holiness

Harold Kushner relates to God in terms of action. This is usually called a "Predicate Theology," which says that God is experienced in a caring hospice nurse, serving others in a soup kitchen, or joining together in a wedding celebration. I have two problems with this way of thinking.

First, it lets God off the hook for the bad times. If God is part of special moments only, what is God's relationship to misfortune? We can't just leave it that God is made up of these moments of beauty, and not much more. This is like gerrymandering God, in the same way that politicians gerrymander Congressional districts to include a certain percentage of Republicans, or African-Americans, or union members. Gerrymandering ruins politics, and it ruins God. God isn't much of a god, if God includes fluffy bunnies and not hungry foxes. God has to be in all of these things and more.

Second, although it helps us to think about the Divine, what does Predicate Theology say about holiness? When a friend died, I had trouble praying and certain words stuck in my mouth. I couldn't get my lips around the word "holy." God's world seemed broken and empty of holiness. What does it mean to be holy?

What is holiness in a world with brokenness? I'd offer a hesitating definition, that comes by way of that lost friend. Joel was a marvelous musician and was very fond of the saying in the Talmud, "Sing each day, sing every day." He was an optimist, and a person of great faith. Even in his hospital bed, withered by Leukemia, he recognized his place in God's plan. He was God's finest creation, made by God with materials that don't last forever. Before his strength failed, Joel still made time to play guitar, sing and jam.

Being bold in the face of fear is holiness. Having the courage to smile and teach and sing when others would quit is godly. Living lives of faith that testify to God's real presence, even in a hospital, is what brings God's divine holiness into our world. Recognizing the limits of our bodies and our lives, knowing that we will never understand God's wide world, and going ahead in spite of our existential nausea - that's holy.