An Inkling
While the broader culture
remembers JFK on the 50th anniversary of his death, the church press
is remembering another who died the same day:
C.S. Lewis. I’ve been using a
devotional this year with readings from his works. With that daily dose I’ve been reminded again
and again of the amazing gifts the Lord brought through Saint C.S.
In an era when liberal and
conservative Christians rarely read each other’s luminaries, Saint C.S. is quoted
by both. He showed liberals that the
great story really is true, and he showed conservatives that such truth need
not be wooden. And he did so with a
flair and humor that also brought the great story home to thousands who didn’t
yet believe.
Here are a few of my favorite
Saint C.S. quotes:
There are no ordinary people. You
have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations,
cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as
the life of a gnat. But it is immortals
whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit – immortal horrors or
everlasting splendors. (The Weight of
Glory)
It would be rash to say that there
is any prayer which God never grants.
But the strongest candidate is the prayer we might express in the single
word encore. And how should the Infinite
repeat Himself? All space and time are
too little for Him to utter Himself in them once. (Letters to Malcolm)
The only place outside Heaven
where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love
is Hell. (The Four Loves)
Until you have given up your self
to Him you will not have a real self. Sameness is to be found most among the most
'natural' men, not among those who surrender to Christ. How monotonously alike all the great tyrants
and conquerors have been; how gloriously different are the saints. (Mere Christianity)
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t
you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who
said anything about safe? ‘Course he
isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)
And that’s the short list! Thank you, Lord, for Saint C.S.
Read on!
Keith
