Wonder’s Role in Faith

This was recorded at the 2009 Rochester Chesterton Society Conference.

It is very easy to allow ourselves to experience wonder on a purely
intellectual basis, which misses the point, since wonder is too
powerful to be experienced merely through the intellect.

We should wonder at some of the amazing things written in the
Scriptures and at what they should mean to us: if we are created in
God’s image, how wondrous must that be!

There is also a hierarchy of wonders. While we can and should regard
the things God has created and holy artifacts with wonder, these things
are only temporary and we must regard the eternal with a greater
wonder, and nothing can be as wondrous of the mystery of the
incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We are commanded to wonder at these things, in part by the Shema
Yisrael (Deut 6), which instructs us all to love God with all our
heart, soul and might and think on this always and to teach this to our children.