Daily Meditation: Thursday, March 31, 2005

Believers and non-believers - have equally little conviction (anecdote)

03/31/2005

Whether they call themselves believers or non-believers, most people are uncertain about their beliefs. Here is an anecdote which circulated in the communist countries some years ago. Back from their space trip, Russian cosmonauts are received with great pomp and ceremony at the Kremlin, where Brezhnev congratulates and decorates them before a large crowd. Once the ceremony is over, he takes them aside: ‘Tell me honestly,’ he asks, ‘did you see God up there?’ ‘Yes,’ the cosmonauts answer. ‘Ah,’ Brezhnev sighs, ‘of course, just as I thought.’ Some time later the same cosmonauts are received in the Vatican by the Pope. Here too there is great ceremony. At the end, when all have retired, the Pope takes the cosmonauts aside and says: ‘There is something on my mind: during the course of your travels in space, did you come across God?’ ‘No,’ they answer, ‘we didn’t see him.’ The Pope looks a bit disappointed and murmurs: ’Of course, just as I thought.’