Learning more through questions than answers
Luke 24:13-35
That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’
disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and
they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened
that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and
walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked
them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking
downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only
visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place
there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said
to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet
mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests
and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But
we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group,
however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did
not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a
vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us
went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they
did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart
to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ
should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses
and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the
Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave
the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay
with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took
bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes
were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then
they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke
to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
As I get
older, I become more convinced that questions are more important than
answers. Sometimes, asking the right
question is more critical than knowing the right answer. When I was in high school, we had this really
annoying classmate who asked obvious questions all the time. Right after the teacher explained something
in chemistry, for instance, he raised his hand and asked the teacher to explain
it again. Everyone groaned, “Argh!” We all thought he was slow and dense. But that young man graduated with honors,
went on to medical school, and is now a practicing brain surgeon.
In college
my least favorite teacher taught a seminar class on literature. But he never stood in the front of the class
and lectured. He would sit with the
students and just ask questions during the whole class. For example, we read “Crime and Punishment”
and in class he’d ask, “Why did Raskolnikov refuse to turn himself in for
murdering his landlady?” And some
student trying to brown-nose would raise his hand. I buried my head in my hands and cried, “Why
don’t you just tell us the answer?!”
Now, however, when I talk to people or read a book or watch a movie, I
instinctively ask myself, “Why did he just do that?” You see, rather than hand me a laundry list
of answers, that college professor taught me to think, to ask questions, to
ponder and probe. Sometimes the right
question is more valuable than the right answer.
In the
gospel today we see Jesus teaching with questions as well. He joins two disciples walking to Emmaus and
asks them what they are discussing. They
reply dumbfounded: “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn’t know of
the things that have taken place in these days?” Then Jesus makes this marvelous reply, he
asks, “What sort of thing?” (As if Jesus
didn’t know!) Can’t you just imagine the
two disciples groaning like my classmates in high school and college, “Argh!
What a dumb question!” But was it? Through that innocent and apparently naïve
question, Jesus invites those disciples to reflect and ponder and put into
their own words that saving mystery of Jesus' death and resurrection. They needed to think more deeply and Jesus’
question made them do just that. After
Jesus leaves, what do those two disciples do?
They ask a question: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he
spoke to us on the way?” Like my college
professor, Jesus had taught his disciples to think with questions. Sometimes,
the question is not only more important than the answer; the question might
even be the answer.
Now, not
all questions get answers. Listen to
this funny conversation. A father and a
son went fishing one day. While they
were out in the boat, the boy suddenly became curious about the world around
him. He asked his father: “How does the
boat float on water?” The father
replied, “Don’t rightly know son.” A
little later, the boy looked at his father and asked, “How do the fish breathe
underwater?” Once again, the father
replied, “Don’t rightly know son.” A
little later the boy asked his father, “Why is the sky blue?” Again the father answered, “Don’t rightly
know son.” Finally the boy asked his
father, “Dad, do you mind me asking you all of these questions?” The father replied, “Of course not, son. If you don’t ask questions, you never learn
nothin’.” I guess that day the boy
learned exactly how smart his father was.
My
friends, I would encourage you to question everything. And I would even invite you to question your
faith. Don’t be afraid to ask
questions. But always bear in mind
Cardinal Newman’s caution, he said: “Ten thousand questions do not equal one
doubt.” Ten thousand questions do not
equal one doubt. Don’t doubt your faith,
but do question it, probe it, examine it, explore it. A few weeks ago a lady did just that during
my homily. Did you hear about this? Right in the middle of the homily, she raised
her hand and said, “I have a question. I
don’t understand what you mean!” And
then a few moments later she said, “Can you please explain that!?” A friend of mine in the congregation turned
to the person next to him and whispered, “I didn’t know you could heckle the
priest during Mass! I’ve been missing
out all these years!” That lady was
right: my sermon was long-winded that day.
She taught me something through her questions. The question mattered more than the answer.
Pope
Francis is asking a lot of questions these days about Church practice. Can priests be married? What greater role can women play in the
Church? How do we welcome those who feel
ostracized, pushed out, by the Church?
What does it mean practically to make the poor a priority? Maybe some of the pope’s questions make
people uneasy and squirm in their pews.
Perhaps some Catholics bury their head in their hands and groan,
“Argh! What dumb questions!” But remember Newman’s sage advice: “Ten
thousand questions do not make one doubt.”
While the pope questions, he never doubts. Like that father taught his son while
fishing, “If you don’t ask questions, you never learn nothin’.” When we ask questions we begin to ponder and
probe and penetrate the saving mystery of Jesus’ dying and rising like those
disciples in the Scriptures.
Listen to
how St. Peter urges us to test our faith.
He writes in 1 Peter 1:7, “So that your faith, which is more precious
than gold that is tested in fire, will lead to praise, glory and honor at the
revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ!”
Our faith must never be doubted, but it must be questioned, tested by
fire of honest and relentless probing, because only then will it lead to
praise, glory and honor. “If you don’t
ask questions, you never learn nothin’.”
Praised be
Jesus Christ!
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