Tears of Rapture

This past weekend while hanging out in Chicago, I resumed my reading of Dostoevsky's, The Brothers Karamazov. This monumental work continues to shape a lot of my thinking in many areas of life.

Piggy-backing off of last weeks post, I thought this excerpt from the Brothers K would be appropriate.

After the death of his beloved Mentor Father Zossima, Alyosha, Doestoevshy's hero falls into a dream like state...

"The elder raised Alyosha by the hand and he rose from his knees.

"We are rejoicing," the little, thin old man went on. "We are drinking the new wine, the wine of new, great gladness; do you see how many guests? Here are the bride and bridegroom, here is the wise governor of the feast, he is tasting the new wine. Why do you wonder at me?I gave an onion to a beggar, so I, too, am here. And many here have given only an onion each- only one little onion... What are all our deeds? And you, my gentle one, you, my kind boy, you too have known how to give a famished woman an onion to-day. Begin your work dear one, begin it, gentle one!... Do you see our Son, do you see Him!?"

"I am afraid... I dare not look," whispered Alyosha.

"Do you fear Him. He is terrible in His greatness, awful in his sublimity, but infintely merciful. He has made himself like unto us from love and rejoices with us. He is changing the water into wine that the gladness of the guests may not be cut short. He is expecting new guests, He is calling new ones unceasingly for ever and ever... There they are bringing new wine. Do you see they are bringing the vessels..."

Something glowed in Alyosha's heart, something filled it till it ached, tears of rapture rose from his soul...he stretched out his hands, uttered a cry and waked up.