I read carefully and that phrase stuck in my mind that predestination does not take away our freedom, but calls us to cooperate with grace. It seems concrete to me: just like in fishing, you know the fish is there, but you still have to cast the rod and shoot in time, otherwise nothing happens. Thanks for the article.
Thank you, Marius, good point. It’s the same in my garden: the seeds are already destined to sprout, but without watering and weeding nothing will happen. And the phrase about cooperation with grace is right on point; without this, both fishing and gardening are a waste of time.
That's a good way to put it, Vera. My tomatoes this summer were exactly like your seeds — the packets said they'd grow in our Sydney soil, but without the daily watering and pulling out those stubborn weeds by the fence, half the plants never made it. Cooperation with grace really does feel like that ordinary work in the garden.
Yes, that phrase with cooperation is the best. Like in chess: you see the good move in advance, but you still have to make it yourself, otherwise the board remains empty. Have you read anything similar to Father Dumitru Stăniloae?
Yes, that phrase about cooperare sa haru is right at the center of everything. Here in Podgorica, when we play chess with our neighbor, you see a good combination of three moves in advance, but if you don't move the piece yourself - the game fails. I found the same thing with father Stăniloae in the book "Teologia dogmatică", where he says that predestination is not a chain but a call. Thanks for the text.
