thou fount of life, thou light of all,
From the best bliss that earth imparts,
We turn unfilled to hear thy call.
---Latin hymn, 12th cent.
Meh. Whatevs. idc. Mom, I’m bored. There are lots of ways, old and new, to express our
‘doneness’ with what life has to offer. Now, at some points in history, this
may have been understandable. But look --- today most of us have access to
libraries with thousands of volumes (or e-readers with access to even more),
cable or satellite TV with hundreds of channels, and internet access that opens
virtual doors to the world (with all that can walk in through those doors). It
is easier than ever, with cell phones and social media, to keep in touch with
friends near and far away. There are, at any given point in time, literally
1.65 zillion things to do. And lots of them are exciting, fun, super-cool
things.
So, why do so many of us feel so empty so much of the time?
It just may be that, even when it offers us its best, this
world only has the stuff of life to
give. And the hunger in our souls, deep down, can’t be sated with stuff;
if needs life itself. St. Augustine, in his Confessions, wrote, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our
heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee.”
Even the best of the good life leaves us unfilled, seeking
the abundance that hearing our call, and following, will bring.
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