Life Is Short

Eternity Is Forever


I didn't make it up. I take no credit for it. It was said, among other times, to Robert Novak once and it caused him to seriously rethink his mortality-and so he died "converted" into something that tried to live for others although he failed like all humans- he spat a bit of thinly disguised spite in letting fly the Valerie Plame information that surely could have put her in a bit of mortal jeopardy-and he knew as much. Scooter Libby took the fall for Cheney (aka Darth Vadar from the "dark side") .
Novak gave to good causes, funded a catholic school playground and gave to the Archdiocese Charitable endeavors after converting from secular judaism to catholicism, but he, like Ted Kenendy admitted, had his flaws.

I had lunch today with a gentleman professor who disclosed that he is currently chemo treating for lung cancer. He is spiritually seeking like lots of us.
--Because anyone humble enough to admit that they are not God has to admit that they don't know him completely. He's bigger than our consciousness, bigger than our understanding, wider than our wisdom and larger than our knowing. How big is life and creation of the planet and beyond? Bigger than your knowing, trust me.

So hats off to my friend, the spiritual seeker, who knows enough to know he doesn't even fully know what he doesn't know. And knows there is still more to learn- even after being a published Professor at the University of Chicago and authoring a spattering of books on subjects as erudite as Wittgenstein's ethics and religion in the post-modernist age.

As Father Horak of Holy Trinity wisely pointed out, Anthony DeMello the Jesuit from India once commented if you look at the end of the trajectory of where my finger is pointing, you will see the stars and sky and beyond. My finger is not the end of the earth, it merely points you to the heavens.
Have you mistaken your own finger for the heavens? Your own finger won't save you.