The Inn at the End of the World

Love is patient, is kind. It does not envy others or brag of itself. It is not swollen with self. It is not wayward or grasping. It does not flare with anger, nor harbor a grudge. It takes no joy in evil, but delights in truth. It keeps all confidences, all trust, all hope, all endurance. Love will never go out of existence. Prophecy will fail in time, languages too, and knowledge as well. For we know things only partially, or prophesy partially, and when the totality is known, the parts will vanish. It is like what I spoke as a child, knew as a child, thought as a child, argued as a child - which, now I am grown up, I put aside. In the same way we see things in a murky reflection now, but shall see them full face when what I have known in part I shall know fully, just as I am known. For the present, then, three things matter - believing, hoping, and loving. But supreme is loving.

-- "What Jesus Meant" by Garry Wills

The quote is actually Mr. Wills' translation of First Corinthians 13:1-13. A few weeks ago I saw Wills on C-SPAN discussing his latest book "What the Gospels Meant". Having some interest in the sacred mysteries, and seeing that this little volume looked like an accessible path, I got it, loved it, and ordered the other two "Meant" books. I liked this Jesus one even more and it will doubtless stand several rereadings. I have yet to get to the Paul one, but I expect Wills to maintain his voice and tempo.

Although I am not joining any church or religion, I do find Wills' perspective on Christianity to be engaging, as it is definitely not of the politico-fundamentalist stripe, and although he is a Catholic, you will find yourself wondering why that is, considering how hard he is on the Church and this Pope. He is a supernaturalist, that is, this is not one of those fully demythologizing interpretations that makes Jesus out to be just a great spiritual leader and perhaps a prophet, but it is not so heavy-handed as to turn me off; in fact, I rather enjoy the poetry of it, for which you can probably thank or blame Milton for his magisterial "Paradise Lost" - great literature is a sure way to my heart.

I will make a positive disclaimer, especially for the benefit of those who are familiar with the darker thrusts of my mind and my amusements, my more primal hunger. I have not made a religious conversion of any kind, nor has there been any fundamental changes in my temperament and thinking, for better or worse. As I have expressed before, though, I am in a questing mood for spiritual matter. I guess I'm just getting old and I hunger for something more than this material world, the world as we know it.

The Inn at the End of the World

Love is patient, is kind. It does not envy others or brag of itself. It is not swollen with self. It is not wayward or grasping. It does not flare with anger, nor harbor a grudge. It takes no joy in evil, but delights in truth. It keeps all confidences, all trust, all hope, all endurance. Love will never go out of existence. Prophecy will fail in time, languages too, and knowledge as well. For we know things only partially, or prophesy partially, and when the totality is known, the parts will vanish. It is like what I spoke as a child, knew as a child, thought as a child, argued as a child - which, now I am grown up, I put aside. In the same way we see things in a murky reflection now, but shall see them full face when what I have known in part I shall know fully, just as I am known. For the present, then, three things matter - believing, hoping, and loving. But supreme is loving.

-- "What Jesus Meant" by Garry Wills

The quote is actually Mr. Wills' translation of First Corinthians 13:1-13. A few weeks ago I saw Wills on C-SPAN discussing his latest book "What the Gospels Meant". Having some interest in the sacred mysteries, and seeing that this little volume looked like an accessible path, I got it, loved it, and ordered the other two "Meant" books. I liked this Jesus one even more and it will doubtless stand several rereadings. I have yet to get to the Paul one, but I expect Wills to maintain his voice and tempo.

Although I am not joining any church or religion, I do find Wills' perspective on Christianity to be engaging, as it is definitely not of the politico-fundamentalist stripe, and although he is a Catholic, you will find yourself wondering why that is, considering how hard he is on the Church and this Pope. He is a supernaturalist, that is, this is not one of those fully demythologizing interpretations that makes Jesus out to be just a great spiritual leader and perhaps a prophet, but it is not so heavy-handed as to turn me off; in fact, I rather enjoy the poetry of it, for which you can probably thank or blame Milton for his magisterial "Paradise Lost" - great literature is a sure way to my heart.

I will make a positive disclaimer, especially for the benefit of those who are familiar with the darker thrusts of my mind and my amusements, my more primal hunger. I have not made a religious conversion of any kind, nor has there been any fundamental changes in my temperament and thinking, for better or worse. As I have expressed before, though, I am in a questing mood for spiritual matter. I guess I'm just getting old and I hunger for something more than this material world, the world as we know it.