The opening text will come from a book by Abraham Joshua Heschel (God in Search of Man - A Philosophy of Judaism). As you are able to see by the title, the language may be a bit dated and therefore, I will, when able, make the language inclusive.
Wonder is the prelude to knowledge; it ceases, once the cause of a phenomenon is explained.
But does the worth of wonder merely consist in its being a stimulant to the acquisition of knowledge? Is wonder the same as curiosity? To the prophets wonder is a form of thinking. It is not the beginning of knowledge but an act that goes beyond knowledge; it does not come to an end when knowledge is acquired; it is an attitude that never ceases. There is no answer in the world to (humanity’s) radical amazement.
Wonder may not bring us any new data – but it causes us to look again at what we think we already have seen and heard. Wonder does not give up on that which seems insignificant for nothing is insignificant when we become amazed at its very being. I may be that our ability to look with wonder upon life is a part of the great adventure of shalom – peace – wholeness. For once we begin to be thrilled with something…to see it again as we previously may not have seen it, we may be less willing to see to its destruction or waste. Wonder brings us into more than the nature of things. We begin gaze upon the grand connectedness of all things…or…at least, the possibility of such a connection. Peace is a wonder-filled adventure.
Connection: Wondering how things fit together or don’t fit together may be the beginning of the exploration of a new part of our day. It may be that we simply see the same old things of our day…with new eyes and in new ways.
Wonderful Lord, lead us. Open our eyes and let us be refreshed by the ordinary and taken up by that which is nothing more than the mundane parts of our lives. With new eyes help us to gaze into the very depths of your creation and never tire of taking another look and seeing more connections between all things. Amen.
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