To live is to change and to be perfect is to have changed often. These iconic words of the recently declared Church Doctor St. John Henry Newman have been reflected upon often. Many of those reflections present these words as a modern understanding of life, expressing a progressive openness to things like the modern sciences.
As someone who once taught Philosophy to those studying to be permanent Deacons, my thoughts on St. Newman’s axiom are not modernist, but go back to one of the most ancient debates of the intellectual life: Do things change or do they stay the same? This hot button topic from pre-Socratic times pitted the thought of Herecleitus and Parmenidies against each other in the first true polemical standoff. I could spin your mind as many philosophy teachers revel in doing by presenting arguments supporting and undermining both positions. To save you the headache, St. Newman’s insight gives a clear, concise answer to whether things are constantly changing or stay the same.
John Henry Newman’s answer: Yes.
Key to understanding change and consistency is to ask what type of change and consistency are we talking about? When exploring the world in material terms, we see constant change through consistent principles that science uses to both understand and predict how things will change in the future. These consistent principles of our natural world are not “doctrines,” but a clear language that deepens as the scientific understanding of our world deepens. So, our world changes, but in a way that reflects consistent rules that govern the material world.
The realm of faith has its own co-mingled relationship between things that change and things that stay the same. Newman wrote of how Christianity has core, unchanging truths we name “doctrines.” Despite the unchanging nature of doctrine, Newman asserts that, similar to science, we need to continually examine and deepen the language of these doctrines to help us better understand God, God’s creation and the relationship between both. This was at the heart of St. John XXIII’s convening of Vatican II – How do we take the timeless truths of our faith, but present them in a way that is applicable and impactful on the modern world?
A personal approach to change and consistency is to reflect on our own lives under these two categories.
For example: Do I, Fr. James Kurzynski, constantly change? Yes, I do. Yet, will I always be Fr. James Kurzynski, pointing to an unchanging aspect of who I am? Yes, I will always be myself.
Some may argue that we can redefine ourselves based on professional pursuits, changing religious beliefs or changing social trends. Though arguments can be made on these topics, we still arrive at the same conclusion – There is a core “someone” we encounter in our very being that God created and invites us to explore, nurture, understand and reveal to the world.
Now, enter stage right the concept of time to this discussion on change and constancy. Time, as I’ve reflected on with you before, is a bit fluid – Not only scientifically, but spiritually. St. Augustine famously states in his Confessions that perhaps time isn’t what we presume it be, but a measurement of change – material and spiritual change. Again, this would not simply be change for the sake of change, but change toward the goal of becoming that which has consistently been present from the very beginning of who we are. So, in order to discover the core, unchanging reality of who are, we need to change constantly.
I provide this little fervarino on St. John Henry Newman to share that I have been experiencing a time of consistent change. We are entering fall – a season of change for most of us who live in climates with defined seasons. The variable temperatures and nature’s cycle are the world’s constant reminder that things will change as winter approaches. Is there a level of unpredictability in those seasons? Yes, but even amid changing climate dynamics, the seasons continue to come.
Autumn is my annual time of recollection on the mystery of life, death and resurrection both of Jesus and how my life reflects and doesn’t reflect the paschal mystery. When leaves change and fall prepares us for the cold season of dormancy, I often reflect on parishioners I have that find themselves in life’s autumn season. I thank God for the gift of their consistent wisdom and love that have helped me be the priest that I am today. I also pray that they face the rapid change of the end of their lives with courage and trust that God will be with them.
This year, I have had my first real inklings of coming to grips that some day my own life will be part of that autumn reflection. The questions that emerge in my life are the same one’s I explore with my parishioners about God, life’s journey and where that journey is leading. However, this year is awakening a “your time is grow short” dimension of my prayer. I’m still a young man at 52, but I am comforted that the initial steps into these reflections are not fear laced, but somewhat peaceful. I pray that peace remains unchanged in the years ahead.
As odd as this may sound, these reflections on life, death and resurrection come to mind even when looking at pictures I take. I love to go to the same places that bring me peace – Consistency. However, those places are ever changing and often present a story of life, death and resurrection.
Even looking at old images I took months or years ago, I begin to see new things in them I didn’t see before. Lately, I started using new editing software that is pulling out details of my images. For example, here is a re-edit of an image I posted a while back of one of my favorite astronomy, photography, prayer places – Big Falls.
I don’t know if its the new software alone or a better understanding of what I’m looking at, but I never noticed the fog that was present on the lake that evening. I can actually see some of the faint nebulosity in the Milky Way. And it also gave me a moment to contemplate with this image about how I’ve changed since I captured this image earlier this summer. Sadly, the image you see is smaller due to the limits of the screen you’re reading this post on. However, at full size, I experience a sense of peace examining the different parts of our celestial neighborhood.
Do we change or do we stay the same? To quote St. Newman: Yes, to live is to change and to be perfect is to change often. What are things you gravitate toward to reflect on change and constancy in your life? Do the seasons of the world around you inform you on the season of life you are in right now? Pray with these questions, go to those consistent places of peace in your life, look to how they have changed and reflect on how they help you grow more deeply into one reality that is you and your relationship with God.
