A theological question is not an attempt to disqualify what is present but a prayerful request to be more deeply led into the truth. Nouwen argued that the final words of Mary at the Annunciation— ‘You see before you the Lord's servant; let it happen to me as you have said’—show clearly the aim of all theology. They create the inner space in which God's word can happen to us: ‘The purpose of theological understanding is not to grasp, control, or even use God's word, but to become increasingly willing to let the word of God speak to us, guide us, move us, and lead us to places far beyond our
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