N.J. A process of being saved began when I was 8 years old, grieving over the suffering Jesus, as I lay my face against his body on the crucifix. The process began with feeling. It did not begin with belief or with understanding. How could Jesus atone for my sins when I knew that saving my soul was my life work and that whether I went to heaven or hell depends on how I lived my life. I have since learned that feeling is a cognitive function, one of discrimination, one that is value laden.
Feeling is non-linear.
So the process of discriminating demands a commitment that keeps one's conscience busy all of one's life. While living in the so-called real world of ambiguity, I am learning that without love there can be no justice and, without justice, power becomes physical force rather than the inner strength that is involved in making judgments that are tempered by love and forgiveness. Jesus paid a high price for his integrity. I am empowered by his example. I am saved by the life and death of Jesus, the light-bearer who embraced ambiguity, transforming it by love.