The Day Comes...

“The day comes when one sees, all at once, that all those ‘abstract’ problems which were perhaps difficult to understand are not mere schoolwork, boring for some, interesting or even exciting for others; one sees that they are urgent problems, problems that pose the reality of life, that concern it wholly, and whose solution matters extremely. From that day on, philosophic reflection takes on a different character. It ceases to be a kind of work like any other. One no longer feels one has the right to get away from it systematically outside of the hours prescribed by the schedule; no longer the right moreover—nor the inclination—to close the door of one’s inner life to it. But on the other hand, one no longer has the right to treat it with the old flippancy, no longer the right—nor the wish—to build up and tear down for the fun of it; no longer the right to trust too readily one’s own insights; no longer the right to start with no matter whom and no matter what basic discussions, at the risk of sowing the seeds of trouble in oneself or in others. Sincerity then appears as a virtue not only necessary but difficult. Embarked on a serious adventure, one has the duty of thinking about it prayerfully and of treating Truth with sovereign respect.”

~Henri de Lubac