"…Neither is this Thou" (- C. Williams)

It catches up with us so slowly, so stealthfully that we feel caught by surprise when first its hand grasps us. I write of anfechtung. In the instant that its grip closes, suddenly and hard, we recognize it.  In the back of our mind’s eye we’ve seen glimpses of it lurking, stalking us.  In an instant, what we have felt in intimations and seen through a glass darkly, is revealed. Our heart paints our vision en bleu, ou noir.  What was bright and promising turns deeply, oppressively dark.  At last we understand that there is a direct relationship between “fear and trembling” and “the sickness unto death”!  Kierkegaard the faithful agnostic has prepared us for this moment and its life imperiling question: Will I follow Abraham and there-by become the knight of faith who trusts in the face of the absurd or will I take the road beyond despair? Will It be knight or night for me? Here most of all I see the history and present fruition of the dreadful and yet promising power of choice. Martin Luther looms large.