The beginning of T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets sets the scene for the entire poem. It also reflects our own life’s experience from childhood to old age and beyond. I hesitate to use the word death because “knowing the place for the first time,” anticipates eternity.
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
What might have been is an abstraction
Remaining a perpetual possibility
Only in a world of speculation.
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened
Into the rose-garden.
“Footfalls echo in the memory, down the passage we did not take, towards the door we never opened, into the rose garden.”
Most of us probably have those odd moments when we speculate what we might have done…the door we never opened…yet remaining a perpetual possibility.
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
There are many interpretations of our Lord’s words,
“Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Reflecting on that saying of Jesus in the light of T.S. Eliot’s poem I’m encouraged to believe that there is a brief moment in our childhood when we become aware of an unknown future. Maybe we were unable to express it, but even so we knew it intuitively.
In adult life looking back is important. This quote from Kierkegaard is very significant
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
Looking back on our own childhood is extraordinarily creative. This is especially so when connected with a playmate we loved.
In my case it was with my first cousin. We were born within seven months of each other. We didn’t grow apart until after university. We even read for our degrees at the same college. Our ways parted when she married, but we kept in touch at birthdays and Christmas.
She died only a few days ago, a long way from here and I didn’t know until her daughter sent me a copy of her funeral service. It was a shock initially, but also a source of grace.
“Footfalls echo in the memory, down the passage we did not take, towards the door we never opened, into the rose garden.”
There are many possible interpretations of the “Rose Garden,” For me it is childhood. Good poetry enables a single line to be interpreted according to one’s individual experience of living.
We cannot re-live our child hood, but we can view it as a journey and pick out moments of grace, joy and love.
Towards the end of the Four Quartets occur these luminous lines that sum up not only the poem but our life’s experience.
With the drawing of this Love and the voice of this Calling
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown remembered gate.
All Along the Watchtower 
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
For those of you that don’t follow Pope Francis with any depth, this article looks back four years so that you may understand his pontificate better. At that point you may come to better understand what he may do in the future.
http://www.onepeterfive.com/four-years-later-reflections-unprecedented-pontificate/
You may want to sort the comments anyway you want and read a few.
LikeLike
I read all that interesting article. Not wanting to sit in judgement on Pope Francis, I think that the Catholic Church of the 21st century has a large problem.
Certainly Pope Francis is a very different leader from Pope Benedict. There’s really no comparison.
The cost of wanting to be popular is very high. Both Jean Paul and Benedict were not afraid of being unpopular as every genuine leader knows.
LikeLiked by 2 people
PS Its difficult for Anglicans to comprehend the power that the Papacy might have on the faithful.
Maybe the faithful need to be upset including the man who wrote the article. What if it is God’s plan to shake the Catholic Church to its roots?
LikeLike
We, or at least some of us, are very upset. We haven’t taken to the streets yet. We tell our priest and bishops, but they have no power. Most of the laity don’t read so don’t understand, and they like the pope’s “all things mercy.” It just confirms in their mind that they need not even think about sin.
My last and current priest are orthodox, but neither has ever talked about this pope. They are in their parish and the pope rarely matters, or so they think. But when the pope speaks and it doesn’t even come close to Catholicism, then souls are being lost.
We should be as mad at the pope as the liberals are at Trump’s victory. And your what if question could very well be the case. As we know, salvation history takes many centuries to play out and then figure out. Thank goodness God is in control.
LikeLike