Upon Eagles Wings

The profundity of John Paul II's openning for Fides Et Ratio, "Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth" has been churning in my mind, being at every moment turned and aerated with new applications and new understandings.

The parallel with wings, has as of late been especially interesting to ponder... an eagle with great wings knows it must fly, and YEARNS to fly, but if it thinks itself a turtle, it will not fly... So too a New Ager or Bhuddist who refuses to use Reason or Faith, and relies solely upon baser desires or the nothingness of relativity.

The true atheist or unreasonable believer is like an eagle with one solidly broken wing... it aspires to truly amazing heights, and perchance by luck it might catch a strong gust, that will aide it briefly higher, but without the strength of the other wing, it can do nothing but fall from that height... a fall of and into depression; for the atheist, of not knowing the grace and beauty of faith... of not knowing the beauty of God, for the unreasonable believer, of not knowing the beauty of themselves... of not knowing the beauty of reason.

But for the True believer... they are the eagles with full wings... the eagles that scream heavenward, upon two solid wings... yearning yet still to go higher, but satisfied that they have done their all... and when the gust of grace comes, they are ready to grab hold of it and ride yet higher... and let out cries of Joy for knowing they have gone higher not by their power but by that of God.

And yet there is another group... the group most fall into... that is the sparrows... those that believe, and those that reason, but do neither well... and choose to do neither well... they see the eagle and deny that they could ever be... they see the "turtle" and are happy that they are smarter... they have no desire, have no heart, they are those dead souls that walk around, those dead souls that have been granted the greatest gift, and yet refuse to open it... choosing rather to have little faith, and little reason, and be content... they are the ones that sadden us all... the lukewarm that will be spat out.