Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Once again the chortle of the St. Francis fountain dribbles in the background

Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. Indeed, our heart rejoices in Him, for in His holy Name we put our trust. Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us, as we have put our trust in You. Psalm 33:20-22

I will sing of mercy and justice; to You, O LORD, will I sing praises. I will strive to follow a blameless course; oh, when will You come to me? I will walk with sincerity of heart within my house. Psalm 101:1-2

Back to Letters to Malcolm and Mr. Lewis… who seems to nail it once again, opening him up where the bookmark was left a few weeks back and yet a seemingly eternity: Anger–no peevish fit of temper, but just, generous, scalding indignation–passes (not necessarily at once) into embracing, exultant, re-welcoming love. That is how friends and lovers are truly reconciled. Hot wrath, hot love. Such anger is the fluid that love bleeds when you cut it. The angers, not the measured remonstrances, of lovers are love’s renewal. Wrath and pardon are both, as applied to God, analogies; but they belong together to the same circle of analogy–the circle of life, and love, and deeply personal relationships. Al the liberalizing and “civilizing” analogies only lead us astray. Turn God’s wrath into more enlightened disapproval, and you turn His love into mere humanitarianism. The “consuming fire” and the “perfect beauty” both vanish. We have, instead, a judicious headmistress or a conscientious magistrate. It comes of being high-minded.

Things to think about.


Let Your lovingkindness, Oh LORD, be upon us, as we have put our trust in You.

No comments:

Post a Comment