4/28/09

In praise of a foolish shepherd


Image source

H/T to David Gibson at dotCommonweal for the link to this op-ed essay by John Berwick in the New York Times.

Berwick draws an interesting comparison between what some see as papal missteps and the foolishness of the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to search for the one who is lost.

The article looks at the pope's much reported words on Muslims, AIDS and condoms and the recent gesture towards four excommunicated bishops.

Perhaps we should be less worried about the pope’s bloopers than the arbiters of political correctness would have us be. In his classic Praise of Folly, Erasmus concluded: “All men are fools, even the pious ones. Christ himself, though he was the wisdom of the Father, took on the foolishness of humanity in order to redeem sinners. Nor did he choose to redeem them in any other way but through the folly of the cross and through ignorant, sottish disciples.

There’s no accounting for folly, except to recognize that it’s perhaps the most endearing and creative human quality. And in the long run, it can be a lot more productive than prudent diplomacy.
Interesting reading!

-ConcordPastor

1 comment:

  1. We always should search for our lost friends and family even if it puts us at risk.

    ReplyDelete

Please THINK before you write
and PRAY before you think!