Have you ever eaten a piece of fruit and looked at the seed, and thought about the possibilities before throwing it away? Have you ever looked at an orange or apple or cherry seed and thought, "If I planted this, and all the seeds that came from it, it could be a grove, an orchard, a forest"? How many trees could be grown with a seed's children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren? I have sometimes looked at a seed in a piece of fruit and imagined a whole countryside planted with its offspring, beautiful and thriving. A seed thrown away has killed a forest that might have been.
I don't think it's possible to understand the Roman Catholic views on birth control without seeing humanity in the same way: good, and thriving, and full of possibility with each new birth.
I'm not here to convince anyone of the Roman Catholic views of birth control. I'm here to say: if we haven't really listened to each other, there are thoughts we might never have. (I sometimes wonder if thoughts are the same way. The seed of an idea, given time, might produce a great many other ideas. But if we don't listen ... if we throw it away ... our hard-heartedness and habitual disrespect might cause us to miss out on a whole forest of ideas. And on a whole forest of friends, while we're on the subject.)
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3 comments:
There's a lyric on Paul Simon's new album which defines evil as a darkness - 'a sight without sight' - and so often, our thoughts or actions can be defined by that manner of coldness rather than unpacking the true richness of the potential wonder or creativity of a moment. Some of the most wonderful moments in my life has been when there has been time for that potential to be truly recognized and expressed. Lots to consider here.
I never pegged you for a Paul Simon fan. I'll have to admit I don't know much of what happened to him after his Simon & Garfunkel days. I hear he's still going strong.
I'm convinced you're right about the potential wonder of the moment. If we really follow what Christ said about the greatest commands involving love, then that kind of habitual coldness has to be immoral in a very profound way.
Take care & God bless
Anne / WF
Anne, there are pearls everywhere, and sometimes, God graciously grants us eyes to see one or two :) Here's a link on Paul's latest album... 'So Beautiful So What': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E652VTb2ubI&feature=related
What I find so interesting in the interview is how God keeps creeping into the lyrics on this collection, and there are some very insightful moments. Re: Wonder. I think that is something that will be so cardinal in the new creation - we will truly begin to see well when the empty has been negated.
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