Finding something...
Illustration
Object:
Finding something spiritually meaningful in the Holy Family's fleeing to Egypt is a tall order. Given the rumors of Herod's evil plans, it seemed like common sense to flee. And that is precisely the point of the dilemma.
Common sense has fallen on hard times in our context, a casualty of the relativism of our day. A 2009 Barna poll confirms that 2 out of 3 Americans do not believe in absolute truth (see Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind). And if we cannot agree on what is truth, common sense is impossible. But some of the great forebears in the faith believed in common sense, saw it as God's good gift to us. Martin Luther expressly cited this story as an example of using ordinary means at our disposal, calling his hearers to do the same (Complete Sermons, Vol. 7, pp. 263-264). John Wesley invited his followers to use reason, common sense, when dealing with the ways of the world:
What is it that reason can do? And who can deny that it can do much, very much, in the affairs of common life?... No thinking man can doubt by reason is of considerable service in things relating to the present world.
(The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 6, p. 354)
Famed modern theologian Karl Barth uttered similar sentiments:
The wisdom of the world or of men is not, therefore, something which we must rate too low. In many cases it may have a very high value.
(Church Dogmatics, Vol. III/4, p. 529)
If we remember that common sense is God's good gift, one of His ways of caring for us, then we can begin to respond to the realities unearthed in a 2006 survey conducted by Baylor University which revealed that nearly 2 in 5 Americans do not believe God is engaged with us in our daily lives. Use your God-given common sense!
Common sense has fallen on hard times in our context, a casualty of the relativism of our day. A 2009 Barna poll confirms that 2 out of 3 Americans do not believe in absolute truth (see Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind). And if we cannot agree on what is truth, common sense is impossible. But some of the great forebears in the faith believed in common sense, saw it as God's good gift to us. Martin Luther expressly cited this story as an example of using ordinary means at our disposal, calling his hearers to do the same (Complete Sermons, Vol. 7, pp. 263-264). John Wesley invited his followers to use reason, common sense, when dealing with the ways of the world:
What is it that reason can do? And who can deny that it can do much, very much, in the affairs of common life?... No thinking man can doubt by reason is of considerable service in things relating to the present world.
(The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 6, p. 354)
Famed modern theologian Karl Barth uttered similar sentiments:
The wisdom of the world or of men is not, therefore, something which we must rate too low. In many cases it may have a very high value.
(Church Dogmatics, Vol. III/4, p. 529)
If we remember that common sense is God's good gift, one of His ways of caring for us, then we can begin to respond to the realities unearthed in a 2006 survey conducted by Baylor University which revealed that nearly 2 in 5 Americans do not believe God is engaged with us in our daily lives. Use your God-given common sense!
