“There are no shortcuts to God.”

—Helder, 1996

Some have imagined their way into Her graces by manipulating Her in ways they are sure must please Her. Ritual and symbol, study and knowledge, architecture and law, social action, and contemplation are all attempts to do the right thing—the things we imagine She endorses.

But Passerby, as I said previously, nothing makes up for the lack of the one thing:

falling head over heels in Love with Her.”

• • •

“Love flies, runs, leaps for joy; it is free and unrestrained. Love gives all for all, resting in One who is highest above all things, from whom every good flows and proceeds. Love does not regard the gifts but turns to the Giver of all good gifts. Love knows no limits but ardently transcends all bounds. Love feels no burden, takes no account of toil, and attempts things beyond its strength; love sees nothing as impossible, for it feels able to achieve all things. Love, therefore, does great things; it is strange and effective, while he who lacks love faints and fails.”

—Thomas À Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

“Again, there is only one important thing. Missing this, no amount of turning left or right corrects the problem.

The whole point of being human is to be in Love with and loved in return by the Creator Spirit.

There are no shortcuts to falling in Love. She, the Great Spirit, created us in Her image and is incarnate in us and all creation. She is Love, and to be formed in Her likeness is to be Love. That is how we all know the language of Love. Her native language is Love and must become ours.

Falling in Love is a process that wends slowly from initial awareness to a deeper and more accepting knowing to trust in and finally surrender to.

“We must know before we can love. In order to know God, we must often think of Her; and when we come to love Her, we shall then also think of Her often, for our heart will be with our treasure.”

―Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God

Relationships that become, over time, Love relationships always begin in storytelling. Perhaps two people tell their stories over a cup of tea. It is hereby we learn whether we may trust one another through these stories. The surrender of my priorities in favor of yours may be what we mean by falling in Love. Surrender. Love is a divine process. Love at first sight, is a myth, and relationships based on it don’t go far.

Over a long time, assuming I am pleased with your story, I may even assume a role in your story, taking on some attributes of the main character, which is you. We see this, particularly in couples who have been together for a long time.”

• • •

“You become like what you worship. When you gaze in awe, admiration, and wonder at something or someone, you take on something of the character of the object of your worship.”

―N.T. Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense

“I am often left speechless by Her desire for me. Why am I, Her beloved? And unconditionally, like the prodigal returning home. No questions, no promise to be better, no explanation expected, and never an ounce of judgment. Only put a ring on his finger, shoes on his feet, and new clothes (a bath might be good), and let’s party, eat roast beef, and drink wine. My son, who was dead, is alive!

She is like that. I don’t become worthy by obedience, ritual, correct dogma, doctrine, or belief. I don’t become worthy at all, only honest (like the prodigal). She is not interested in a relationship to me, like I might have with an insurance policy, but with me. No magic prayer—establishing relationship to as the fundamentalists hawk— efficacious baptism or dusty must have sacraments to access Her favor as the Romans promote. She desires we are Lovers, head-over-heels in Love with one another. There are no shortcuts to that! No non-stop flights.

As the prophet said,

“Let us be Lovers; we’ll marry our fortunes together.”

—Paul Simon

• • •

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” Everyone who hears this must also say, “Come!” Come, whoever is thirsty; accept the water of life as a gift, whoever wants it.

—Revelation 22:17

“Passenger, what do you think? Is it really possible that She, having spent 4.6 billion years preparing the consummation of this Love affair, would be wed to a Bride who is not head-over-heels in Love with Her? I think not! So…what shall become of those who, while confessing they worship Her, have spent their lives as goats (Matt 25), abusing those little ones She Loves?

Jesus taught,

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?”

—Jesus, Luke 15:4

From the above, I gather She is unwilling to lose even one. So…how might She accomplish that? Rescuing everyone—which would be universalism, is a teaching that says that She will ultimately reconcile all She created to Her Love, losing none. So…what shall She do with those unwilling to receive and return Her Love? And what shall become of them if they are not willing to be devoted to Her? Over the course of religious history, humans have attempted to make sense of the dilemma that She created. There is no end to speculation.”