(for Christians)
As Christians, we are called to give up our personal headship for the headship of Christ. But if we’re not careful, we may merely substitute someone else’s beliefs or interests or desires for our own—someone naming the name of Christ, to be sure, but someone whose heart may be far from him.
What is really called for is to recognize and honor the living Christ in our own lives, now. Indeed, being raised up together with Him, now, we are called to abide in Him and to walk with Him in newness of life. And while there are many possible on-ramps to this Way of Truth and Life, the pages under this menu will be devoted to certain points of resonance between The Headless Way, pioneered by Douglas Harding, and various traditional expressions of Christian faith and worship. For in some cases, that which appears at first glance to be an outmoded example of Christian ritual and rhetoric can really come alive in the light of the realization that constitutes the headless way.
Consider, for example, the Entrance Antiphon and the first two verses from the Responsorial Psalm featured in the Daily Mass Reading for Dec. 2nd, 2022:
Entrance Antiphon:
Behold, the Lord will come
descending with splendour to visit his people with peace,
and he will bestow on them eternal life.
Responsorial Psalm (segment)
(Psalm 27:1,4)
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid? R.
One thing I ask of the Lord;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord
and contemplate his temple. R.
And consider, too, this (unsung) verse from a hymn that was used in a recent mass:
“Christ the King”
Let love’s unconquerable might
your scattered companies unite
in service to the Lord of light.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
This verse from the responsorial Psalm on November 6th also strikes a very headless chord:
Responsorial Psalm (segment)
(Psalm 17:8,15)
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Keep me as the apple of your eye,
hide me in the shadow of your wings.
But I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking I shall be content in your presence. R.
Is all of this just pious rhetoric from days gone by? Or, as we repeat these verses, do we really recognize and honor the Lord who is our light and our salvation? If not . . . if anyone is just going through the motions— out of inertia, perhaps, or in an attempt to fake it until they make it, as the saying goes —the headless way may be just what the doctor ordered! Don’t take my word for it—have a look for yourself!
Getting to Know Jesus in the 21st Century 