CHAPTER 29: ELEMENTS OF OPTIMA IN THE SPIRITUAL

DOMAIN

The preceding two chapters establish a certain conceptual

foundation which together with all that has been said throughout this study
should lead us to the next and final step: the search for the optimal
solution in the spiritual domain and thus in the overall state of human
existence.

Of course this writer cannot offer any final solutions. These would
depend on the dialogical participation of all involved, according to the
principle of participation by the nature of involvement, and the other
principles of optimality. The question of intensity does not apply here, or
is trivial, because all the involved are -- potentially or actually,
consciously or unconsciously -- involved equally among themselves and
entirely with their whole existence. This is not only the result of our
democratic instincts, but also is given to us by the Father telling us about
his relation to his children: [p.32] I MAKE MYSELF LITTLE WITH
THE LITTLE ONES. I MAKE MYSELF AN ADULT WITH ADULTS.
AND THE SAME WITH THE ELDERLY, SO THAT ALL MAY
COMPREHEND WHAT I WISH TO TELL THEM FOR THEIR
SANCTIFICATION AND MY GLORY. The involved of course are the
Father and all his children.

There are three principal types or natures of involvement: vital,

spiritual and paternal; and the participation should conform to these,
somehow, as we will try to comment on presently.

As stated in the preceding chapter, the domain of spirituality over

which solutions-states vary in our present world is extremely wide,
ranging from optimal all the way to most non-optimal -- whatever this
may exactly signify. By domain we understand here something like the
regions of the Saturn diagram in Part I, but applied to the spiritual
dimension. This variability of spiritual states can not only be understood
in terms of their structure, but also in terms of the states of consciousness,
according to the praxis progression, including no consciousness (or faith),
naive consciousness, false consciousness, and critical consciousness. The

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variability of communication also can vary a good deal, inluding dialogue
or prayer, meditation -- but also uncritical and dogmatic top-down
domination, if not violence.

The text given to us by the Father and introduced in the preceding

two chapters teaches us a lot about what our Father offers to us as his
optimum; but of course subject to the free will of his children. We are free
to follow his will or not to follow it. We are also free -- and actually are
invited -- to search for his will for ourselves and dialogically for all of us
together.

From the fact that the text was given to a Catholic nun and that
some central instructions and requests were made of the head of the
Catholic Church and especially from the text itself, it appears that the
ideal or optimal state of faith and spirituality is that given to us by the
Father through Christ and -- however imperfectly -- administered by the
Catholic and other Christian churches. But as is so clear from the
"minimal" request stated in (#7) of the preceding chapter and capitalised
(to call God by the name of "Father" even only once) in the original text,
belonging to any church does not constitute a sine qua non. One may hope
that anyone who could fulfill that condition would ultimately come to the
ideal through love and realisation of what our Lord has done for us, but I
do not dare to claim any authority on that.

Another element of the present discussion which I would like to

share, which is based on the Father's text, and which may be useful for all
of us in search of the Father for ourselves and our brothers and sisters, is
this: The Father tells us also that He comes to his children in the form of
the Cross -- just as Jesus died on the cross.[p. 25] I feel that this gives us
an important answer and consolation for all those who may be suffering,
and whatever the agony, whether the aborted child or the victim of
genocide. We have of course the cases of the repentent and of the
unrepentent thief of the Gospels; but the #7 above even here indicates a
solution, that is, recognising and calling on the Father even in the last
seconds of life.

Let us now look more carefully at the possible optimal solutions

according to the principles of optimal structure, process and mode of
communication. First, and more briefly, for us children the relevant
natures of involvement are the spiritual -- defining and identifying the

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very domain dealt with in Part IV -- and the vital, calling all of us who are
critically conscious of the spiritual dimension to try to assist, like the
mother feeding her child, the other children in finding the Father. Of
course, in this the Father's text and reading and meditation on it is the
most powerful instrument.

As concerns communication the optimal form is the creative

dialogue among the children on the present subject, including prayer
together. Prayer and meditation in themselves being a dialogue with the
Father, we find in it the optimal form of spirituality initiated by ourselves,
the children. The dialogue among the children, with the Father always
present, by definition and by his revelation should concentrate on a social
praxis progression aiming at the overall objectives called for by the
Father. The open-ended discussion of the Lord's Prayer intimated by the
Father, concluding this chapter, is precisely an invitation to such a creative
process.

In the affairs of men, parental involvement ceases when the parent

retires, dies or abandons the object of his or her parenthood. With the
Father it is different: He is eternal and his parental involvement is eternal
with respect to his children. It is this unique and eternal involvement that
underlies the text of the Father and that we children ought to take most
seriously, while exercising the free will given to us by the Father. It is in
this way that we can concretely show our love for the Father. Remember
Our Lord's words at the Last Supper: If you love me, you will keep my
commandments. [Jn 14:15]

The first thing that we all, that is all conscious humanity, can do,
while hoping for a special feast dedicated to the FATHER OF ALL
MANKIND, is to create such a celebration in our hearts. We might
dedicate the special day suggested by the Father -- that is, August 7 of
each year -- to Our Father of all Mankind -- in prayer, meditation, and
especially thanking Him for all and everything He has given us, from
creation of the universe to our life and redemption, to his love for us.

As I see it, our Father gives us in his text the very foundation and
point of departure for the creative dialogue and praxis through which to
search spiritual optimality. He not only suggests to us the substance of
what is to be searched for, but also the method of critical dialogue and

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praxis progression for us fallable children, thus extending His acts of
creation as shown in Genesis (see chapter 26 above).

This Foundation and point of departure is the Lord's Prayer

presented in the form of a beginning of a question and answer dialogue
with His Children, quite clearly to be continued by ourselves, the children,
up to the completion of everything that is called for or suggested in the
prayer. To quote: [p.47]
" ...MOSES RECEIVED FROM ME AS THE FIRST OF
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, THIS COMMANDMENT TO
BE COMMUNICATED TO MEN -- LOVE AND WORSHIP GOD!

THOSE WHO ARE ALREADY CHRISTIANS MAY

SAY: " WE HAVE LOVED YOU SINCE WE WERE BORN OR
SINCE OUR CONVERSION, AS WE OFTEN SAY IN THE
LORD'S PRAYER: 'OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN'"
YES , MY CHILDREN, IT IS TRUE, YOU DO LOVE ME AND
HONOUR ME WHEN YOU SAY THE FIRST PART OF 'OUR
FATHER', BUT CONTINUE WITH THE OTHER REQUESTS AND
YOU WILL SEE:

HALLOWED BE THY NAME! IS MY NAME BEING

BLESSED?

CONTINUE:

THY KINGDOM COME! HAS MY KINGDOM COME?

The word and command CONTINUE -- as I see it -- gives

humanity, or at least the Father's children a project of highest priority, for
all times and ages to come. We must through critical dialogue and
concrete practical work, with the Father's help and blessing, go on
working on and praying for the Kingdom coming, the Father's will being
done on earth as it is in heaven; providing food and decent living
conditions for all God's children, forgiving others to be forgiven
ourselves, avoiding temptation and staying away from evil.

How to do it is not mine to decide. But it is time for me to

conclude this study which, in its main objective, tries to suggest a good
way of finding and earning the daily bread for all of the Father's children.

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 Reverting to the social dialogue on the more concrete level of
economics we can ask: is it the Minus Sign Syndrome, or loving
cooperation in earning one's daily bread by those working together, that
comes closer to an optimal solution? Our Father does not speak to profit
maximisers or stockholders, but promises: [p. 58] IF WORKERS,
BUSINESSMEN AND ARTISANS INVOKE AND HONOR ME, I
WILL GIVE THEM MY PEACE AND MY STRENGTH.

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