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“Wondering” is a word connoting at least three things:
- Standing in disbelief,
- Standing in the question itself,
- Standing in awe before something.
Try letting all three “standings” remain open inside of you. This is a very good way to grow spiritually, as long as the disbelief moves beyond mere skepticism or negativity.
When Scholastic philosophy was at its best (in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries), the development of an idea proceeded by what the great teachers called the questio (Latin, “to seek”). Our English word “quest” may come from that understanding. The systematic asking of questions opened up wonder and encouraged spiritual curiosity, ever refining the question itself instead of just looking for the perfect answer.
Scholastic philosophy quickly degenerated when people rushed to supposed easy answers instead of remaining in the brilliance and humility of the questio or quest itself. We ended up with Thomists instead of the fitting silence of Thomas Aquinas himself. We ended up with Scotists who bored you beyond belief, instead of the joyful humility of John Duns Scotus.
Adapted from
The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See, p. 46-47
The Daily Meditations for 2013 are now available
in Fr. Richard’s new book Yes, And . . . .
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