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02-16-2008, 11:18 AM
GOD'S TWELVE STEPS TOWARD MAN
We know A.A.'s Twelve Steps of man toward God. May I suggest God's
Twelve Steps toward man as Christianity has taught them to me.
The First Step is described by St. John. The Incarnation. The word
was
God and the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us. He turned His
life and
His will over to the care of man as He understood him. The Second
Step, nine
months later, closer to us in the circumstances of it, is the birth,
the
Nativity. The Third Step, the next thirty years, the anonymous hidden
life.
Closer, because it is so much like our own. The Fourth Step, three
years of
public life.
The Fifth Step, His teaching, His example, our Lord's Prayer. The
Sixth
Step, bodily suffering, including thirst, on Calvary.
The next Step, soul suffering in Gethsemane; that's coming close. How
well the alcoholic knows, and how well He knew, humiliation and fear
and
loneliness and discouragement and futility. Finally death, another
step
closer to us, and I think the passage where a dying God rests in the
lap of
a human mother is as far down as divinity can come, and probably the
greatest height that humanity can reach.
Down the ages He comes closer to us as head of a sort of Christians
Anonymous, a mystical body laced together by His
teachings. "Whatsoever you
do to the least of these my brethren so do you unto me." "I can fill
up what
is wanting in the suffering of Christ." "I was in prison and you
visited
Me." "I was sick and I was hungry and you gave Me to eat."
The next Step is the Christian Church, which I believe is Christ here
today. A great many sincere people say, "I like Christianity, but I
don't
like Churchianity. " I can understand that. I understand it better
than you
do because I'm involved in Churchianity and it bothers me too! But,
actually, I think that sounds a little bit like saying, "I do love
good
drinking water but I hate plumbing." Now, who does like plumbing? You
have
people who like sobriety, but they won't take A.A.
And then, the Eleventh Step is several big pipes lines or sacraments
of
God's help.
And the Twelve Step, to me, is the great pipe line or sacrament of
Communion. The word that was God became flesh and becomes our food,
as close
to us as the fruit juice and toast and the coffee we had an hour ago.
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes Of Age: page 258
We know A.A.'s Twelve Steps of man toward God. May I suggest God's
Twelve Steps toward man as Christianity has taught them to me.
The First Step is described by St. John. The Incarnation. The word
was
God and the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us. He turned His
life and
His will over to the care of man as He understood him. The Second
Step, nine
months later, closer to us in the circumstances of it, is the birth,
the
Nativity. The Third Step, the next thirty years, the anonymous hidden
life.
Closer, because it is so much like our own. The Fourth Step, three
years of
public life.
The Fifth Step, His teaching, His example, our Lord's Prayer. The
Sixth
Step, bodily suffering, including thirst, on Calvary.
The next Step, soul suffering in Gethsemane; that's coming close. How
well the alcoholic knows, and how well He knew, humiliation and fear
and
loneliness and discouragement and futility. Finally death, another
step
closer to us, and I think the passage where a dying God rests in the
lap of
a human mother is as far down as divinity can come, and probably the
greatest height that humanity can reach.
Down the ages He comes closer to us as head of a sort of Christians
Anonymous, a mystical body laced together by His
teachings. "Whatsoever you
do to the least of these my brethren so do you unto me." "I can fill
up what
is wanting in the suffering of Christ." "I was in prison and you
visited
Me." "I was sick and I was hungry and you gave Me to eat."
The next Step is the Christian Church, which I believe is Christ here
today. A great many sincere people say, "I like Christianity, but I
don't
like Churchianity. " I can understand that. I understand it better
than you
do because I'm involved in Churchianity and it bothers me too! But,
actually, I think that sounds a little bit like saying, "I do love
good
drinking water but I hate plumbing." Now, who does like plumbing? You
have
people who like sobriety, but they won't take A.A.
And then, the Eleventh Step is several big pipes lines or sacraments
of
God's help.
And the Twelve Step, to me, is the great pipe line or sacrament of
Communion. The word that was God became flesh and becomes our food,
as close
to us as the fruit juice and toast and the coffee we had an hour ago.
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes Of Age: page 258