Author: Ron Baker

This morning I awoke with the word “consistory” in my brain.  As some of you who know me will recognize – my brain does tend to wander and to gather all sorts of facts and fictions.

I thought I would test out this word.  Turns out this was a council of people who decided on such things as defamation and other moral rights and wrongs.  Used as an ecclesial court (church court) but also as a governing political court, the actual activity of these courts (although still in use as a laity court in some church polity) became non-existent a few centuries ago.  With the decline of their powers and the disuse of the laws governing these courts and their decisions, the whole area of the consistory came into “desuetude”.  As some explanations say – although these courts remained “on the books” they lost power because of a state of disuse – signalling that receiving a subpoena to attend a consistory for a “crime” had no power.

Got to love that word – desuetude.  I immediately saw two parts to the word –  “de” which is often used as a prefix to negate a noun, and the word “sue” which has legal implications of taking action against a party who has wronged us.  So . . . I guess because of desuetude you cannot go to the consistory to gain justice.  Put that into a sentence and fire the crowd up (or as we used to say in the old days – stick that in you pipe and smoke it, which really didn’t fire a crowd up but rather sent them out of the room because the smoke was too much!).

Today I opened my email to a thought on Church History (sponsored by Christianity Today).

December 6, 1273:  Following a tremendous mystical experience while conducting Mass, Thomas Aquinas suspends work on his Summa Theologica. “I can do no more,” he told his servant. “Such things have been revealed to me that all that I have written seems to me as so much straw. Now I await the end of my life.”

Seems that no one knows what that vision might have been.  Aquinas was probably the theologian of his day – his written works are still read today.  But, in the end of life (which was not much longer after this experience) he stopped writing, lecturing and doing the academic thing.  He was still called on by others to give opinion and commentary.  But his great summary work of theology was just left suspended in mid-sentence.

A mystery to be solved?  The mystical experience was said to have taken place during Mass, a time where communion with God is expected and cherished.  Perhaps . . .

A “vibecession” has become a word in Canadian vocabulary.  This relates directly to the old word “recession”. 

Except, we thought we could quantify a recession.  We could talk about the lack of money people had in objective terms.  We set standards, as best as possible.  We could talk about the signs of recession and forecast the loss of jobs, spending power and general economic malaise.

But, economists have coined the term “vibecession” to mean our evaluation of a recession/depression are tinged by our own sense (our vibe) of what is happening.  We can be told objectively that we have reached certain standards of economic ability.  But, in what could be called a “me-cession” (and actually is called this), we determine our own truth about whether we are in a recession based on our own situations.  If you don’t have economic prowess or power, this is a “me-cession”.  And quite literally this will lead to a recession as people determine their own use of their economic “power” based on their own perception of the sustainability of the economy. 

Tell someone long enough, loud enough, and sincerely enough that they have no economic power and they will believe this.  Or, they will look at their grocery bill, utility bills and determine life is no longer prosperous.  Either way, forecasts of an upturn in the economy can be unhinged by a “vibecession”. 

PS (an old term for a thought after the thought):  This is in part a result of a society that has decided that their own truth is the truth for themselves – but in effect their truth vies with other truths to receive the transcendence in stating “what is truth”.  Which begs the question:  Does truth demand a transcendent “truth” or can we live with splintered “truths”?

On October 16, 2024 an Eston College student Zoomed me in to discuss Spiritual Theology.  Five Questions – with bullet point answers was what I was prepared to talk about. 

1.  How do you balance living a spiritual life knowing that God is both transcendent and immanent?  (Big but here)

Ecclesiastes – Fear God and Obey His commandments.  I am not deistic where God is without person – but God is not also a friend to manipulate.

2.  Why does God being immanent matter?  And how is that part of your daily living?

Presence is the present God gives.  I have grace for each day from a present God.  God is a friend for counsel and able to take me through.

3.  How would you say you imagination informs or plays into your spirituality?

God is the creator and I am made in God’s image.  Hope comes with seeing (visualization) of a situation – where I move towards an end through creativity.

4.  How has you current called affected your spirituality?

Called has called me to serve my family and wife.  I’m also called to work with churches.  There has been a transition of place and habits, an new season that calls me to be closer to God.

5.  How has prayer impacted how you live spiritually?

Pray at all times – live in the atmosphere of prayer (easier said than done).  Learn God’s prompts as God places thoughts in my mind of what God sees.  Dialogue is prayer.  In the good Anglican tradition – Worship is prayer.