Care-fully-filled

This is the month when C. S. Lewis’s book, Miracles, was first published. It’s a remarkable volume where Lewis delineates the reasoning that should fortify our belief that miracles are so natural to God’s work that we shouldn’t be surprised that he intervenes in human experience this way. This is also the week, in fact, tomorrow – September 8th – is the day when Lewis appeared on the cover of Time magazine. He was recognized as having an out-sized following of both students and laypeople at the University of Oxford and around the world, respectively. I was introduced to Miracles by Dr. Rachel King, a professor I had in college. On our first day of using the book, Dr. King handed out some pages on which there were lists, from top to bottom, of single-spaced questions. She explained, “These are a list of questions that correspond to each paragraph in the chapters you will read for homework. Before you move on to the next paragraph, you must be able to answer the question. You must use the question to make sure you understand Lewis’ reasoning because you’ll begin reading and you’ll simply be agreeing and appreciating what he says until he comes the point he is making. At that moment, you’ll most likely ask, ‘How did he get there?’ Unless you can answer all the questions here along the way, you’ll never be prepared for where he leads you.” Every week she handed out a new set of questions. "Those who wish to succeed must ask the right preliminary questions” (Aristotle, Metaphysics 2.3.1). This is the first line in Lewis’ Miracles. He recommends curiosity as the entrance to humility by which we find wisdom and come to know God. Thinking fully through the wonder of God, the world of nature, and the inexhaustible experiences of another human being, let alone ourselves, is one of the most joyful and caring things we can do. And we must do it through curiosity. What questions do you need to be answered before you move on to any conclusion? Never stop exploring. Blessings, Geoff