Predicting the Weather is Easy if You Want to be Wrong Most of the Time

From Bk 1, Ch 3 (The Doctrine of Truth) continued, at paragraph 4.

This week we look at paragraph 4 of Chapter 3 on the Doctrine of Truth.  Thomas starts out with a new proposition, having conclude the previous paragraph with the notion that overcoming our self is the path to Truth in Christ.  He then says that, while he loves learning and knowledge and accuracy, these are innately flawed because these run through the human filter.  It's kind of like predicting the weather:

All perfections in this life are attended with some imperfections; and all our speculations with a certain obscurity.

My friend Rich was an expert at everything handed to him, especially board games and parlor games:  He could  shoot a game of pool such that I never knew him to lose, unless I was on his team.  He always hit the bulls eye in darts.  But no matter how hard he tried, he never could hit the exact middle, even if he was successful in launching all darts at the bulls eye. So Thomas makes the point that even our good, informed estimates are still a bit dimmed by our own imperfections.  See also 1Corinthians 13:12. where St. Paul talks about seeing ourselves through a glass, darkly, or through a mirror, until we become perfected by love and truth.

Good Thomas then goes on to give an interesting comparison.... 

The humble knowledge of thyself is a surer way to God than the deepest search after science.

Learning is not to be blamed, nor the mere  knowledge of anything which is good in itself and ordained by God; but a good conscience and a virtuous life are always to be preferred before it.

Of course, we can see God in all the wonders of creation.  Psalm 98 even says that the rivers clap and the mountains shout for joy over the deeds of the Lord. But Thomas says that the more clear our conscience, the more we will see the Lord in all we do.  Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is within us.  And that is part of Thomas' point here.  Why look elsewhere when we can find the Living God through searching our hearts.

Finally, Thomas launches another heat rocket at us:

But because many make it more their study to know than to live well, therefore are they often deceived, and bring forth none, or very little fruit.

Living well in God's Divine Truth should be our objective, rather than trying to know all the answers.
Our biblical icons here are Joshua and Caleb, who went into the Promised Land in order to follow what God told them to do.  The Lord rewarded Caleb's loyalty with a special gift of land through Joshua. See Joshua, Ch 14.

I picked these two images they represent the difference in abundance as presented from God's view, and the meagerness of pursuing our own truth and our own agenda.  Indeed, if you look at Numbers 13 & 14:30, you will see that all the Israelites BUT Caleb and Joshua were the only two from the whole group allowed to see the Promised Land.  The others were the whiners who wanted to go back to Egypt....they did not get to go back to Egypt nor into the Promised Land. What they had, whithered away into dust.  Joshua and Caleb went into the land flowing with Milk and Honey, all because they followed the Truth.

Thank you for reading and praying along with me. 'Til next time, be Imitators of Christ!

tim