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PDF versionWhat to Do With Wonder?
by Ed Hays on Dec. 10, 2009
“The root of religion,” said Rabbi Abraham Heschel, “is what to do with awe, wonder and amazement.” Wonderful insight since from the root of wonder and awe grows religion, even if you are not religious. From that same root of wonder grows the flowering plant of prayer and adoration of God.
Without wonder and amazement God becomes something we imagine we can manipulate by tricks of piety, fasting, lighting candles, or sprinkling of holy water. To approach the Divine Mystery without a sense of wonder easily turns God into a philosophical concept or definable theological principle. Yet it is impossible to define the Wondrous One other than as a baffling mystery. December is a sacred time of wonder, of the holy lights of Hanukkah and Christmas glowing in the pitch-black darkness of winter: “‘Tis the season to be jolly,” or more accurately, “‘Tis the season to be wonder-filled,” in the eyes as well as the heart.
As I enjoy luminous strings of lights
And flame-topped flickering candles,
Remind me they are not just decorations,
They are sacraments of wonder of you.
From A Book of Wonders by Ed Hays
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Prayer action suggestion:
When are you the most awe-struck? Why?
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Thanks again for a such
Thanks again for a such wonderful insight! Contemplative practice and the partaking of the Eucharistic feast, for me, involves trying to rest in that wonderment - in that Mystery of the Divine.
Bob
This is so true. Sometimes
This is so true. Sometimes it seems as if the holy water or prayers "work" and then we get upset when the don't. Jesus said "ask and you shall receive" but so often we don't. There is no manipulating God and it sure makes for that "fearful" attitude of the Old Testament. It's a confusing mix to me.
This is the season of
This is the season of wonderful Wonder. It is a time to lay aside the worries of this world and just contemplate the Birth of Christ and all the events leading up to this wonderful scene of the crib in Bethlehem. Think of the Faith of Mary and Joseph as they accepted God's plan for them and the Christ Child. After spending a long period of time thinking about all of this, look at the local newspaper and you will probably say to yourself, "How do so many of us go so wrong?"
Rabbi Abraham Heschel said
Rabbi Abraham Heschel said the “The root of religion is what to do with awe, wonder and amazement.” Thank you for your words of wisdom regarding the power of "mysterion." The Lakota Sioux word for the Creator is "Wakan Tanka." This name translates literally into "The Great Mystery." Perhaps we all need to re-discover the "wonder" and "amazement" of being in relationship with the Great Mystery. Thank you for a most thought-provoking reflection.
Sincerely,
Dean Leh
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