09-18-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 18, 2024
You may have heard the question, “How many angels can sit (dance) on the head of a needle?” You may be interested to know that this was a question debated by some of the great theological minds in the life of the church. The 13th-century philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas argued that an infinite number could, but that two angels cannot be in the same place at the same time. I’m sure his argument was sound, but I am a little confused on how exactly someone would arrive at that conclusion. In the 1950’s, a competition emerged from the suggestion that we could figure out a way of putting the Encyclopedia Britannica on the head of a pin. Today, the technology exists for us to put multiple libraries of information on, not the head of the pin, but the tip of the pin. Of course, scientists are theorizing how much information could be placed on the head or tip of a pin, though interesting to me is how both articles and a recent podcast on the subject mentioned the Thomas Aquinas question about angels. I’m absolutely fine with scientists theorizing about what is possible in regard to miniaturization, but I sort of feel as if the church has enjoyed these theoretical debates as they sound very heady and impressive. But could it be that we like to distract from the fact that Jesus was sort of bored with all the silly questions acting as smoke screens. I think Jesus was more interested in asking how many people filled with love can make a difference in this world. And the answer to that question requires no sophisticated calculations. The answer is one, but it grows exponentially if another and then another and then another choose to share love at its purest form—a love that is unconditional, limitless, and unrelenting.

Sometimes it’s better for me to keep it simple. Help me, Good and Gracious God, to stretch my capacity to share love in this world, beginning with the world immediately around me. Amen.