Making room for not knowing
is more important than certainty –
we think something is going to bring us pleasure
or misery/be a disaster or a great adventure
but we really don’t know
one thing we do know for certain:
inferior goods such as silver and gold/
temporal honors and power
have their temporary delights
but they are nothing compared to God
who made them all –
true delight and joy rests in God
“Ultimate Reality is at hand –
change your mind and believe such good news!”
– Richard Rohr’s translation of
“The kingdom of God is at hand
repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15)
to repent is to change your mind –
to be baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection
means that you have died to the values
of the Roman or American Empire
and been born into Christian values
of peace/charity/justice/nonviolence
which sometimes involves suffering like Christ
who said to Francis of Assisi
“I have given you the stigmata
the five wounds in my feet/hands/side
the emblems of my Passion
so that you may be my Standard-Bearer”
but Francis tried to hide these wounds
which in truth were his glory
but then again, God hides God’s glory:
“God’s glory is to be in all God’s creatures
giving them their being/breath/everything
living in their midst as unknown
for if we could see how unlike our glory
is to God’s glory
we would die for love of God.”
– Thomas Merton
Intelligent Christian Spirituality 