The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For and Believe

by Richard Rohr

Reflections like these—especially considering the circumstances—make Etty a profound expression for us of complete wholeness, or what St. Bonaventure called the “coincidence of opposites.” How does anyone achieve such a holding together of opposites—things like inner acceptance and outer resistance, intense suffering and perfect freedom, my little self and an infinite God, sensuality and intense spirituality, the need to blame somebody and the freedom to blame nobody? Etty Hillesum demonstrated this ability like few people I have ever studied. Either such people are the cutting edge of human consciousness and civilization, or they are mentally deranged. They surely far transcend any formal religion. Etty Hillesum is but one example of another function of the Christ: a universally available “voice” that calls all things to become whole and true to themselves. God’s two main tools in this direction, from every appearance, seem to be great love and great suffering—and often great love that invariably leads to great suffering.