As often as I have been affected and inspired by the words of today’s gospel, I think I have never before realized the degree of courage that is required if we are to live in the “persistence” Jesus describes. One of the greatest dangers of what we can call religious belief is its tendency to shade into, if not outrightly become, magical thinking. As the Buddha taught, all life is suffering. As Freud reminded us, we must learn to bear with the harshness of reality. And, of course, these are unpleasant truths. And so, we can resort to a way…[read more]
Persistence and Prayer
As often as I have been affected and inspired by the words of today’s gospel, I think I have never before realized the degree of courage that is required if we are to live in the “persistence” Jesus describes. One of the greatest dangers of what we can call religious belief is its tendency to shade into, if not outrightly become, magical thinking. As the Buddha taught, all life is suffering. As Freud reminded us, we must learn to bear with the harshness of reality. And, of course, these are unpleasant truths. And so, we can resort to a way…[read more]
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