A guide can show us the way, but it cannot walk the path for us. For me, this question is also encapsulated in the Cross: what do we do with the call when we can not only hear it, but also respond to it?<\/p>\n
The Hungarian Catholic Encyclopaedia describes the Antal cross, also known as the Tau cross, as T-shaped, whilst in the Latin cross the vertical arm extends above the horizontal one (Antalkereszt<\/a>, Latin cross<\/a>). The Egyptian cross with handles is associated with the symbol of life, whilst the Cross of St Peter is an inverted Latin cross, which is linked to the tradition of St Peter\u2019s crucifixion (Cross with ears<\/a>, St Peter's Cross<\/a>).<\/p>\n Looking at these forms may lead to our own insights. However, similarity alone does not prove a common origin, and I would not wish to draw conclusions about anyone\u2019s spiritual state simply from the orientation of a symbol.<\/p>\n We must also distinguish between the words \u2018tau\u2019 and \u2018tao\u2019: the name \u2018tau cross\u2019 is not the same as the concept of the \u2018Way\u2019 in Chinese philosophy, which is also denoted by the term \u2018tao\u2019 (Antalkereszt<\/a>, Tao<\/a>). Yet the image of the road remains a valuable parallel for me, provided I use it as a symbolic association rather than as linguistic evidence.<\/p>\n The Gospel of Matthew refers to the site of the crucifixion as Golgotha, meaning \u201ethe Place of the Skulls\u201d (Matthew 27:31\u201333, St Stephen\u2019s Society Bible). For me, this name also raises the question of understanding: what happens to the teaching that reaches our minds?<\/p>\n This is my own personal interpretation, not a historical explanation of the place name. For me, the heart is a gateway: we comprehend and unpack the realisation coming from the Source with our minds. The image of the head here signifies this comprehension, not that spiritual information would first reach the mind and only then the heart.<\/p>\n I can understand, for example, that the other person is not there simply to carry out my plans. But it is one thing to accept this, and quite another to give up, in a specific relationship, on the idea that they should follow my vision at all costs.<\/p>\n For me, this is where teaching really comes to life. Not by explaining things more precisely, but by being present in a different way.<\/p>\n In my own spiritual interpretation, the crucifixion of Jesus does not mean that someone else has taken on responsibility for all our deeds, and that we no longer have any business with ourselves. I say this not as a summary of others\u2019 interpretations of salvation, but to clarify what I myself see in the cross.<\/p>\n If the crucifixion had relieved us of our individual responsibility, it would be enough simply to breathe a sigh of relief: someone had taken the burden off our shoulders. We could breathe a sigh of relief and then carry on with our lives just as before. We would not have to face up to what we have done, and there would be no need for inner change.<\/p>\n In this interpretation, there would be a scapegoat, but there would be no need for us to change ourselves. That is not how I see Jesus\u2019 teaching.<\/strong> For me, the cross is not a symbol of the abolition of personal responsibility, but of the inner transformation one has undertaken.<\/p>\n In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus draws a distinction between listening to his teaching and putting it into practice: \u201eAnyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on rock\u201d (Mt 7:24; cf. 26\u201327, St Stephen\u2019s Society Bible). For me, the emphasis here is not that someone else has already done everything for us, but that the teaching must become a reality in our own lives.<\/p>\n For me, salvation can only become a reality as an inner transformation experienced on a personal level. We may receive guidance, help and love, but no one else can recognise the truth on our behalf, make our decisions for us, or put into practice on our behalf what we have come to understand.<\/p>\n That is why neither following a teacher, nor knowing the teachings, nor invoking the name of Jesus can replace the work we do on ourselves. The question is whether a change takes place within us, and whether that change has an impact on the way we live.<\/p>\n Personal responsibility means that I must take responsibility for my own decisions, actions and inner work. I cannot pass this on to Jesus, nor can I carry out another person\u2019s transformation on their behalf. We can help one another, but that help does not make our own involvement superfluous.<\/p>\n This does not mean that I am to blame for everything that happens to me, or that I am responsible for the harm done to others. It means that whatever I truly need to recognise, take responsibility for or make amends for cannot be dealt with by someone else on my behalf.<\/p>\n We do not have to earn God\u2019s love through our works. However, belonging to love and experiencing it are not the same thing: the former is not attained through our achievements, and the latter cannot be replaced by reference to an external event.<\/p>\n For me, this journey is not the struggle of a person who has been permanently cut off from God to find their way back to a foreign place. Rather, it is the realisation that the connection has not ceased simply because we have forgotten about it.<\/p>\n Here, I am following the image of sleep and awakening. Separation feels real in the state in which we live, but I do not regard this as the ultimate truth of our existence. The cross can thus be a symbol not only of hardship, but also of choice and remembrance.<\/p>\n Sometimes a decision may reinforce a sense of isolation, whilst at other times it may bring us closer to love. This is not determined by the shape of a cross or by a person\u2019s external circumstances, but by the direction we choose to take within it.<\/p>\n For me, this is the essence of the journey: not to receive all the answers ready-made, but to connect ever more sincerely with whatever is guiding me. Will my next step reinforce the old sense of separation, or make room for a realisation of our interconnectedness?<\/p>\n With love, A guide can show us the way, but it cannot walk the path for us. For me, this question is also encapsulated in the Cross: what do we do with the call when we can not only hear it, but also respond to it?<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":425,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s4y_en_tartalom":" A guide can show us the way, but it cannot walk the path for us. For me, this question is also encapsulated in the cross: what do we do with the call when we can not only hear it, but also respond to it?<\/p>\n\n The Hungarian Catholic Encyclopaedia describes Saint Anthony\u2019s cross, also known as the tau cross, as T-shaped, whereas the vertical arm of the Latin cross extends above its horizontal arm (tau cross<\/a>; Latin cross<\/a>). The Egyptian ankh, or looped cross, is a symbol of life; Saint Peter\u2019s cross is an inverted Latin cross associated with the tradition of Peter\u2019s crucifixion (ankh<\/a>; Saint Peter\u2019s cross<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n Looking at these forms may lead to our own insights. However, similarity alone does not prove a common origin, and I would not wish to draw conclusions about anyone\u2019s spiritual state simply from the orientation of a symbol.<\/p>\n\n The name of the tau cross should not be confused with tao, also written dao, the \u2018Way\u2019 in Chinese philosophy (tau cross<\/a>; tao<\/a>). The image of a path remains a valuable parallel for me, provided I use it as a symbolic association, not as linguistic evidence.<\/p>\n\nThe Place of Skulls: what are we to make of this?<\/h2>\n
Salvation is not the transfer of responsibility<\/h2>\n
No one can undergo this inner transformation on our behalf<\/h2>\n
Finding one\u2019s way back, not building a new home<\/h2>\n
Georgina
Soul4you<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Forms and their inner meaning<\/h2>\n\n
The Place of the Skull: what do we do with understanding?<\/h2>\n\n