessed.

Sadly, for many of us, the opposite is true: We perceive others and the world not through a blessed consciousness but through a cursed consciousness.  We have been cursed and because of that, in whatever subtle ways, we curse others. Cursing is what we do when we look at someone whom we don’t like and think or say: “I wish you weren’t here!  I hate your presence! I wish you’d go away!” Cursing is what we do when we affronted by the joyous screams of a child and we say: “Shut up! Don’t irritate me!” Cursing is what we do when we look at someone and think or say: “What an idiot! What a jerk!” The residual result of this “cursing” is shame, depression, and a cursed consciousness.

Whatever is received is received according to the mode its receiver. Our harsh judgments of others say less about them than they say about us. Our negativity about others and the world speaks mostly of how bruised and wounded, ashamed and depressed, we are – and how little we ourselves have ever heard anyone say to us: “In you I take delight! [Excerpt from Ron Rolheiser’s “On Blessed and Cursed Consciousness” March 2011]

Discipleship must involve a focus on both Jesus and the wider mystery of Christ. A personal relationship with Jesus provides a grounding, but one must also understand the cosmic dimension of Christ—the “energy that lures creation towards its Creator” and the “soul that binds the whole of physical creation together”.

Being rooted in Christ is not a purely individual endeavor. It means being integrated into the visible community of believers, the Church, which Rolheiser calls the “more flawed body of Christ on here on earth”. This commitment to a community is non-negotiable for authentic Christian conversion. Christian discipleship is a lifelong process with three main stages:

Essential Discipleship: The early stage involves the “struggle to get our lives together.” This period, often beginning in adolescence, focuses on finding one’s identity, meaning, and place in the world.
Mature Discipleship: In adulthood, the focus shifts to the “struggle to give our lives away.” This is a generative stage of living for others and giving back to the community. Qualities like empathy, forgiveness, and gratitude define this phase.
Radical Discipleship: The final stage, often late in life, is the “struggle to give our deaths away.” This involves accepting diminishment and mortality with grace, much like Jesus’s passivity during his passion. By dying well and without bitterness, one can leave a final blessing for the world.

Rootedness in Christ requires honesty with oneself, a willingness to admit our faults and stop rationalizing our failures. For Rolheiser, “No honest heart will stray far or stay long from the truth,” and honest self-acknowledgment allows Christ to find and heal us. A life rooted in Christ is ultimately a life overflowing with gratitude. For Rolheiser, the deepest reality is that we have all been touched by “loving hands”. Living in gratitude for this reality is a mark of a mature disciple. [Adapted from Ron Rolheiser’s teaching on being “rooted” in Christ]