IMAGINATION AND WONDER
GATEWAY TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD
BY Guylain Prince, O.F.M.
To be in a state of wonder is to expand one's heart and mind. Through wonder, young and old alike catch a glimpse of a greater, wider world. Human life is made up of much more than we are able to see, touch, and hear. Wonder opens a gateway to God : it puts us in touch with the Infinite and the Eternal. Thank you Harry potter!
In the Christian world, especially in English-speaking countries, bitter debates have taken place about the Harry Potter books and movies. Certain groups, above all among fundamentalist Christians, fear that children won't see the seriousness of certain practices associated with magic (card-reading, spells, incantations, etc). Furthermore, they observe that important Christian references aren't mentioned : the meaning of Christmas and Easter aren't explained to children. What's more, Harry's morality seems to be somewhat shaky, and he can be pretty bad-tempered, too!
As far as I'm concerned, I thank God that the exceptionally rich universe of the author, J.K. Rowling, has been opened up for me. Like so many others, I was totally enthralled. I read and reread every one of her books, in both French and English, and I of course saw all the movies! Every one of them was another chance to talk about them with my nephews and nieces, with my friend's children, with the teens who are growing up at the same time as the book's young hero. Then I took a look at the writings of Tolkien "Lord of the Rings" and, more recently, of C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia). I was already popular with kids… I have become the one uncle that speaks the kid's language, who "knows everything there is to know about Harry Potter." All this for a few hours of reading. I should have done this a long time ago!
THE LANGUAGE OF MINDS THAT CAN SEE FAR INTO THE DISTANCE
I have to admit that as far as amazing stories go, I was well prepared. As a Biblical scholar, I've had a lot of theological training specializing in Holy Scripture. I loved learning Hebrew and Greek; I've explored mysterious and sometimes strange texts, full of life and death. I've had the experience of dissecting a story with older and wiser than myself and of seeing a universe of meaning open up, a universe that still lives in my heart. Imagination takes root within the intelligence and heart of symbols that allow us to interpret reality. Wonder is the pleasure of a soul that has discovered new horizons. Thanks to my Biblical training, which focused particularly on semiotic and rhetorical approaches, I can read my life with eyes that are bigger than life… with-out actually stepping outside of life. People who lack imagination also lack perspective. They have trouble seeing a world that could be different than it is. Even the Kingdom of God becomes narrow in such hearts and souls.
POOR CHRISTIAN IMAGINATION!
We have considerably narrowed the religious universe of our
children by reducing access to the "wonderful stories" from the Bible and from our
own religious history. At the end of the 80s I was teaching catechism in a private
school in Ottawa. One Tuesday afternoon, I walked into a Grade 8 classroom.
I've got a great story to tell you!, I said. Right away the students' eyes
lit up, their ears opened wide, and a hush fell over the room. It was the story
of Zacheus! Come on, we've heard that one before! We had it in Grade 1, 3, and 5.
We're tired of it, sir! Something was wrong, and yet… I couldn't figure out what.
Later, I worked for the Catholic Bible Society (SOCABI). Shortly after my arrival,
the Quebec Education Ministry (Catholic Education Department) asked us to come up
with a global analysis of the programs in Grade 1 to Grade 8 from a Biblical point
of view. After having evaluated each year, an overall assessment was sent. It was
catastrophic! Well-intentioned people had structured almost all the programs based
on a total of about 20 stories. And we noticed that in all the texts, only "heroes
accessible to children" were used, that is, positive characters who at first glance
seemed close to a child's reality. Our error had been to not introduce stories
about complex characters, anti-heroes, and counter examples. By wanting to present
only positive models, we have created a generation of children who can't interpret
reality any more, including from a Christian point of view. There is no longer a
sense of long-term reality, of continuity or accomplishment. The Christian imagination
has been flattened out; and so has the ability to stand in wonder within the religious sphere.
THE BIBLE: STORIES THAT STAND UP!
The Bible is the work of storytellers. Anyone who has lived in a culture of oral tradition knows what that means. Whole evenings spent listening to the story of a people, the genesis of one's clan, the creation of the earth and the stars, its stories, told by those who know and have come to terms with reality - in certain cases, who have learned to survive in reality - become the key that unlocks the entry into the world. In Gjoa Haven (in Nunavut, an Arctic territory in Canada), I spent a dozen evenings listening to tales about the creation of the aurora borealis and the continent. I came to understand how such an inhospitable place could become the home for a people. Through the world of imagination, the tundra became the source of both their internal and external freedom.
The Bible was written initially by a nomadic people, a people with an oral tradition. Even in Jesus' time, less than 10% of the population could read and write. The Biblical stories were first told orally. Of course with the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel, the great oral traditions were put on "paper," but overall, the people never lost its identity as a people of storytellers.
When he taught, even Jesus never concerned himself with writing things down. As was customary, it was the disciples who took notes. They were the ones who collated and assembled "the sayings and doings" of Jesus. And according to Jewish tradition, both the good and the bad sides of the hero had to be portrayed. James and John had to be shown calling for lightning to strike the towns that refused to believe (Luke 9:54), Peter as someone who understands nothing and who betrays Jesus, the disciples as being slow to believe. The Biblical world knows that life is complex. The world of its imagination includes situations that are difficult to solve, characters who fall and hurt others, people who make mistakes and regret them. The Gospel is filled with characters whose example must not be followed, whose motivations are not easy to understand… because in real life, that's the way it is. The imagination needs complex characters and situations so it can interpret reality in all its subtlety.
"TELL ME THE STORY ABOUT… AGAIN"
Anyone who has regularly tucked children in for the night recalls having been asked to tell it again just one more time. And when you've told the same story thirty times over, you start to wonder just what the child sees in it. The same is true of young people and adults. Some stories just lose interest; there's just nothing left to get out of them. Others seem to be as fresh as when we heard them for the first time. Strictly from the point of view of information, the listener already knows "what it's about". In fact, he's probably already capable of telling the overall story himself. So why is it that he wants to hear it again?
As long as there is material left to "be integrated," the listener will feel like hearing a story again. Something important is taking place… To listen attentively is to let oneself be put into motion. The mind is exploring the uncharted territory of its consciousness, meeting friends and enemies, visiting zones of light and darkness. Through the story, for the attentive listener, something is being "solved" in his heart; he is developing tools that will help him to understand reality. Jesus was the champion of those apparently innocuous little stories called parables that hold the key to the Kingdom in the most unexpected situations. The absence of parables leads to an absence of clarity about the Gospel. We can no longer "see God" in the most unexpected situations, for to recognize God, the heart has to be well trained for surprise and astonishment. In a world where the imagination has become a business, it is difficult to find within oneself the well-spring of creative novelty, which is precisely what allows us to encounter God. It's not impossible, but it has become difficult.
REDISCOVERING THE MEANING OF CREATIVE EFFORT
The greatest heritage of the young generation, that of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, will unquestionably be to have rediscovered a taste for reading, for the effort that opens unexplored horizons. Every one of these books and films, each in its own language, has created expectancy, joy and sorrow. Each one tells the story of heroes and anti-heroes who develop in a complex way in an imaginary world that is equally complex. When the time comes for us to share our faith and our Christian values, we will soon see generations of children and young adults who have inherited the questioning spirit of these wonderful stories. If we learn their language, we will be able to speak to them about God without fear. They will have been trained for grandeur, effort, patience and… invisible reality. The realm of imagination is a marvelous point of entry for faith. Wonder is the key that opens us to a God who knows how to constantly surprise us, now and forever.
Article de la Revue Le Précurseur
Janvier-Février-Mars 2006