Monday, January 27, 2014

An Endless Pilgrimage of the Heart

“Faith is not the clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart.”

                                        ―Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel


One may challenge this statement. Seemingly, the former rendition of faith indeed fits for faith in a Being, the latter only to things that are able to be transformed, changed, cultivated: life, humanity, relationships, etc. 

Yet, obviously, Heschel is referring in both cases to faith in the Supreme Being. And yet both scenarios are possibilities, for one may remain stagnant and become stale by grasping on to an outgrown, comfortable mode of connection, not willing to constantly enhance, enrich and morph the bond because it is taken for granted as being a business like partnership with specific pragmatic goals to be achieved; or one is willing to make the endless pilgrimage and dedicate the large amount, quantitative and qualitative, of effort needed to continuously develop the connection by removing old forms and finding deeper and more intense ways of making the relationship not just a facilitator of life, but indeed life itself. The only thing, however, that motivates the latter scenario to be picked is the security that comes from knowing that this Being encourages reaching Him, His very Essence, and sets no limits to how totally passionate a fusion He longs for, so that although the outer layers and garments through which the relationship manifests might change and even at times seem unbearable, the objective, eternal truth and exclusivity of the relationship guarantees it's ultimate success and bliss that makes all the effort worthwhile.





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