A Eulogy to Brennan Manning ~ B
Brennan Manning, April 27th 1934 ~ April 12th 2013 ... Reflections upon a gifted and fractured priest too familiar with the tragedies of living.
I loved the man. And he was a mystic, which pleased me no end, since I think a lot of Christianity is rule-based Phariseeism, all dressed up in a white shirt and hair gel – no concern for others, solely focused on being “right,” and afraid of the spiritual side of grace. Brennan continually tweaked those people, but always seemed to answer them with loving, gentle grace. He left us just a few months ago, and I think the world has lost one of its most powerful thinkers.
Manning has left a legacy far wider than drunkenness and broken relationships. Through Manning God turned demons in a desperate man to good deposits for desperate men. His character had flawed his life but energised his words. Speaking from brokenness the man with an uncommon skill spoke to the common man. Manning made history not because of his inability to refuse the bottle but because of the ability to express his battles; to touch the souls of those too who battled.#
Dishevelled, distressed and stupefied may have been what a passerby saw of Brennan at times; yet this man, at his wit's end, would bring so many others to a fresh beginning. I know, for I too am one.
If there is a lesson to be gained from a troubled but talented Brennan Manning, a point from his history for each of us to carry into our futures; do not look down upon a brother in his day of distress for that brother may in fact become your divinely appointed counsellor, your own bridge over troubled waters.
You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune. (Obadiah 12)
My dear old mom was wont to refrain to her tactless son - "there but for the grace of God go ye."
Today's Soul Snippet:
"Rash judgement is the enemy of tenderness and compassion." ~ Brennan Manning
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