Dulcinea

This morning I read a chapter out of Brennan Manning's The Furious Longing of God. The chapter i read was entitled "healing." I thought what in the world is this about, healing... and so forth. My boy Brennan is a Grace man, he's all about grace and loving people as they are not who they should be or who we want them to be or who God wants them to be. So, this chapter was not about physical healing but about inner healing.

Finally brethen, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. - Phil 4:8 I'm not sure if what Brennan is trying to say is look at these things in people or do these things for others...

He talks about how Jesus went out for Zacchaeus, a man who the whole community had turned their backs on and said no way. But, Jesus went out there befriended and ate dinner with this man. Jesus loved this man who was hardened by everyone else and let him live again.

John 13:35 is probably one of Brennan's favorite verses. 34."A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." He like's to talk about how the world will not know we are disciples of Christ because we go to church, sing songs and so forth. But, they will know in the way we treat others. Brennan goes on to say we'll be identified as His by one sign only: "The deep and delicate respect for one another, the cordial love impregnated with reverence for the sacred dimension of the human personality because of the mysterious substitution of Christ for the Christian.

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. -Galatians 5:6
Love one another as I've loved you. - John 15:12

He goes on to say those who are closest to the heart of the father, the most Christlike. Are not the one's who memorize the most scripture, not the pastor.... He also says it's not the one who spends the most time in prayer. I believe this is him talking about solely prayer, sitting down focusing solely on prayer. Then he goes back to say its faith expressing itself through love is what truly counts and matters.

He then goes on to tell a story of a lame young man, he was a dirty hippie in a college class. He had a terrible self esteem... One day some of his fathers co workers were making fun of him. He reached down kissed him, told him how much he loved him and said if he was alive 200 years there would not be enough time to thank God for the blessing of him. Well, this changed this young mans view of himself. He could not see himself through himself and Brennan talks about how this young man finally could see who he was after his father healed him. Thus healing, I had never thought about it like that, as in healing. But, it does make plenty of sense to me now.

He then challenges us to invite someone into our lives that would be like Zaccheus. And how someone's life can be changed by the touch of love. Just as Larry the hippie's life was changed, he later went on to become an ordained priest and so forth....

The last little part of the chapter was about a lady in a play Man of La mancha . Aldonsa was a trollop, promiscuous woman. She had slept with every man in prison.... She was full of guilt and selfhatred. Don Quixote comes over and befriends her, and begins to tell her how wonderful she is.... He then calls her Dulcinea meaning my sweet little one. He describes "her name is Dulcinea, her country El Toboso, a village of La Mancha, her rank must be at least that of a princess, since she is my queen and lady, and her beauty superhuman, since all the impossible and fanciful attributes of beauty which the poets apply to their ladies are verified in her; for her hairs are gold, her forehead Elysian fields, her eyebrows rainbows, her eyes suns, her cheeks roses, her lips coral, her teeth pearls, her neck alabaster, her bosom marble, her hands ivory, her fairness snow, and what modesty conceals from sight such, I think and imagine, as rational reflection can only extol, not compare." She cannot handle it she yells at him out of self hatred tells him she's only a whore... This goes back and forth several times, then she begins to realize as Don Quixote tells her the past is over and done. That he love's her deeply.... Then she agrees that her name is no longer Aldonsa, it is Dulcinea.

With all this being said I believe Brennan wants this book to be used for someone already rooted in the faith at least a little. To know that we cannot do this on our own. And that it is Christ that allows us to touch others and it is merely not our own works.

William Nathan Dale