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Religious people also use words as symbols. One day, someone I met on the train asked me if I made the sign of the cross. He wanted to know if I too were an orthodox believer. On the other hand, if I greet my friend with the phrase “the peace of God”, it may be that I’m simply saying that I hope God will bless him with his peace. But it’s more likely that the phrase is in fact a code, a symbol, which means “I’m a baptist, you’re a baptist, we both come from the same tribe, and I’m glad”. The symbols of language can be a window onto a transcendent reality, or they can be a wall between people ... and the language of religion – whether we’re talking about the holy liturgy of the orthodox, or the minor liturgy of the protestant – can be a window onto God, or a wall between God and man.
The Church is the icon of Christ – how can the Church be a window through which we can see God? As Paul says, we see through a glass darkly ... too often in history, the Church has been a glass which is opaque. This quote from Paul is part of a long and beautiful passage on the theme of love, and the church is a good window – I am a good window – insofar as we show love. It’s OK to feel secure within a familiar religious framework, as long as that framework is a window onto God.
But sometimes our religion can be something which takes the place of a heart relationship; instead of a symbol, it can become something in itself. We musn’t let life become a slogan without meaning. Only rarely did Jesus give a straightforward reply to a question, but when someone asked him “what is the most important commandment?”, his reply was very straightforward – “love God and love your neighbour”. It’s very simple ... but of course the word “love”, is a symbol, and to understand the depths of it, whether we’re talking about love for God or love for our neighbour, we must take the time and the risk of a relationship.
