forgetting

Philippians 3:12-13 Graham Greene was a great English novelist, and among the many wonderful books he wrote was a slim volume called Monsignor Quixote. It’s about a priest who is traveling with a companion, someone with whom he does not always agree. They have very different beliefs and somewhat different values and a lot of “discussion” about these differences. One morning, after a night of heated disagreement, his companion comes to the priest to apologize about last night. Father Quixote says he has no idea what he is concerned about, for he hasn’t any recollection of whatever they discussed the night before. “I am trained to forget what I am told,” he says. Even when it’s not in the confessional? “It’s much easier for a priest to treat everything as a confession. I make a habit of never repeating anything to anyone – even to myself, if possible.” Most people, including […]

Revelation 21:1-6a Frederick Buechner wrote an essay describing a dream he once had. In it, he was staying in a hotel. He was aware that he really, really, loved this room. Much more than you should, actually, love a hotel room. Somehow, in this room he felt happy and at peace. It seemed like everything in the room was exactly as it should be. And it felt as if he, himself, was exactly as he should be. At some point he wandered off to other places and did other things, the way it often happens in dreams. Eventually, he returned to the hotel, but this time he was in a different room and it was not a comfortable experience. He went to the front desk. He explained to the clerk that he would like to have his old room back, that everything about it was perfect and he would much rather be […]

Tag: forgetting

The One Who Makes All Things New