ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 6, 2022
Today is the birthday of Niccolò Zucchi, born in 1586. He was a Jesuit Priest, and even served a term as Apostolic Preacher which meant he was the private preacher to the Pope (no pressure). He was also an educator with a passion for astronomy. He is considered by many to be the person who first explored the idea of what would become the reflecting telescope. I read about folks like Zucchi, and I suddenly feel like an underachiever. With that said, it is fascinating to think about the diverse areas of study many priests were engaged in beyond the Bible and Theology. The strange contradiction seems to be a church that, in some areas, feared questioning and curiosity. And at the same time, the church was the central place of education for most of the magnificent scholars whose discoveries changed the direction of science. That’s just a Bruce random rambling during this Season of Advent. Some of you might be wondering what Zucchi’s discoveries have to do with Advent. Good question! It makes me wonder about the joyful curiosity and inquisitiveness of children during this time of the year, and how it is slowly squelched as we get older. How did the scholars, who continually had their curiosity squelched by certain entities in the church, continue to maintain a joyful curiosity? What inspired them to continue asking questions and exploring previously unimagined paths? Even more importantly, how do we get a little more of whatever they had? How do we maintain the euphoric giddiness of this season that we had as children without looking too goofy? Or maybe we shouldn’t care, for maybe somewhere in there is the necessary inquisitiveness we need for a healthy and relevant faith.
Give me some grace-filled space, Holy God, where I can ask questions, think imaginatively, and giggle with the best of them. There is a sacredness found among the children when they are allowed to be children, and it sure appears to be something of which I need a good dose. I think Jesus said something about them serving as an example of receptivity to your kingdom way. Amen.
