As a little girl, I was curious about many things. As a result, I was always asking questions. Lucky for me, as the youngest in a family of six, I lived with five older people who were a “fount of knowledge” for me: my three older siblings and my parents.
Early on, though, I learned siblings couldn’t always be trusted. Although they often shared their vast knowledge with me, my siblings occasionally tricked me. One day, for example, I refused to eat shredded wheat at breakfast, because my siblings had told me it was burnt string. Mom had to intervene on that one. But both of my parents patiently answered my questions–especially my dad. As far as I was concerned, Dad knew just about everything about everything: science, math, animals, agriculture, mechanics, history. I distinctly remember sitting in the back seat of our car one day going somewhere with my family. Dad was driving. At one point he put on his blinker–which made me ask, “Dad, how do car blinkers work?” Right away he answered my question with something like, “Lights need electricity to go on. The car battery gives the electricity. If the electricity is stopped for a few seconds, the light goes off. The blinker stops and starts the electricity a few times, and the light blinks on and off.” It was enough to satisfy my curiosity.
When I started school, I often asked questions. I had to answer questions too. Later, as a teacher, I was always asking my students questions. And I had to answer their questions too. In fact, I used to welcome my students’ questions–so much so that my students accused me of getting more excited when they asked a question than when they answered one! Yes, I was guilty of that “crime.”
All of these memories drew me to reflect on curiosty–which prompts many of our questions. I have come to believe that curiosity can be a virtue, and questions can be a grace. Even the Bible supports this view. Remember Moses? It was his curiosity about the burning bush that prompted him to leave his sheep and go over to investigate the wonder-filled bush more closely. And when he did WOW! HOLY SMOKES! GOODNESS GRACIOUS! Moses encountered the Living God!
Jesus was curious too. As a twelve-year-old boy he stayed behind in the temple with the wise elders, mostly asking them questions–not how do car blinkers work, but maybe: how does prayer work?… how does scripture work?… how does God work? He probably offered a few answers of his own. When he went back home with his parents, scripture says he “advanced in wisdom.” That implies he retained his curiosity and kept posing questions–even of God. As an adult, Jesus was amazingly curious about many things. This curiosity led to his extensive knowledge in a variety of areas–agriculture, carpentry, baking, wine making, sewing, construction, animals (think chickens, camels, sheep), family relationships, poverty and riches, parties and joys, death and grief, and injustices and goodness of all kinds. Most importantly it gave him wisdom and knowledge of what it means to be a human being AND who God is.
Let us take a few minutes to reflect on our curiosity and our questions today. We can begin by asking ourselves: What am I curious about? What questions do I harbor in my heart? What are some of the BIG questions I have FOR God… or ABOUT God?
We will never have all our questions answered, of course. That’s why I always appreciated what the poet Rainer Maria Rilke wrote:
Be patient with all that is unsolved in your life
and try to love the questions themselves,
like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign language.
Live the questions now.
Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it,
live along some distant day into the answer.
For reflection:
On a scale of 1-10, 1 meaning almost none and 10 meaning VERY much, how much curiosity do you have?
At this time in your life, what are you curious about? What questions are you asking?
Has a question ever been a grace for you? If so how?
What are some of the BIG questions you have ABOUT God and/or FOR God?
PS: Thank you for your prayers for the zoom retreat I was privileged to lead for the Mercy Sisters in Buffalo. And I thank those Sisters for warmly welcoming me into their dining room each day. I especially thank my contact person, Sister Peggy, for all the work she did in organizing us and running the technology. Peggy is a self-described “belts and suspenders” kind of gal! I enjoyed working with her!
This is a song by a young singer/songwriter from Kampala, Uganda named Suubi Namubiru who calls herself “a child of God.” As a little girl, she was a ballerina. But then someone in her church asked her to audition for singing in church. She did. When you hear her sing, you will be glad that she said “yes” to that request. This song, “All Knowing God,” is about being in the wilderness, not a pleasant place to be. We may find ourselves in the wilderness right now. But the words that struck me in this song were: “God, you are enough for me… Life will grow in this place of thorns and briars… He who promised is faithful.” With mesmerizing simplicity, clarity, and poetry of expression, the song exudes hope, peace, and trust in our all-knowing God. I’d love to know what you think of it…
I invite you to leave a comment below… about the reflection itself… the questions… the pictures… or the video…
25 Responses
Thank you…im almost 80yrs old and very curious how and when i will die and my heavenly home…
Peace
Good morning, Melannie…
Good morning, all…
Your father was a genius! He just explained to me how blinkers work! I have heard that Jesus asks over 300 questions in the four gospels and only directly answers three of the 183 questions people ask him. People must have loved him for that. It’s been my experience that questions keep the conversation going, while direct — and sometimes dogmatic — answers shut it down. I see a question as a flower opening petal by petal, patiently waiting for the sun.
Rilke says, “Live the questions now.” That’s beautiful! Here’s the question I’m living now: Will Heaven be a grand reunion? I’d like to think so, for so many loved ones have gone before me. But that leads me to my next question: Can an earthly image depict something eternal?
Good morning Sr. Melannie.
As a teacher I loved sparking the curiosity of my elementary age students with my questions that led them in hands on learning especially my kindergartners. My junior high students were more sophisticated and held their curiosity in check because of peer pressure. The times that they could/would show their curiosity is when they were buddies with the kindergartners and first graders in a learning exercise. Those were exciting times.
Like John I too wonder about heaven, but my big question of God is was the various paths that my life took really His plan for me or did I not listen as carefully as I should have?
Thank you for another beautiful song. Yes God is enough for me! May God bless you Sister and each of us!
Thank you for your song.. It touched my heart. My question now is Why does my husband have dementia ? What am I suppose to learn from this journey? How can I serve him better? My ask of God is give me a joyful spirit.
Cheryl, I am sorry to hear of your husband’s dementia. My husband had Lewy Body dementia for several years before he died and it was difficult. However, there were many graces too that held me up and I pray you also receive those too along with the gift of a joyful spirit. Mary Cook
One of my take always. “Peaceful waiting is never in vain.”
Thank you for this refreshing reflection on questions. A good Lenten midway shift. Thanks for opening a door to both smiles and insights.
Did you eat the shredded wheat?
Thank you for this beautiful prayer. Suubi’s song, her deeply prayerful words, are just what I need for these bleak times. Knowing God, you are enough for me.
Good morning, All. I love this question of curiosity. It is what brought me to spiritual direction, both for myself and in my studies to approach and witness other’s journey of faith. It has not been “direction” in the strictest sense as much as being a curious companion in another’s struggles and joys on our common and uncommon pilgrimage toward God. I hope my curiosity encourages others to be curious about themselves in the further depths of their relationship with God, as well as daring to be curious about my own journey and challenging me to seek and grow and learn, maybe in places in my heart and soul that I have avoided or pushed aside.
Thank you, Sister, for stimulating my curiosity….again
Good morning all,
I love asking questions, but they are usually questions that we never think to ask ourselves. Being a Spiritual Director, this is a way to help lead individuals deeper in their understsnding of God and of themselves.
I’ve asked, “What do you love most about yourself?” Interesting that most everyone has never thought about that. They can give a litany of things they dislike, but fall short on something they love.
“What is love to you?”…..I’ve gotten a different understanding of love from every single person.
“What would you like to be remembered for or how would you like to be remembered when you are gone?”
“Do you really believe you are loved by God and why?” “How did you come to know that?”
It has given me food for thought as I reflect on each of these questions myself..
On another note, I love the picture of the little girl and the hummingbird….who is sizing up who? So precious!
I hope you all are able to feel precious to God at some time in your lives.
Mary
Yes, Suubi’s voice is beautiful. Thank you for that.
When we had a memorial brick placed on my father’s alma mater campus we chose “Always Curious” to be included with his name and graduating year. He was keenly interested in how everything worked and he passed that on to his seven daughters, sometimes to their annoyance. When you’re twelve years old you might not have the same interest in standing under the elbow of a downspout having your father explain every move of the spider spinning a web. Back when MRI machines were new he had one to diagnose his bladder cancer. I asked if he had opened his eyes and he said ‘oh yes, and I figured out how it worked.” (I’ve had many MRIs and I’ve never opened my eyes once!). I was blessed to have such a father as I too am quite curious about so much. I feel my life was so enriched by living with a dad who always lived the questions. Thank you for your blog Sr. Melannie.
P.S. I loved your shredded wheat story. I had a Swedish friend who on her first visit to American found some shredded wheat in her host’s cupboard and used it to try to scrub a pot!
That excerpt of wisdom from Rilke is one of my favorites, after my high school Physics and Calculus teacher of many years ago, a Carmelite priest, introduced me to Rilke. When I come up against questions with no answers, I try to remember his take on them, and that we do not need to know, or receive, answers, on anyone’s timeline but God’s – in Kairos.
I worked with K12 students for many years, as a STEM program manager, and, even with my own two daughters growing up, always advised them to “be curious”, ask lots of questions! They always lead to learning something from somebody.
Good morning, the song truly touched my heart & mind this morning. It’s been a long week after storms here, with health issues of my dh and a close friend. So often down & discouraged. So the words “You are enough…satisfy my emptiness..pull me up…you are enough” Praise God for all He has given, especially the things we don’t even know about. Lord, help me to really mean it when I say ‘things could be worse!’
My question for God? Jesus said we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Is our world becoming so full of hate towards others because we are failing to truly love ourselves in the way God wants us to? How can we give what we do not have?
May His Peace be with all!
I am 83, and I really am curious about what heaven is like, what we do there, how is it to live with perpetual light. All of my life, I have not been a questioning person. I think questioners are highly intelligent. I consider myself intelligent, even though I rarely question things. Peggy
The songs word waiting patiently is never in vain spoke out.
Good morning all. I think I’ve always been a very curious person though I’ve never pondered that thought. I mostly enjoy listening to other people share their knowledge and wisdom more than reading textbooks. I have great curiosity about heaven and eternity, what is it like to be in the presence of God forever? Also curious about God’s capacity to love me along with a gazillion other people and how astounding that is.
Thank you for another beautiful and moving video.
I had a similar upbringing by a very grounded father. Both my parents encouraged learning and many supper discussions were challenged by “prove it” or “look it up”, which led to us immediately leaving the table in search of the encyclopedia. Now I live in a senior community and I still ask questions “for my education” so I’m not seen as prying. I am learning how to stretch out what hurts!
I enjoyed the story of your life concerning curiosity. I’m sure your students were enlivened in many ways for growth. I did not really enjoy the song. Many blessings be yours.
Really enjoyed this week’s song.
Also still have plenty of curiosity!
Hello Sister Melannie,
As always I love reading your blogs and listening to the beautiful music you share with us, today’s post was no different. What I loved the most was the picture of the beautiful little girl, a young child, staring intently at a humming bird in full flight only inches from her face. I wonder what she was thinking as she spent that special moment so close to one of God’s beloved creatures.
Dear Sister,
Here I am in my 85th year, my wife in her 83rd, our marriage of 61 years, of which more than 40 years were dedicated to Marriage Prep (Pre Cana). Jesus is quoted as saying “In my Father’s house there are many places to live in . . .” (John 14:2). There are so many questions:
It is alleged that Socrates was asked if he believed in an afterlife; his response was yes; however, if there is none then what is more peaceful than a sleep without dreams. Each morning I ask God for a “Cure, Patience & Understanding, and Comfort.” When my time comes, will I be worthy?
Peaceful waiting is never in vain, I wish I could be peaceful in my waiting.
Thank you for the beautiful song and this reflection. I too have always asked questions and now I see the same thing in my grandchildren. It is amazing what they come up with, and sometimes I can provide an answer, but other times I have to direct them to seek further, ask someone who is more knowledgeable.
Dear Melanie, I just love these Sunflower Seeds every week. The line in the song that struck me was “peaceful waiting is never in vain.” There are many questions in our country today. After doing our part to live and share the values outlined by Jesus in the Gospel, there’s nothing left to do but peacefully wait. Thank you for sharing your heart and thoughts with us.
“This is where I take a stand and use the eyes of faith” – this line reminds me of the day I “let go and let God” – no matter what has or is happening in my life, my life is a beautiful blessed life and my “why God?” was silenced. Especially when something bad is happening, I turn to God and look for a lesson in the pain and “use the eyes of faith”. Thank you, Sr Melannie, for this blog, but especially for this new song. I love it.
Sr. Melanie,
I was reading todays reflection in
“365 Devotions for Catholics.” Your devotion was April 4th, today. I proceeded to look you up on the internet, and here I am. The young woman who sang has a lovely voice. The song was inspirational. My question for myself and maybe others;
How do we know when God is speaking to us? Is there a certain feeling we get, signs we look for, or does it come to us through others?
Love your spiritual j inspiration and wisdom. God Bless you Sr. Melanie!