Wonderful

 A friend recently suggested that I might like the book, Meister Eckhart, A Mystic Warrior for Our Times by Matthew Fox.  At least I think this is the book she was suggesting; it is easy to get lost when ordering online.  In the first chapter entitled, "The God of Awe, Wonder, Radical Amazement, and Justice: Meister Eckhart Meets Rabbi Heschel", Fox writes, "We need wonder to restart culture because the modern agenda started philosophy not with awe and wonder but with doubt. Heschel claims that this is destructive because 'wonder rather than doubt is the root of knowledge. ' Merkle [John C. Merkle, Genesis of Faith] comments that a philosophy 'that begins in doubt will find it difficult, if not impossible, to include wonder.' This explains why we live in a society that is less and less wonder oriented, and why our educational systems are failing - and boring - our young  people. Heschel makes the point that there is no word in biblical Hebrew for doubt - but there are many words for wonder (9).        

Granted there are some pretty sweeping statements here that I will probably never be prepared enough to defend or argue.  Yet, having started way too many projects in the spirit of doubt, I know there is some deep truth here, and I just felt my life shift.  Jesus often lamented the doubt that would periodically take root in the hearts of those around him.   When we doubt, we listen too much to our own fears.  Wonder opens us to new possibilities.   Wonder leaves room for God. 

photograph:  San Leandro, March, 2021