Thomas Moore - Writing In The Sand: Jesus, Spirituality, and the Soul of the Gospels

To the men and women

of the Servite Community,

who gave me my foundation.

People are often astonished that a simple man in a remote time and place gave rise to a worldwide religion and attracted millions of followers. But what is really astonishing is his dream for humanity. The splendor of Saint Peters Basilica is nothing compared to the hope and promise of the alternative way of life Jesus envisioned. This book presents the essence of that teaching and offers a way of understanding it intelligently and devotedly in the 21st century.

Jesus was a sophisticated man who lived simply, walking from town to town, healing and comforting, while espousing a spiritual philosophy that has yet to be fully appreciated and understood. He lived in primitive times compared to our own, but his thinking was more advanced than ours. I suspect that our tendency to sentimentalize him or turn him into a moral crusader is a defense against the sheer radical challenge of his intellect. As long as we piously enshrine his personality, we dont have to feel the full force of his vision for humanity.

Of all those who have commented on him, Oscar Wilde may have been the most perceptive. He saw in Jesus someone who could transcend the splitting of good and evil and light and shadow, and therefore avoid the pitfall of moralismthe bad habit of making simple judgments of right and wrong. His primary desire was not to reform people, Wilde wrote, any more than his primary desire was to relieve suffering. To turn an interesting thief into a tedious honest man was not his aim.

People often ask me, what is the goal of caring for your soul? I say it isnt health or being on the right side or even doing good and avoiding evil. It is to live an interesting and worthwhile life and help others do the same. This is perhaps what Oscar Wilde meant. Jesus wasnt a bland moralist offering pie-in-the-sky rewards for good living; he was a sophisticated man living the good life of friends, loves, community, and a fascinating, original philosophy.

In this book I want to show how challenging Jesus teachings are, in a way far different from the moral coaching associated with him, and how to live the way of life he spelled out. In some ways the picture I present is a completely new Jesus, a figure I believe any 21st-century person could adopt as a focus for a vibrant and intelligent spiritual life, one that doesnt defend itself against the shadow elements. The Gospels present a vision so radical that people have been intimidated by it. For centuries it has been kept hidden beneath thick layers of moral, theological, and devotional camouflage. This book is an unveiling, a revelation, and a resurrection.

Gospels

Since I am writing this book for people of all faiths, including those who may be more interested in spirituality than in religion, I will begin with a few facts about the Gospels.

The Gospels are sacred texts that tell the story of Jesus, his life, teachings, death, and resurrection. The word gospel means good news and is a translation of the Greek word for these writings, euangelon. Eu means good and angelon means message. The Gospels are a good message in the sense that the reader can be happy to find a story that will give meaning to his life.