It was while reading the book, Becoming Human, by Jean Vanier, the founder of L'arch, I came across a phrase, 'from closedness to openness, from illusion of superiority to vulnerability and humility' in the chapter on 'Belonging' (p 64).
This reminded me of two healing stories in the gospel of Mark 7: 24-37, from which one can get an insight about the two states of being of a person.
Jesus of Nazareth appeared 'closed ' when a Syrophoenician woman 'kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter' (v26). Jesus even used a derogatory remark in response, '.. it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs' (v27). The desperate message of the woman to Jesus was: 'Yes, Lord but even the dogs under the table feed on the children's crumbs' (v 28). It was to this humble request of a woman, arising from her consciousness of helplessness and humiliation as a gentile, Jesus offered her daughter healing, by saying, '...go your way, the demon has gone out of your daughter' !
I like to view this episode as Jesus leading the woman to a new level of openness, rather than Jesus appearing to be 'closed'. It was the woman and her trust in Jesus, humility, openness to receive the 'crumbs of the kindness of God', that facilitated the healing! The woman was open to admit her state of not being entitled to seek for healing, but only as a favour from a giving God! A person in a disadvantaged situation can develop a state of entitlement or expectation or a demanding attitude, out of desperation which can make a person stay in state of personal preoccupation, which is a closed state of disposition.
The other healing instance of a person who was hearing impaired and spoke with difficulty (v 32 to 37) who was brought to Jesus gives us an insight about the state of openness. Jesus having touched the ear and tongue of the person said: ' Ephphatha', which means 'Be opened'! It is a pointer to the experience of healing having two dimensions: readiness of the person wanting to be healed and the forthcoming external help to facilitate healing!
The man with hearing and language impairment needed to be active, willing and trusting to experience healing. He remained resigned to his hearing and speech limitations and would not have hoped for healing. That is the state of closedness. What awakened the sense of new possibility of healing was the touch of Jesus on his ear and tongue, as a symbol of restoring him to be openness to receive healing!
So openness has three dimensions: A movement from the present state to welcome possibilities; an incremental attitude to grow in openness to experience the fullness awaiting and readiness to welcome the grace of favour that is offered freely.
Zaccheus (Luke 19: 1-10) was willing to meet Jesus and that initiated in him an openness to give way his wealth to the poor and return what he defrauded.
The journey from closedness to openness, happens when we truly become ourselves or accept ourselves, which God initiates within us. To stay closed is the continuation of the past; to become open is a transformational journey!
The cranberry hibiscus leaves me with an option: closedness or openness !
Jean Vanier wrote: 'In a society that encourages an ethics of economy of winning and of power,... it is important to promote an ethics of justice and solidarity and co-operation, an ethics of common good...'(p52).
This is the social dimension of openness in public life!
It is openness that leads us to be in giving and receiving roles!
M.C.Mathew (text and photo)
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