Naked Spirituality Is the Spirit’s Way
written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people. ”
Honesty sounds like an easy virtue to follow. We talk about honesty in relationships. Honesty is affirmed in Proverbs and throughout the Old and New Testaments. Throughout pre-Biblical wisdom, to the Eastern and Western philosophers, to various religious traditions, honesty is one of the few virtues that transcends time, ethnicity, and religion. Yet, if honesty is a profound virtue at every level of society, why should we have such trouble fulfilling the requirement of honesty?
In The Wound of Knowledge, the former Archbishop of Canterbury (2002-2012), Rowan Williams, writes, “The greatness of the great Christian saints lies in their readiness to be questioned, judged, stripped naked and left speechless by that which lies at the centre of their faith.” Summarizing Father Williams, each of his descriptions that lies at the center of faith requires humility. God calls a person of faith to be emotionally and spiritually “stripped naked.”
We are stripped naked in our prayers of confession. We can only recognize our need for God when we are humbly stripped naked. Nakedness is required because worldly virtue calls humans to self-sufficiency and independence without the need for anyone or anything else. Self-reliance is a misnomer. We are imperfect beings, and alone, our lives will end in ruin. Apart from the One, we must rely on for ultimate meaning; there is no hope of eternal blessing. Ironically, those who selfishly strive for success may appear the victor, but even the wealthiest, most powerful person will one day die. Independence always ends in death.
Interdependence is our hope and our salvation. Selfish focus is due to a lack of personal awareness. Once we realize our limitations, we open ourselves to a much wider, more exciting reality. Only God can overcome our many limitations. Offer yourself to God, and God’s Holy Spirit will guide you with wisdom, compassion, and power beyond our natural limitations, including death. I don’t know about you, but my flaws are ever before me. I am grateful that the buck doesn’t stop with me, and I will only go as far as I can take myself. Strip spiritually naked and allow God to dress you with honesty and a humble spirit necessary for a new life guided by God’s miraculous power.
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