“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I go back there” (Job 1:21). This ancient wisdom sums up our solitary entry and exit from this world.
Trust and Love
The inevitability of our solitary paths in birth and death forms the immutable bookends of human existence. The metaphor of life as a bridge spanning two great solitudes offers a vivid image. We enter and exit alone, yet the bridge itself – our life – is an edifice built on the piers of trust and arches of love.
The role of trust in this journey is akin to the foundation upon which human relationships are built.
Shakespeare eloquently stated, “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” Trust is the mortar that binds the bricks of human interaction. It allows us to form connections that transcend our inherent solitude. In the Bible the concept of “faith, hope, and love” (1 Corinthians 13:13) highlights trust (faith) as a cornerstone of our spiritual and interpersonal journeys.
Love, on the other hand, is the great harmonizer, the force that transcends the barriers of our solitary existences. The metaphor of love as a universal language speaks to its ability to bridge divides, heal wounds, and create a sense of belonging and connection.
In his writings and teachings, notably in encyclicals like “Redemptoris Missio,” Pope John Paul II often spoke of love as a fundamental force for unity and healing in the world. He says, in short, that love has the power to transcend cultural and personal barriers. This echoes the sentiment that love is a universal language that can heal and unify.
Love is the light that illuminates the path across our bridge. It guides us through interactions that define and give meaning to our lives. (Here are some more Thoughts on Love by Great Christian Thinkers.)
Lewis and Bonhoeffer
Experiences that shape our perception of trust and love litter the space between birth and death. Like a tree whose rings tell a story of its years, each human interaction leaves an indelible mark upon our soul.
Through various works, including “Mere Christianity” and “The Problem of Pain,” C.S. Lewis explores how human experiences, both joyful and painful, mold our understanding of love and faith. He frequently touches on the idea that actions and intentions ripple through our lives and those around us. They create a tapestry of interconnectedness that belies our initial solitude.
Trust and love are not merely feelings but actions that define our humanity. Each act of trust or expression of love is a deliberate choice that bridges our inner world with the outer world. Such acts momentarily defy our inherent solitude. They create pockets of togetherness and understanding.
In “The Cost of Discipleship,” Dietrich Bonhoeffer discusses the concept of “cheap grace” versus “costly grace.” He says that true faith and love require action, not just feelings or words. His emphasis on the active nature of faith and love aligns with the idea of trust and love as choices that bridge our inner and outer worlds.
Austin and Angelou
Literary luminaries have long mused on this theme as well.
In her nuanced exploration of human relationships, Jane Austen often highlighted the delicate interplay of trust and love. She suggests that one without the other is a half-lived experience.
Similarly, in modern times, the writings of Maya Angelou have illuminated the power of love and trust. She says love and trust transcend the barriers of race, class, and experience. They encapsulate the idea that, although we walk our paths alone, our lives are irrevocably intertwined through the bonds we form.
However, the journey between these two solitudes is not without its challenges. The Shakespearean notion of “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” aptly describes the trials and tribulations that test our capacity for trust and love. Yet, through these challenges, the depth and resilience of these virtues are truly revealed.
As we navigate our solitary path, the brief moments where trust and love intersect become the milestones of our journey. Like stars in the night sky, these moments are like ships’ compasses. They guide us. But they also give meaning to our existence.
Such moments remind us that although we may be born alone and die alone, the journey in between is illuminated by trust and love. It is rich with connections that transcend our solitary beginnings and ends.
Trusting and loving Jesus Christ
The ancient wisdom of Job’s poignant statement captures the essence of our existential journey. In the grand tapestry of life, we each walk a unique path bookended by solitude. Yet, through weaving trust and love into the fabric of our experiences, we find purpose, connection, and meaning.
The space between our solitary beginnings and ends, filled with these twin virtues, transforms our journey from a solitary trek into a shared voyage, rich with the essence of what it means to be truly human.
Trusting and loving Jesus Christ can be the weaving of the grand tapestry in our lives where we find purpose, connection, and meaning. What better way is there to transform our life journey than thinking, believing, and saying, “Jesus, I trust in you.’ Jesus is the bridge between our two solitudes.
3 thoughts on “Trust, Love, and the Human Condition”
This essay on its own terms is unobjectionable, but the Church’s definition of “love” is limited.
I’m an original Star Trek fan. The concept was originated by Gene Roddenberry, who had many flaws, but if he were a Catholic (and not an atheist) he would not have come up with such an idea.
The attraction of Trek was this: until then, depictions of our future tended to be pretty bleak. (E.g., “Metropolis”, the 1920’s film by Fritz Lang.)
“Infinite diversity in infinite combinations” and “Change is the essential life process” (to quote Mr. Spock) are concepts not compatible with the writer’s viewpoint. Those concepts allow us to accept different life forms in a way that the blinkered Church cannot. At least not according to its “official” pronouncements, made by celibate males who even within their own species are inexperienced, men who went into the priesthood because they were afraid of sex, and had never even had a sex life, at least not a happy one. According to a study commissioned by the Church itself by Dr. Sipes, the average priest has the socio-emotional maturity of a teenager.
In the episode “Is There in Truth no Beauty?” there is an alien life form whom humans cannot even look at without going insane. But it (“it”? we don’t even have a word to describe that creature) is depicted as benevolent. The Medusa did not go to Mass. It’s unlikely that (it?) would object to humans on the planet Earth from the same “gender” loving each other. Miranda loves Medusa and vice versa. On that path lies our future. It requires an open-mindedness that the Church cannot envision. But it is shared, I believe, by most people who are Catholic, and certainly by the emerging generation.
I recommend the long interview with the late Nichelle Nichols (“Uhura”) which you can see online.
CAPTCRISIS,
I think that “choice” is the essential life process and that infinite diversity and infinite combinations are also based on “choice”. Thank you for your comments.
DD
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