“G.K. Chesterton, considering his life in retrospect, said that he had always had the almost mystical conviction of the miracle in all that exists, and of the rapture dwelling essentially within all experience,” wrote Josef Pieper in “Happiness and Contemplation.” The German philosopher saw profound wisdom and truth in Chesterton’s observation. He continued, “Within this statement lie three separate assertions: that everything holds and conceals at bottom a mark of its divine origin; that one who catches a glimpse of it ‘sees’ that this and all things are ‘good’ beyond all comprehension; and that, seeing this, he is happy.”
Yet it can be difficult to “catch a glimpse” of this miracle existing in all things. We become familiarized with life, and it loses its luster. Routine dampens our attentiveness to the marvelous.
