One of the illuminating qualities of the book I have been recommending, Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today by John W. Kleinig, is its definitions of concepts that I thought I understood but in reality knew only superficially. For example:
“Modern people tend to confuse mysteries with secrets and so we explain them away. Yet the two are really quite different. Although both have to do with something that is hidden and unknown, a mystery differs from a secret in one important respect. A secret remains a secret only as long as you don’t know it. Once it is revealed, it ceases to be a secret. But a mystery remains a mystery even when it is revealed. In fact the more you know about it, the more mysterious it becomes. Take, for example, the mystery of life or of love. You may be able to explain it, but you can never explain it away. Any explanation, no matter how accurate is always like a sketch of a person, a poor substitute for the real thing.” (Page 57)
What are some mysteries like this?
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