"Active, arduous peace of poise and balance in a disordered world"

Thought One: On Athanasius

"... That steadfast, single-minded loyalty, that persevering charity, that saving humor, are the fruit of his inner absorption in the mystery of Christ. He knew that the very existence of the Church was at stake; but he was utterly certain of the truth and he knew that it must in time prevail. At the same time he was deeply conscious that the truth transcended his grasp."

Thought Two: on intellectual humility 

"The book in question has not survived, because Athanasius would not allow it to be copied. 'It is not safe,' he said, 'that the writings of establish private persons should fall into the hands of those that shall come after.' "

"But there is a wisdom of the Spirit which is independent of letters, and the monks had it. Athanasius always knew the real thing when he saw it."

Thought Three: "In praising virtue I shall be praising God" 

" he was sublime in action, lowly in mind; inaccessible in virtue, most accessible in intercourse; free from anger, sympathetic, sweet in words, sweeter in disposition; persuasive in praise, without spoiling the good effects of either by excess, but rebuking with the tenderness of a father, praising with the dignity of a ruler, his tenderness was not dissipated nor his severity sour , for the one was reasonable, the other prudent, and both truly wise; his disposition sufficed for the training of his spiritual children, with very little need of words; his words with very little need of the rod, and his moderate use of the rod with still less for the knife.. " - Gregory of Nazianzus

-Wantage, from intro to On the Incarnation

Thought Four: The Humor of God 

Of all of God's jokes

Squid,

Squirrels,

Ostriches,

The naked human body, 

(especially a vintage one) 

Teenagers,

and toddlers

To name a few

Comes one not less funny for the deadly seriousness of it

The proof of theological Fact

The communication of the ineffable Word

The arrival of the mighty Messiah

The ratification of blood covenants

The hopes and fears of all the years

Is a Baby.

Ha!

(If it weren't irreverent.) 

Dear serious humans, Merry Christmas. 

(His ways are not our ways.) 

A editor would have penciled in a, "What?! Sentimental, don't you think?" 

Enough to make a philosopher squirm. Babies aren't very abstract. Hard to analyze. Also, dirty. 

Executives find babies detrimental to the bottom line. Expensive and inefficient. 

Activists have little use for babies' incompetence at speaking truth to power. 

(God thinks they do a rather perfect job, apparently. They are something of a motif in His works, one the Author never tires of.) 

The tired masses, having ears to hear, may not get it. Too much to do. To much done wrong. God-like humor is only a distant memory. 

Marketing searches out an angle, "Ok, weird, but we can work with this," and begins to sketch advertisements for department stores. 

But Satan did not laugh. 

Herod raged. 

Herod killed. 

(Herod died anyways.) 

Because God's laughter is fierce. The Father is a Man of War. 

Mothers did not laugh, but wept, refusing to be comforted. 

Like a story with two authors. One Chestertonian, the other like these young mass shooters.

Death, death, death. 

Especially of the babies. 

But amid coming attack,

Gabriel rejoiced, comforted, and reproved.

The angels, warrior workers, not seeing all, 

understood enough to love it.

Unable to save,

Mary accepted, pondered, and proclaimed. She traveled, labored, wrapped him up. Scolded and commanded. Had to laugh at some point, because children. 

Received and gave, 

Though a sword would pierce her heart also. 

Elizabeth, daughter of Sarah, probably had a twinkle in her eye. Affirming and rejoicing in a loud voice; laughter comes easily in geriatric pregnancies. 

Plagued by unfortunate unbelief, Zechariah scoffed (which is not the same as a companionable laugh) 

And sat in silence thinking for a while. 

Long enough to learn to rejoice. 

Accustomed to duties and spiritual things, he let his son grow up a wild man of the desert. He probably did not live to see him die. 

Joseph,

simple soul of gold, 

found it too shameful to be funny,

but resolved to do the right thing.

He did.

(And he makes me cry.) 

There is rejoicing in heaven over one lost son restored. I imagine Joseph laughs now. Companionable laughter. 

And Jesus? 

Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief, rejoicing, said, 

"I thank Thee, Father, that Thou hast hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children. 

For such

 is Thy perfect will." 

orthokardia

Case in Point: Joseph the Protector

"Some persons of a rigorous temper would blame Joseph for his clemency: but it is here spoken of to his praise; because he was a just man, therefore he was not willing to expose her. He was a religious, good man; and therefore inclined to be merciful as God is, and to forgive as one that was forgiven."

" Note, It becomes us, in many cases, to be gentle towards those that come under suspicion of having offended, to hope the best concerning them, and make the best of that which at first appears bad, in hopes that it may prove better. Summum just summa injuria—The rigour of the law is (sometimes) the height of injustice. That court of conscience which moderates the rigour of the law we call a court of equity. Those who are found faulty were perhaps overtaken in the fault, and are therefore to be restored with the spirit of meekness; and threatening, even when just, must be moderated."

Good lesson for a teacher:

"Note, The necessary censures of those who have offended ought to be managed without noise. The words of the wise are heard in quiet. Christ himself shall not strive nor cry. Christian love and Christian prudence will hide a multitude of sins, and great ones, as far as may be done without having fellowship with them."

"It is the thoughtful, not the unthinking, whom God will guide. When he was at a loss, and had carried the matter as far as he could in his own thoughts, then God came in with advice. Note, God’s time to come in with instruction to his people is when they are nonplussed and at a stand. God’s comforts most delight the soul in the multitude of its perplexed thoughts."

"Note, It is a great mercy to be delivered from our fears, and to have our doubts resolved, so as to proceed in our affairs with satisfaction."

"Extraordinary direction like this we are not now to expect; but God has still ways of making known his mind in doubtful cases, by hints of providence, debates of conscience, and advice of faithful friends; by each of these, applying the general rules of the written word, we should, therefore, in all the steps of our life, particularly the great turns of it, such as this of Joseph’s, take direction from God, and we shall find it safe and comfortable to do as he bids us." 

-Matthew Henry