I had heard the story before, but it felt fresh when was told during today's homily. It goes as such: As Saint Augustine was contemplating the Mystery of the Holy Trinity and trying to logically reason it out, he came across a young boy who had dug a hole in the sand and was using a bucket to bring water from the ocean to fill the hole. Saint Augustine asked the boy what he was doing, to which the boy replied that he was trying to put the entire ocean into the hole.
When Saint Augustine told the boy that what the boy wanted to do was impossible, the boy revealed that he was an angel. He told Saint Augustine that what he had said about filling the hole with the ocean being impossible was true, but that it was more possible than for a human to understand the Mysteries of God. The analogy is clear: God is so far beyond our capabilities of understanding that we could not possibly grasp His entirety. However, I also think that it is important to note that the boy did have a piece of the ocean in the hole that he dug. While God might be beyond our understanding, He also makes Himself available to us in ways that we can understand.
When Saint Augustine told the boy that what the boy wanted to do was impossible, the boy revealed that he was an angel. He told Saint Augustine that what he had said about filling the hole with the ocean being impossible was true, but that it was more possible than for a human to understand the Mysteries of God. The analogy is clear: God is so far beyond our capabilities of understanding that we could not possibly grasp His entirety. However, I also think that it is important to note that the boy did have a piece of the ocean in the hole that he dug. While God might be beyond our understanding, He also makes Himself available to us in ways that we can understand.
RSS Feed
