That Quix and I, people of such very different styles and predilections, should have found, by the Grace of God, a way to love one another is a miracle of God. I am utterly persuaded of this.
I daresay we hurt each other. Quix irritates the bejaysus out of me, and it seems that he is horrified or disappointed by much of what I say.
But by the grace of God we see in each other the Love of God (in both the objective and subjective sense of the genitive).
This is a miracle greater than the love between a Montague and a Capulet. and we should be grateful for it, honor it, and take the adventure God sends through it.
Yeah I’m pious. It’s the wine.
GREATLY AGREE. THX THX.
Except I don’t think it’s the wine.
And I *THINK* we both know that neither of our goals is ever to hurt one another, nor even, per se, our co-religionists.
I think it’s harder to believe that of my style and particularly of the notion that any of my fierceness could be remotely construed as redemptive by any type of insanity. Nevertheless, by some miracle, you still seem to understand and appreciate the bulk of my heart, spirit, attitude at my core.
That is a miracle that I’m deeply thankful for.
Yes, I find many of your assertions ghastly, incomprehensible, horrific given the rest of what I know of you etc. etc. etc. I just keep trusting what God spke to my heart about His relationship with you and trust the details to Him regardless of how incredulous a given post of yours leaves me feeling.
I’d a lot rather have the intimacy between us that A-G and Betty Boop share so fully and liberally.
However, we have what we have and that is miracle enough.
To which you dear brother in Christ replied: Except I don't think it's the wine.
I dunno. Maybe it's the wine. I'm thinking of the Marriage of Cana here....
Fyodor Dostoyevsky has penned some miraculous lines on this subject, in the novel The Brothers Karamazov. The setting is the wake of Alyosha's beloved elder, Father Zossima. Alyosha has had a devastating day, not only because of the death of his beloved elder, but his brother Ivan had earlier in the day regaled him with his harrowing parable of The Grand Inquisitor. Alyosha was physically and mentally exhausted, when he returned to the hermitage to kneel at the at the coffin of his beloved teacher and spiritual mentor, to hear Father Païssy read the gospel over the dead holy man....
[Alyosha] began quietly praying, but he soon felt he was praying almost mechanically. Fragments of thought floated through his soul, flashed like stars and went out again at once, to be succeeded by others. But yet there was reigning in his soul a sense of the wholeness of things — something steadfast and comforting — and he was aware of it himself. Sometimes he began praying ardently, he longed to pour out his thankfulness and love....Alyosha's vision then turns to the "governor" of the wedding feast, who turns out to be his beloved Father Zossima himself....But when he had begun to pray, he passed suddenly to something else, and sank into thought, forgetting both the prayer and what had interrupted it. He began listening to what Father Païssy was reading, but worn out with exhaustion he gradually began to doze.
"And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee;" read Father Païssy. "And the mother of Jesus was there; And both Jesus was called, and his disciples to the marriage."
"Marriage? What's that ... a marriage!" floated whirling through Alyosha's mind. "There is happiness for her, too.... She has gone to the feast.... No, she has not taken the knife [the "she" here refers to another character in the novel bleeding over into Alyosha's strange state of consciousness here].... That was only a tragic phase.... Well.... tragic phases should be forgiven, they must be. Tragic phases comfort the heart.... Without them, sorrow would be too heavy for men to bear.... But the high road.... The road is wide and straight and bright as crystal, and the sun is at the end of it.... Ah!... What's being read?"...
"And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, 'They have no wine'" ... Alyosha heard.
"Ah, yes, I was missing that, and I didn't want to miss it, I love that passage; it's Cana of Galilee, the first miracle. ... Ah, that miracle! Ah, that sweet miracle! It was not men's grief, but their joy Christ visited, he worked His first miracle to help men's gladness.... 'He who loves men loves their gladness, too.' ...
"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what has it to do with thee or me? Mine hour is not yet come.
"His mother saith unto the servants: Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it" ...
"Do it ... Gladness, the gladness of some poor, very poor people. ... Of course they were poor, since they hadn't wine enough even at a wedding. ... The historians write that, in those days, the people living about the Lake of Genneserat were the poorest that can possibly be imagined.... and another great heart, that other great being, His Mother, knew that He had come not only to make His great terrible sacrifice. She knew that His heart was open even to the simple, artless merry-making of some obscure and unlearned people, who had warmly bidden Him to their poor wedding. 'Mine hour is not yet come," He said, with a soft smile (He must have smiled gently to her). And indeed was it to make wine abundant at poor weddings He had come down to earth? And yet He went and did as she asked Him.... Ah, he is reading again"...
"Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
"And he saith unto them, Draw out now and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
"When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was; [but the servants which drew the water knew] the governor of the feast called the bridegroom.
"And saith unto him: Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, that which is worse; but thou hast kept the good wine until now."
...What! ... He here, too? But he's in the coffin ... but he's here, too. He has stood up, he sees me, he is coming here ... God!"....What happens to Alyosha next in the story marks a great spiritual turning point that affects everything that subsequently happens in this glorious novel....Yes, he came up to him, to him, he, the little, thin old man, with tiny wrinkles on his face, joyful and laughing softly. There was no coffin now, and he was in the same dress as he had worn yesterday sitting with them, when the visitors had gathered about him. His face was uncovered, his eyes were shining. How was this, then, he, too, had been called to the feast. He, too, at the marriage of Cana in Galilee....
"Yes, my dear, I am called, too, called and bidden," he heard a soft voice saying over him....
It was his voice, the voice of Father Zossima. And it must be he, since he called him!
The elder raised Alyosha by the hand and he rose from his knees.
"We are rejoicing," the little, thin old man went on. "We are drinking the new wine, the wine of new, great gladness; do you see how many guests? Here are the bride and bridegroom, here is the wise governor of the feast, he is tasting the new wine. Why do you wonder at me? I gave an onion to a beggar, so I, too, am here. And many here have given only an onion each — only one little onion.... What are all our deeds? And you, my gentle one, you, my kind boy, you too have known how to give a famished woman an onion to-day. Begin your work, dear one, begin it, gentle one! ... Do you see our Sun, do you see Him?"
"I am afraid ... I dare not look," whispered Alyosha.
"Do not fear Him. He is terrible in His greatness, awful in His sublimity, but infinitely merciful. He has made Himself like unto us from love and rejoices with us. He is changing the water into wine that the gladness of the guests may not be cut short. He is expecting new guests, He is calling new ones unceasingly forever and ever.... There they are bringing the new wine. Do you see they are bringing the vessels....
Something glowed in Alyosha's heart, something filled it till it ached, tears of rapture rose from his soul.... He stretched out his hands, uttered a cry and waked up....
Dostovevsky was of Russian Orthodox heritage/confession. He is my brother in Christ. His lines here — the run-up to Alyosha's perigoge — bring tears of joy to my heart....