"Questions........................"

An Annie Dillard quote encountered over the weekend has me re-reading “Teaching a Stone to Talk” for at least the third or fourth time. Seemingly blind to any perspective of God being tangible in so far as what she has thus far witnessed within the religious community, she writes, nonetheless, as none other I know, of the mystery of creation around her, man, himself, being the most enigmatic piece of the puzzle. In one essay within this particular book, the “Pole of Relative Inaccessibility” is reported to be that point on an ocean farthest from land in any direction, existing just as well in the vice-versa of such scenario. Just before describing, then, some of her experiences in attending Mass at a small church somewhere, she also defines the “Absolute” as being that point of spirit farthest from every accessible point of spirit in all directions”; and, in so doing, she makes me smile. In truth, the comical pictures painted with her pen are not meant to individually accuse the Catholic, or to isolate, for that matter, the condition to Christianity. All men and religion, in general, are examined with an inability to understand what we claim to gain through our chosen patterns of pursuing the Creator. There is no argument, for she finds within nature and the universe around her evidence of His existence. It is how to make contact that has her buffaloed; and, after forty years in this, I can only confess to identifying with both her confusion and her perception of the ecclesiastical community in general. We are, or so it seems to me, a laughable bunch in many ways. Yet in spite of who and what we remain, even in Him, in the middle of all our ritual, ego, and stupidity, there are those moments when His grace meets with us. It happens – at His discretion, as He determines. When, I wonder, will we finally realize that it has little to do with all our attempts to sanctify ourselves, and everything to do with our recognizing we are nothing without Him……