God’s clock

James Carroll has a wonderful essay in the Boston Globe today. In it he reminds us that <blockquote>“Religion is to God what the clock is to time. Religion participates in the mystery of what it represents but does not embody that mystery. Not even Christianity, with its self-understanding as a religion of the incarnate Word, does more than enshrine that Word in symbol and sacrament. Indeed, “Word” is the clue, since all religion, however infinite the object of its worship, remains bound by the finitude of language — and language always falls short of its purpose. That truth applies to religion and science both. Words are to what they aim to express as the clock is to time. That is why silence, too, is a mode of worship. And it is why, also, the language of science always leaves room for what is not known.”</blockquote>

We need to find ways to live in the humility of this observation!