Just Inside the Edge
(6/13/23)
O Lover,
I have noted that Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM in his daily meditations tends to self-locate “on the edge of the inside.” Viewing this locus as optimal in terms of rootage and freedom, both essential for practice of the prophetic, he cites examples as varied as Jesus, Francis of Assisi, Gandhi, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Simone Veil, John XXIII, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Oscar Romero, and Nelson Mandela.
But what precisely does “just inside the edge” (my phrasing) mean? Rohr calls this location “liminal,” a holy place, what Celts call “a thin space.” It is invariably characterized by tension. On the one hand, being “inside” involves a commitment to learning about, treating with respect, and living out the inside way of life. Here there is the presumption of the validity of that way unless there are surpassing reasons of conscience for not doing so. Being “inside” means that one’s rootage and identity preclude reckless rebellion, being cóntra as an end in itself. On the other hand, the “edge” is a vulnerable place, neither comfortable nor secure by conventional measures. It entails openness to truth from either the inside or outside, respect for a variety of persuasions rather than being a bully pulpit or front for proselytization. The “edge” may on occasion serve as a way station, a bridge, for others transiting one way or another. Life here is often volatile and complex, seldom static or boring. The “edge,” removed from the center and far outside the silo, may find one unconditionally locked into nothing . . . but You.
In this exploratory prayer post—my “Ground” or “Depth,” in the words of Eckhart, of a singularity with that of You—I explore the relevance of Rohr’s image regarding four dimensions of my own self-awareness.
First, just inside the edge of the USA society. Although five years living among Palestinians in the 1970s tempted our family to remain in East Jerusalem indefinitely, in the end we returned to the States in part because of an emerging conviction that we could better challenge the impact of American policies in the region when residing here. The only tolerable patriotism for me would be one centered in a critical and tough love. That choice would shape my social and political self-understanding to this day. The edge was a perch from which I could better cultivate the conviction that my principal citizen loyalty, rather than to a nation state, was to Your encompassing Dream of Salaám/Shalóm.
Second, just inside the edge of the Roman Catholic Church. Recalcitrance in the Church, most obvious within the American Conference of Bishops, repeatedly creates tension for me between integrity and dutiful compliance. That the Church which I love—its encompassing reach, sacramentality, music, mystics, and the ever-expanding Christ— has also driven millions beyond its edge and from You leaves me chronically vexed. Hierarchy, patriarchy, obtuseness, and ideological infallibility have severely compromised its proclamation of the Good News of the Christ. Yet, broken and distorted though it is, this entity is my ecclesial home for the duration, and just inside its edge is where I self-position to live out that You alone (Tu Sólus) are always trustworthy. My spiritual heroes, often just inside the edge, include Hadewijch of Brabant, Meister Eckhart, Teilhard de Chardin, and Pope Francis.
Third, just inside the edge of the Christian faith. A surprise in my anecdotage has been the extent of contact with persons of other faith traditions, all this in Indiana, of all places! This includes praying with Muslims at the mosque down the street, interacting with many cradle Catholics either just inside or outside the edge, and intermittent conversations with Vedanta Hindus all of whom have Christian origins. In these interactions my identity is determined by Your Christ even as I stand just inside the edge of my faith tradition. Rooted there while being open to truth in Your other paths, I recurringly find myself empathizing with assessments of my tradition coming from beyond the edge. I particularly ponder the witness of two young Jewish women, both dying in 1943, with whom my life has slightly overlapped: the French Simone Veil was drawn to You via Your Christ yet preferring to remain just outside the Church’s baptismal portal; the Netherland’s Etty Hillesum, viewed as exemplar and saint by many Christians, never gave serious consideration to conversion. I view the witness to You of Hillesum and Veil delivered from their respective boundary spaces as coming from outside and yet surely inside my faith tradition was well.
Finally, just inside the edge of You, O Lover. At the risk of overextending this post’s central image, I experience my own being, indeed that of the entire cosmos, as just inside the edge of You. That statement is surely oxymoronic insofar as the notion of the edge of Your lavish Love is rank gibberish. Yet, positioning myself there implies acknowledgement that Your heílsgeschichte (“salvation drama”) is not primarily about me, that the scale of Your Transformative Project (a la Eph 1:10) is cosmic rather than individual, genderal, racial, national, or denominational. All of our “outsides” are within the edge of You; with You there is only “inside”! Furthermore, being just inside the edge of Your extravagantly encompassing Love now might be viewed as narthex into The Sanctuary for which we long: Unítas Déi, deification (Juan de la Cruz), Your centripetal “all in All” drawing us finite beloveds into Your very Sacred Heart. To paraphrase Eckhart, being just inside the edge of You is both everywhere and nowhere.
