There is something about a balanced pile of stones that is very attractive. Stone laid carefully on stone, each one that is added making the whole pile more precarious. It is an image I have used on various occasions. Trying to make such a construction demands that you are aware of weight and balance, sensitive to the material that is being handled, a clumsy approach will never do.

 Trying to understand something presents a similar problem. How we go about that task demands care and attention. Often we start by asking questions, trying to tease out the nature of what it is we wish to understand.

 Jesus in the Gospel narratives often used this technique. Remember when he asked those with him “Who do men say that I am?” and occasioned Peter’s affirmation of faith?

 The asking of questions is inherent in the way we explore the universe of which we are part. The way the question is phrased is part of that exploration. Sometimes there is an answer, other times a blank wall. So we have to come about it from a different angle. The question asked by Alexander Flemming when he found mould on a Petrie dish in his laboratory, the question ‘Why?’ led to the discovery of penicillin.

 Our faith is the consequence of our question and answer story. We ask many questions, to some of which there are answers, to others there are only further questions. But we keep trying. It is important that we do.

 This is often the case with young children who ask adults many questions, always seeming to expect a neatly packaged answer in response. But we all know ‘it don’t work that way’ and disappointed though they might be, they have to come to terms with this reality. And we have the responsibility of honesty in helping them through the maze.

 When we have difficulties with our faith we often turn to others for consolation and sustenance. That person may or may not be a priest, but they do have to have that quality of trust. Can I trust this person to listen, to be understanding and honest in their response? Can I depend on their confidentiality for I am exposing my very self and don’t want all and sundry to know I am seeking help?

 But even in such circumstances of mutual trust, there are not always glib solutions, an easy way of making things better again, restoring conviction, calming troubles. Then our trust in the Spirit may ask for a little time for confidence to return and the dawn to break after the darkness of night. The time taken to listen to someone talking is not wasted. It allows for personal expression that is so often unavailable in our current lifestyle where the loneliness of the long distance runner is ever present. The poem ‘ Dover Beach ’ by Matthew Arnold explores these elements of faith, of doubt and loss and continuity. If you haven’t read it, you can find it on Google, it is worth a few moments of your time. 

 Too often we are unsettled by immediate problems, want instant solutions, seek a return to the comfort zone that has been disturbed, When that doesn’t happen we experience a bleakness of loss, of what we perceive to be a failure of prayer. In reality it is a failure of our understanding, of our impatience with an ever-patient God.

 Of course asking questions of those who are convinced they already have the answers can give rise to difficulties as many theologians and teachers have experienced both in previous centuries and more recently, in our own times. It is worth remembering that in subsequent years the questions they asked, and got into trouble for asking, were later found to have greatly assisted our understanding of Church and to have supported us in our pilgrimage of faith.

 The doubting of Thomas one of that special group around Jesus called the Twelve, was admonished by the Lord but was followed by his conviction regarding the Risen Christ and confirmation in his faith.

 Very often trust is missing. Those who ask questions, serious questions, do so from within family of the Church, not seeking to be destructive but asking for a greater understanding of issues and situations. They deserve to be heard, not ignored, nor their arguments dismissed by others who ‘know better’. All have a contribution to make, all have a necessary experience that should be listened to, for all are children of the Lord.

 Next time you are near a beach, try balancing a few stones and see how gentle you have to be.  

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