Jesus the Man vs Jesus as God

[CatholicSpirit]

In my life’s journey, I have at times found deep understanding of Jesus as the Messiah, who taught me most of what I need to know through his works, words, and examples. But, I also remember deeply the sin of mankind toward one another when I see injustice through his suffering, partly because I have known those feelings too, of course in different ways, and far less physical pain. So, sometimes I pray without the aspect of fear from being that I am speaking to God. I let myself go, completely, and speak from my heart to someone who is love, knows suffering, all the things I need are in him. His beatitudes remind me that my good heart, poverty, and others who laugh at me when I speak of him, are associated with rewards in heaven, along with thirsting for righteousness. However, at times I think later on that I was treating him too “earthly” in my prayers. He obviously knows this about me already, should I feel bad? It’s harder to think of God the more I do this, it’s just been acknowledged for so long. Am I losing touch? Is it bad? He is so deep in my heart, should I see him glow more, or just love who he is as I know him when I pray this way?

 

[PluniaZ]

I’m sorry but I don’t really understand your question. Could you rephrase it?

 

[abucs]

So, sometimes I pray without the aspect of fear from being that I am speaking to God. I let myself go, completely, and speak from my heart to someone who is love, knows suffering, all the things I need are in him.

This is who you are and I am sure God does not wish you to pray to him as someone else.

I believe speaking from the heart is prayer of the spirit which I think is what Jesus told us that God advises.

 

[po18guy]

HYPOSTATIC UNION. The union of the human and divine natures in the one divine person of Christ. At the Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451) the Church declared that the two natures of Christ are joined “in one person and one hypostasis” (Denzinger 302), where hypostasis means one substance. It was used to answer the Nestorian error of a merely accidental union of the two natures in Christ. The phrase “hypostatic union” was adopted a century later, at the fifth general council at Constantinople (A.D. 533). It is an adequate expression of Catholic doctrine about Jesus Christ that in him are two perfect natures, divine and human; that the divine person takes to himself, includes in his person a human nature; that the incarnate Son of God is an individual, complete substance; and that the union of the two natures is real (against Arius), no mere indwelling of God in a man (against Nestorius), with a rational soul (against Apollinaris), and the divinity remains unchanged (against Eutyches).

What God has joined together in the hypostatic union, let not man divide. As Fr. Vincent Serpa advises, try holding and contemplating a crucifix as you pray. This or any pious practice done daily in the formation of a virtuous habit, despite the dryness, will yield great rewards. Perhaps not in this life, but we are not living for this life, but rather in it.

 

[CatholicSpirit]

PluniaZ: if you meditate on Jesus’ works while he was alive, and relate to him better in human-form, as I do not know how to relate to him as God as I am not God, is this bad? Not acknowledging him as less than God and certainly not considering him less than the messiah or son of God. Is there some kind of fault for releasing your own human suffering in prayer because you believe he can relate?

 

[bardegaulois]

I’m unclear here as well. Are you asking if your style of devotion is somehow improper? If it is, then God becoming man was improper. Are you asking if your thoughts are theologically correct? They’re not heretical or anything, but I’d ask why your consideration of the finer points of Christology affects your prayer life. Frankly, our devotional lives often become much deeper when we stop overthinking them.

 

[CatholicSpirit]

That’s a good point, his son came as a man for a reason. Maybe that IS the point.

 

[PluniaZ]

The Hypostatic Union may be the greatest mystery in our religion, short of the Trinity itself. The first two schisms in the church (the Church of the East and the Oriental Orthodox) occurred because of debates over the Hypostatic Union. Maybe reading Leo’s Tome would be a good refresher:

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo’s_Tome

 

[fred_conty]

Yes, how should we pray? Jesus said we should immitate the little child. Now just think about a little child in front of you and what it is that pleases you about that little child. Then take what pleases you and do the same with Jesus … simplicity, trust, love, openness, truthfullness, without reserve, beauty, sponteneaty …

Jesus said to “learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart.”
Meek means kind and gentle.
Humble means seeing to the needs of others.
Heart means … doing it out of love.
Now take these things Jesus said and use them in your prayers.

Mary, the sister of Martha, just sat at the feet of Jesus and kept him company. And Jesus said that he liked this very much. Just to be with Jesus with love in your heart without saying anything. Seems like a good way that Jesus wanted … just our company.

 

[rinnie]

In my life’s journey, I have at times found deep understanding of Jesus as the Messiah, who taught me most of what I need to know through his works, words, and examples. But, I also remember deeply the sin of mankind toward one another when I see injustice through his suffering, partly because I have known those feelings too, of course in different ways, and far less physical pain. So, sometimes I pray without the aspect of fear from being that I am speaking to God. I let myself go, completely, and speak from my heart to someone who is love, knows suffering, all the things I need are in him. His beatitudes remind me that my good heart, poverty, and others who laugh at me when I speak of him, are associated with rewards in heaven, along with thirsting for righteousness. However, at times I think later on that I was treating him too “earthly” in my prayers. He obviously knows this about me already, should I feel bad? It’s harder to think of God the more I do this, it’s just been acknowledged for so long. Am I losing touch? Is it bad? He is so deep in my heart, should I see him glow more, or just love who he is as I know him when I pray this way?

I think what you are saying is it is easier to relate to God as the Son, because Jesus was God made Man in a human form. Which would make sense. Jesus was Human and Divine