odd duck

fyi: i am that kid at the back of the class who tirelessly strives to dominate classroom discussions. yes, that's me. please refrain from hurling stones my way.

read the following, s'il te plait . . . and when you're done, do yourself a favour and get the whole story.

The priest first read a condensed lesson of sacred history. Felicite evoked Paradise, the Flood, the Tower of Babel, the blazing cities, the dying nations, the shattered idols; and out of this she developed a great respect for the Almighty and a great fear of His wrath. Then, when she had listened to the Passion, she wept. Why had they crucified Him who loved little children, nourished the people, made the blind see, and who, out of humility, had wished to be born among the poor, in a stable? The sowings, the harvests, the wine-presses, all those familiar things which the Scriptures mention, formed a part of her life; the word of God sanctified them; and she loved the lambs with increased tenderness for the sake of the Lamb, and the doves because of the Holy Ghost.

She found it hard, however, to think of the latter as a person, for was it not a bird, a flame, and sometimes only a breath? Perhaps it is its light that at night hovers over swamps, its breath that propels the clouds, its voice that renders church-bells harmonious. And Felicite worshipped devoutly, while enjoying the coolness and the stillness of the church.

As for the dogma, she could not understand it and did not even try. The priest discoursed, the children recited, and she went to sleep, only to awaken with a start when they were leaving the church and their wooden shoes clattered on the stone pavement.

In this way, she learned her catechism, her religious education having been neglected in her youth; and thenceforth she imitated all Virginia's religious practices, fasted when she did, and went to confession with her. At the Corpus-Christi Day they both decorated an altar.
~from gustave flaubert, a simple soul

felicite's is a moving story of devotion, but i just wanted to highlight a particular aspect of her faith for you now: she felt and thought deeply about theology, wrestling with profound questions about the nature of divinity, among other concerns. but she had neither the time nor the inclination to dabble with dogma or doctrine.

theology, not dogma. wonder, not recitation. awe, not analysis. that's my kind of worship.