Unknown

In Thomas Merton's, The Wisdom of the Desert, he talks about how today there is a need for a repeat of the actions of the desert fathers. A need for a separation from ourselves and the world that surrounds us. In order for us to help at all, we must be ourselves in order to be ourselves we must go to be just ourselves. Finding ourselves in the solitude of the desert in the quiet and contemplative prayer. The line that struck me at the end of his writing before the quotes from the desert fathers was "how to ignore prejudice, defy compulsion and strike out fearlessly  into the unknown." (pg.24) Reflecting throughout the semester I have found a theme. In Christianity those who truly find some amount of peace or really seem to be faithful in there relationship with God. They thrive in the unknown. The Israelites right before the Exodus are great for a variety of analogies to faith journeys, but here looking at there willingness to follow the Unknown into the unknown. God is mysterious, He is mysterious and powerful. Any human conception of what God is asking these Israelites to do is realizing that it is crazy. They are being chased by the most powerful ruler of the time, a group with elders and children, and God leads them to the sea. We know how God gets them past that. Then God got them through the sea to take them to their promise land, but that is a desert. Yet God provides, both physically with food from heaven and spiritually with freedom from the pagan religions of the Egyptians. Through this process the Israelites fight with certain things but end up finding their faith, through their journey into the unknown. They didn't know how all that was going to turn out and maybe some were fearless, but a imagine a few were not as confident. Yet Merton's words are clear, fearlessly into the unknown. That is the goal, total faith and reliance on God, knowing that He is more than sufficient and Jesus' Love and Sacrifice are more than sufficient. This fearless nature is tough but the going into the unknown I think is a curiosity in all humans. The Israelites were curious if there was more than the slavery they had. We must go out into the unknown to seek greater freedom that is only found in God. We can know God to an extent, but until we face Him and even then, we don't truly know Him in the sense of who and what He is and how great His Love really reaches, we must truly "strike out fearlessly into the unknown" not just to find our self, But to find our self and give our self to the God who created us and Loves us.