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Simone Weil
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Waiting For God : Introduction and Chapter one
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Karen L.
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Jun 20, 2011 05:54AM
Okay summer readers. If you have or get this book, here is the place to post thoughts on the Intro and chapter one. Please someone else be first :)
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Not ignoring you, just not reading this. I'll be interested in the conversation, though.
Just finished the intro and first letter (the book is a series of letters sent by Weil to a friend and Catholic priest, and a few essays).My impression from the intro is that I'm really going to enjoy this book. "Enjoy" may be the wrong word; more likely inspired and moved to tears. Simone Weil writes with such a rare honesty, made all the more honest since she wasn't writing for an audience, but to a friend (at least in the letters section). We aren't presented with a nicely edited script following an argument point-by-point, but rather with the urgent questions Weil is wrestling with, and with her intentionally paradoxical conclusions.
The intro states her approach well: "She rather took upon herself the task of sustaining all possible beliefs in their infinite contradictions and on their endless levels of relevance; the smugness of the false elect, the materialism of the shallowly rebellious, self-deceit and hypocrisy, parochialism and atheism- from each she extracted a partial truth, and endured the large portion of error."
The first letter is on the topic of why she does not want to be baptized into the Church. In one sense she does not believe she is worthy of baptism (of this she doesn't go into detail, leaving me curious) and in another sense she believes she has a vocation to unbelievers, and needs to stay outside the Church to relate to them. She speaks of loving God, Christ, and the Catholic faith, but then says "I have not the slightest love for the Church in the strict sense of the word".
My guess would be that she means by "Church", the requirement of a wholesale adoption of Catholic beliefs, and a level of exclusion to outsiders which is at odds with her own view of the gospel: "a divine Word shared among rival myths".
I think the biggest attraction to this book so far, for me, is that Weil sees herself as an "unintentional" mystic. The book is titled "Waiting for God" because Weil believes we cannot look for God, but can only be sought by him. Most days I feel my attempts to make sense of it all are so futile, so this thought is comforting, though scary.
I think this book is going to be really good.
My book is upstairs (and I am too tired to go fetch it!), but I believe that I am more than halfway through it. She is a really interesting woman. I wonder if her being a philosopher makes some of the things she brings up, such as the topic of baptism seem a little confusing. She is deep, but definitely easier to understand than author, Dorothy Sayer. What Special K said above about her not wanting to get baptized, was not something I thought of. H-m-m-? a possibility. From what I have read after the chapter on Baptism, seems to indicate otherwise. But, I will not spoil things and will try and post something over this weekend on chapter 2.
I peaked ahead at the last chapter on the "Our Father." That looks like a part with some good stuff.
Is anyone else familiar with this author? I wonder if she ever gets baptized? well, I'll have to keep reading :)...Off to bed. It was a v-e-r-y long day!
Charity wrote: "Not ignoring you, just not reading this. I'll be interested in the conversation, though."Charity, we welcome you to peak into this discussion. Have fun! Also I will try and throw in some quotes from the book so others can put forth opinions.
Here is a link to a very interesting article about Simone Weil and her refusal to get baptized. It is VERY interesting. Even if you are not reading her book, she reminds me of some people that I have spoken with who are on the edge of Chrisianity and hesitant to enter in? It is something that I do not agree with , nor understand.http://www.sunypress.edu/pdf/52976.pdf
Here is a blogger who has some interesting thoughts on Weil and baptism as well:http://shirtofflame.blogspot.com/2010...
I'm thus far thinking that Simone Weil had most definitly some mental health issues as do many a genius. She was almost too brilliant for her own good. She had some good thoughts, but went to dangerous means to live some of them out. I think people like this need humble, less brilliant but wise friends to guide them into fellowship, reason or good sense. These folks NEED the church.
