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.
As civilization advances, the sense of wonder declines. Such decline is an alarming symptom of our state of mind. (Humanity) will not perish for want of information; but only for want of appreciation. The beginning of our happiness lies in the understanding that life without wonder is not worth living. What we lack is not a will to believe but a will to wonder.
Awareness of the divine begins with wonder. It is the result of what (humanity) does with (its) higher incomprehension. The greatest hindrance to such awareness is our adjustment to conventional notions, to mental clichés. Wonder or radical amazement, the state of maladjustment to words and notions, is therefore a prerequisite for an authentic awareness of that which is.
Radical amazement has a wider scope than any other act of (humanity). While any act of perception or cognition has as its object a selected segment of reality, radical amazement refers to all of reality; not only to what we see, but also to the very act of seeing as well as to our own selves, to the selves that see and are amazed at their ability to see.
Way back in another series of these devotions I quoted someone who suggested a turn on the phrase “Don’t just sit there, do something.” It was, “Sit there, don’t just do something.” Sitting there…or moving around and taking notice of what we would usually pass right by…are exercises in wonder. I love Heschel’s remark about what we do with our “higher incomprehension” as being a part of the wonder that makes us aware of the divine. What we can comprehend may lead us to many things…but what we cannot…well…who knows what may come out of that. So slow down…or simply let the talking heads of our media madness shows talk to an empty room while we go out and be amazed at what is all around us.
Connection: Looking again at the least among us…the insignificant…may bring before us an experience of radical amazement. Then again, it means dropping the routine of our lives…or at least turning our heads to take in that which so often simply flies by us without notice or appreciation.
Surprise us Lord with your wonderful creation. Let us hear the opening of the spring blossoms and see the cracking thunder of the storms of April…and then, amaze us with the complexity of your creation in a handful of garden dirt. Praise be to you O God Most High. Amen.
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