Take off Your Shoes
Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he, who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.
“Elizabeth Barrett Browning”
Is it not uncommon, in the Asian tradition for the devotees to leave their sandals outside the sacred place, on account of respect and reverence for the sacred and the divine? Indeed, this is a symbolic expression of one’s preparation to behold the holy of holies. The preparation is not merely related to preserving the spotless ambience and immaculate appearance, but to do with one’s own inner disposition. It is an explicit sign of the desire to move from the exterior to the interior, from the peripheral to the kernel, in order to experience the core of the reality. In the context of Moses, when he was told, “Take off your shoes for you are standing on the holy ground,” (Ex.3:5), it was to underscore that he had to give up his comfy, secure and definite position, namely, ‘keeping the flock of his father-in-law,’ (Ex.3:1) and avail himself of guiding the people of Israel to the promised land, trusting in the Lord and walking in His shadow. Though the phrase ‘take off your Shoes’, apparently signifies purity, a deeper look at it will reveal that there lies an implicit invitation towards a new way of life, to perceive a broader vision and to commit oneself to a new mission envisaged by God. In other words, it is an invitation to get rid of our age old comfort zones and take comfort in God’s own zone.
However one should remember that God’s command to ‘take off your shoes’, is preceded by Moses’ response “Here I am” to God’s call, which indicates his willingness to submit and obey. Hence a comprehensive submission and an unconditional surrender becomes the path way to the presence of God. The presence of God, in turn, “transforms everything at hand, including the place and the conversation.” However, every act of surrender and submission, ‘Here I am,’ is to be followed by a willful act of ‘taking off one’s sandals’. It literally means that we give up our dependence on name and fame, power and position, health and wealth, and even one’s own plan and clan. The disciple is to lay bare before God, utterly trusting in His providence and in His words, “I will be with you” (Ex.3:12), and become God-centered through one’s own willful surrender.
A further reflection would reveal that the key word that seems to capture the true meaning of the phrase, ‘take off your shoes’, is holiness. Absolute holiness of God calls for holiness from the person who is at the threshold of encountering God’s presence. Affirming this, the holiness code of Leviticus says, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy,”(Lev. 19:2). However for a comprehensive understanding of holiness, let us turn to Encyclopedia of Theology edited by Karl Rahner which says,
Holiness involves many attitudes whose immediate goals diverge, it must be a dynamic equilibrium of many dialectical tensions, which must find their inner harmony in love: self-development and crucifixion of the “natural” strivings, renunciation of the world and formation of the world, self-respect and humility, the prudence of the serpent and the simplicity of the dove, freedom and obedience, resistance and patience, total confidence and anxious effort.
In that sense, holiness is a combination of many things, which are divergent, yet enjoys a greater inner unity. Therefore, holiness cannot be limited to mere external purification and appearance, rather it is to do with one’s own intentions and orientations.
Holiness as against impure thoughts is one of the minor areas. Major to holiness is “to be human”, which means to be loving, genuine, non-exploiting and tender. 1Thes.4:1ff, which talks about a holy life pleasing to God, is explicit, “that no one wrong or exploit a brother or sister.” Hence any form of Exploitation is against holiness and obviously is against Christian vocation itself. The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium – LG) of Vatican II says, “all the faithful are invited and obliged to grow in holiness and the perfection of their own state of life” (LG. 42) by “showing forth in that temporal service the love with which God has loved the world” (L.G. 41). “This is because love, as the bond of perfection and fullness of the law (cf. Col. 3:14, Rom. 13:10), governs, gives meaning to and perfects all the means of sanctification” (L.G. 42). Therefore, let our holiness be defined by our life of love. Thus, the significance of ‘take off your shoes’, can be viewed from many perspectives.
In the second part of this essay let us discuss the implications and consequences, as 1. Loving Submission to God – Bhakti, 2. Renunciation of the world – Samnyasa and 3. A Call to Discipleship – Sisya..
Loving Submission to God – Bhakti
At the first level, we need to keep in mind that ‘take off your shoes’, is only a consequence of Moses’ categorical surrender. When God called him by name, he responded with total availability ‘Here I am”. Surrender and availability emerge from one’s utmost love for the person. In our Indian tradition, the meaning of submission “is the loving surrender of devotee to God.” This loving surrender is called Bhakti, which means ‘to partake,’ and become “participants of the Divine nature,” (2 Pet 1:4). Therefore, by our love and God-centered actions we grow in communion with God. Thomas Aquinas says, “‘everyone is commanded to love God as well as he can,’ in the concrete realization of love to which they are individually called.”
According to Gispert-Sauch, “the bhakta is the person who shares the love and life of God and who therefore lives in ananya bhakti, undivided love (Bhagavad-Gita B.G. 11:54), in whom the Lord lives and who lives in Him(B.G. 9:29)”. Therefore, in order to enhance and deepen our Bhakti, ‘take off your shoes’, becomes fundamental. In other words, ‘take off your shoes’, implies the removal of external crutches which do not let us be totally united with the Absolute. In every act of our liturgy, taking off our shoes and surrendering in love, becomes essential. The symbolic gesture of entering the sanctuary bare feet and the reverential bow before the tabernacle reveal our singular and unilateral loving surrender before God. Talking about holiness, Karl Vladimir insists, “all Christians must dedicate themselves to God alone with a single-minded devotion.”
In the life of Jesus, the “Abba Experience”, which he had at the Jordan at the time of his Baptism, becomes crucial. He was overwhelmed by God’s unconditional love, which was expressed in the following verse, “You are my son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased,” (Lk.3:22). The experience of love of God and His act of surrender was the moment of Bhakti, and a beginning of a new life. It became an ongoing spiritual voyage. Jesus was reaffirmed at the transfiguration “This is my son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” (MT. 17:5). This powerful experience of love and communion with God was the source which enabled him to face Gethsemane and the crucifixion thereafter. In other words, the true source was nothing but, “letting go of self and letting God in.” The more we let go off our attachments, inflexible life, self-righteous attitude, self-centeredness, ethnic and regional affiliations, the more we let God take hold of us to share His vision and join His mission.
Renunciation of the worldliness – Samnyasa
As long as we are contemplatives in action, we do not seek to renounce the world, but strive to renounce the worldliness. “Holiness is not rejection of the world but, of necessity, holy action on the world.” If this is to take root, we need to develop a sense of increasing detachment towards the world, without in any way hating it. Total renunciation is attained, when the mind develops equanimity that it can distinguish between truth and untruth, justice and injustice, self and selflessness, and freedom and slavery. It means that the devotee must be free, “unencumbered by worldly ties.” However we need to keep in mind that the renunciation or samnyasa that is spoken of in the Indian tradition, is one of renouncing the world and moving towards the uninhabited places like ‘the himalayas’, and meditate on God alone. On the contrary, the samnyasa that I would like to emphasize is not the one of running away from the world, but as Karl Rahner says, we endeavor to bring about transformation from within, by being ‘hearers of the Word and Spirit in the world.’ In other words, we renounce our greediness and self-centered attitude, in order to benefit the poor and do away with the oppressive structures by our genuine love for the humanity.
In the parable of the Rich man (Mk.10:17-31) the young man has been practicing the commandments quite meticulously and he is humble enough to kneel down before the Lord and seek His advice. But the tragedy was that he did not have the inner disposition to give up his wealth in favour of the poor. To such a person who is willing but caught up in the mire of personal attachments and comforts, Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Mk. 10:25). Following Jesus and being His disciple is not a ‘fifty-fifty’ deal but a 100% involvement which demands absolute renunciation of personal goals and desires.
In an unambiguous term, ‘take off your shoes,’ entails stripping away of whatever that prevents us from experiencing the holy. Quite often, we are so much insulated by our own thoughts and conceptualizations that we are not sufficiently tuned to listen to God’s communication. Indeed, God keeps speaking to us in many ‘burning bushes of today’. In the cry of every poor for a morsel of food, in the frail voice of every female calling for equality, from the desperate look of an abandoned child, from the sinking voice of the displaced slum dweller, God keeps speaking to us. Do we have a heart that can hear the cry of these little ones and do we have a hand that can reach out to the fading humanity? Have we programmed our system to be sensitive to God’s voice? It demands that we remove our shoes of comforts and sandals of self-centered programmes which keep us away from hearing God’s voice from the burning bushes of today. This is the challenge that we are called to make, to renounce the worldliness by being in the world. We give up our own known, familiar, and secure ways of doing and being and commit ourselves to be open and humble before God to perceive His vision and live His mission in our own lives. It is also a call, indeed, to prepare for a “new way of discerning, being and becoming.”
At another level, the implication of ‘take off your shoes’ is not merely excessive external disciplining, but more of internal inclusive (holistic) disciplining of one’s attitude and thinking pattern. There is a story that talks about the conversation between a student of Torah and his teacher. The student one day came to his teacher and said that in his opinion, he was qualified for ordination, as a Rabbi. When Rabbi asked of the qualifications, he said I have disciplined my body so that I can sleep on the ground, even eat the grass of the field and allow myself to be wiped. The teacher replied, “Look at that white ass, and be mindful that it also does all that you said. So up to the present moment you may qualify to be an ass”. Well, such a rigorous asceticism with an orientation to acquire power and position will only make us self-righteous and keep us away from God and God’s people. On the other hand, spiritual detachment and holy indifference will lead us to experience the ‘bare feet’ of our heart to recognize the voice from the ‘holy ground’ and follow its directions. Thus renunciation becomes fruitful and we begin to be sensitive and serviceable that we do not fail to listen to God’s voice in the burning bushes of every day life.
A Call to Discipleship - Sishya
If ‘take off your shoes’ implies loving submission and absolute renunciation, discipleship is the natural consequence. The term ‘discipleship,’ has the connotation of compliance with the instructor: because the disciple (‘Mathetes’ in Greek), is not only a student, but an adherent, imitator of his/her master (‘Didaskalos’). In the Gospels, Christ’s call to discipleship and human response to it is a familiar theme. The term ‘Mathetes’ occurs in the Gospels and in the Acts, for about 250 times. Invariably, in all these places, a personal union with Jesus Christ and personal attachment of the disciple to the master is emphasized. Therefore, discipleship is basically an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. The Johannine image of disciple as a branch united to the living vine Jesus Christ, is a confirmation of an ‘interior’ relationship that evolves as part of authentic discipleship.
The interior relationship with Jesus Christ culminates in identifying with Him. The identification with Jesus Christ is nothing but ‘losing oneself to find a new self in God.’ Hence the disciple denies oneself and anchors in God alone. In his book ‘Cost of Disciplesip’ Bonhoffer underlines, “To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only Him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us. Once more, all that self-denial can say is: ‘He leads the way, keep close to Him.’” However, keeping close to Him is not without tests and temptations or trials and tribulations. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Lk. 9:23), is the constant reminder for any authentic discipleship. Hence in the process of denying oneself, let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, and face persecution and cross generously and joyfully.
In our effort to deny ourselves and carry the cross, the most fundamental thing that we need to do is to cut ourselves from our previous bindings and belongings. Bonhoffer affirms that “the first step, which follows the call, cuts the disciple off from his(her) previous existence. The call to follow at once produces a new situation. To stay in the old situation makes discipleship impossible. Levi must leave the receipt of custom and Peter his nets in order to follow Jesus.” Hence discipleship is an invitation for a new way of life, in contrast to the old one. It demands leaving behind, one’s own age old habits, treasured desires in order to follow a new master and his directions. ‘Take off your shoes’, is a gesture that symbolizes Moses leaving behind his old ways and taking on a ever new way of following the commands of Yahweh in bringing about delivery to His chosen people. Every time we leave the sandals outside the sacred place and bow before the Divine, we need to remember that it is not a ritual or routine that we leave our sandals out, but we want to express our reverential surrender and begin a new life of discipleship. In short Christian Discipleship implies :
a) An immediate response in faith in Jesus Christ (Mk.1:18-20; Mt. 4: 20-22)
b) Readiness to renounce everything for the sake of the poor and the needy (Mk. 1:18-20; Mt. 4:20-22; Lk. 5:11)
c) Forsaking of all the old ties and becoming all inclusive(Lk. 9:59-61; 18:22)
d) Walking through the way of Jesus, a way of suffering (Mk.8:34; Mt. 10:38).
e) Denying oneself and accepting cross as one’s way of life (Mk.8:34; Mt. 10:38; 16:24; Lk. 9:23).
At a time when we are swamped with innumerable inventions and discoveries, latest soft-ware packages and most viable cell phone connections and handys, it is, indeed, a challenge to take off our shoes, and remain ‘bare’ before the Lord, trusting in His providence alone. In its simplest form, ‘take off your shoes’, means take off your mask and be lovingly human before the Lord. Let go of your personal idols, and let God take charge of you. The best way to let God take charge of us is to fall in love with Him (bhakti) in an absolute self-surrender and look at the world through God’s own eyes and serve the people with God’s own heart. The following poignant message of Fr. Pedro Arrupe S.J., whose 400th birth anniversary we celebrate this year, brings to fore the ultimate meaning of holiness, submission, renunciation and discipleship;
Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than
falling in love in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination,
will affect everything.
It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you will do with your evenings,
how you will spend your weekends,
what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and
what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in love, stay in love and it will decide everything. -- Pedro Arrupe, S.J.
By,
Rajakumar S.J.
