On Philo

I was feeling a bit ornery a few moments ago, so I was wishing for a reading that would have allowed me to rip into some ancient philosopher, spewing all of the ire and fire I could muster. Unfortunately, I read Philo and now I feel at peace with the world, wanting to spread love, joy, and good will to the entire human population. Well, maybe that’s a little extreme…

What really happened is, I skipped to the last selection of the reading and was reminded of my place in this drama, reminded of the grace that has been bestowed upon me by whatever one chooses to call “higher power.”

“When the righteous man searches for the nature of all things, he makes his own admirable discovery: that everything is God’s grace.”

It would be very easy to read a statement like this and make a grand assumption that a man must be on a holy quest, a mission to seek and know the greatest of all mysteries, to attain supreme enlightenment, or become privy to secret and ancient knowledge. I don’t think that is necessarily the point. As I interpret this, when a man finds enough humility or truth in himself to ask for help, to seek a different path than the one that has limited or harmed him, then does the face of God reveal itself.

In this moment, a man rises above his egoist fray and attempts to know and feel courage, opens the door to a greater understanding of his life, and begins to sense a power and strength previously unknown to him. This courage, this power, this desire to be free opens the portal behind which lies grace. The word 'righteous' may seem out of place here, but in looking past the traditional connotation, the man who seeks a better way is the righteous man. The man who can trust in something unseen is the righteous man. The man who is sick and tired of being sick and tired searches out peace and serenity—this is the righteous man.

“Every being in the world, and the world itself, manifests the blessings and the generosity of God.”

Although I believe this to be true, at times I convince myself it isn’t. The worst of men commit horrible, barbaric acts of violence and yet by this logic, they too “manifest the blessings and generosity of God.” How can this be? Like all men, they are able to be drawn so far into themselves, they lose touch with humanity, and by that, humility. How can I judge another man when I too suffer from the same symptoms; maybe they aren't as severe, or lead me to the same acts of depravity, but do I not know the malaise of an overblown sense of self that leads me to make mistakes when dealing with my fellows? Of course I do.

Nevertheless, hope springs eternal. With each moment of discomfort or shade of misery, we decide whether we want to remain in desperation or seek solace from it. When we reach out, or reach within, we find release. This is God. This is the blessing and generosity of the passage: grace.