"was struck by the humility and simplicity" (S39)

was struck by the humility and simplicity of what the person, a young priest (if he had to guess, in his early thirties) was saying. The video was talking about how mystery is understood within religion, a theme which had troubled Jesse as he was growing up in a catholic household. Questions of how are we able to reliably say anything about God, especially in a world with so much suffering and pain, were questions that had deeply troubled his faith - a doubt he also felt guilty and confused about. Mystery within theology, the priest was explaining, is not related to clarity in inverse proportion: rather, it invites us to seek further understanding. It struck Jesse how the conflicts between people, nations, and cultures that he observed arose from people thinking that they have the answers to everything, accordingly preferring to judge and assert rather than understand. By contrast, he was struck with how the wisdom of the Bible comes from having a question to everything, where the absence of the arrogance of assertion allows people like the priest to truly understand and communicate with people on their own terms. This, for Jesse, was a thought that eased his anxiety. It was also, in his mind, an admirable endeavour, one he felt inspired to, at the very least, think more about. For now, no more distraction, Jesse thinks - they are not needed. Jesse puts down the phone and, feeling oddly calm, looks out the window. He sees a sparrow flit from branch to branch, and all anxieties seem to be dwarfed by the warm serene feeling that it will be ok, a feeling he endeavours to work on and cultivate. And he is right: they will be ok.