"Christ does not save all those who say to Him, 'Lord, Lord.' But he saves all those who out of a pure heart give a piece of bread to a starving man, without thinking of Him in the least little bit. And these, when He thanks them, reply: 'Lord, when did we feed thee?' An atheist and an infidel, capable of pure compassion, are as close to God as is a Christian, and consequently know Him equally well, although their knowledge is expressed in other words, or remains unspoken. For 'God is love.' "
I am not familiar with the details of Weil's theology, although I've read she had a mystical interfatih bent, but I think this passage demonstrates a dimension of the concept of salvation that has been lost in the focus on the supernaturalistic legalism surrounding the obsession with the 'afterlife'.
1 comments:
Thanks for this great quote and commentary. I've just read Anthony DeMello's book "Awareness" and found him (a Jesuit Priest from India) saying much the same. It is ever-heartening to see our religious traditions reaching beyond their own dogmas toward a deeper unity.
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