Another Quote From “The Shoes of the Fisherman”
As I continue to read the novel “The Shoes of the Fisherman”, I am moved again and again by the simple and profound wisdom that emerges from its pages. In the following quote a young woman is sharing with the new Pope about a series of terrible birth defects showing up in the Roman population. She asks him that eternal question- Why does a good God let these things happen:
“If I could tell you that,” said Kiril the Pontiff soberly, “I’d be God myself. I don’t know, though I sometimes wish I did. You mustn’t imagine that the mystery of faith is any simpler for than it is for you. The Act of Faith is an act of acceptance- not an explanation.“
It is this last statement that moved me. What does it mean to you?
Posted by in 05:41:04
We can’t demand answers from God like he’s a help desk, nor can we always look for someone or something to point our fingers at.
Pam,
Well said. Thanks.
Peace,
Jamie
Jamie, when I think about an “act of acceptance”, I can’t help but think of our choosing to “trust.” As modernity loses its grip on our culture and how it understands and pursues truth, I honestly believe we’ll see scores of people choosing to “trust” without having to have the security blanket of empirical truth. What do you think?
Chris,
I think you’re right. Choosing to trust means that we may not have the certainty to trust that we might like. And more than intellectual or “empirical” certainty, it will require a trust without relational certainty, to risking loving where our love might not be valued or accepted. Loving others like God loves us, without any promise of it being returned.
Peace,
Jamie
are you cathlic?
Vanticha,
While I am not Roman Catholic, there have been many Roman Catholic people (family, friends, writers, etc.) that have had important investments into my faith journey.
Peace,
Jamie