To Be a Fool is to Breathe the Spirit
But isn't that a bit of a tautology?
We are fools for the sake of Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. — I Corinthians 4:10
I have a confession to make: I’m an easy mark for April Fools’ Jokes. This morning I got a Substack newsletter about a tech billionaire who did psychedelics and consequently made a commitment to give away 95% of his wealth; I was halfway through it before it dawned on me that I was being spoofed. A few years ago, I got an email from my favorite little independent CD and Vinyl shop here in Decatur, GA, in which the owner ruefully admitted that it was time to get rid of all his inventory and instead fill his shop with kiosks where people could buy MP3s of their favorite songs. I think I was halfway through writing an angry reply before it dawned on me that the newsletter was dated April 1.
My mom and dad used to warn me that being gullible would not serve me well in life. I really prefer relating to other people from a posture of trust rather than suspicion, although even I have learned to recognize that not everyone I meet is my friend. Nevertheless, it seems to me that approaching life with an open and trusting heart sure beats being paranoid, even if once in a while I get taken advantage of.
The idea that foolishness is a spiritual virtue goes all the way back to the Bible, when St. Paul described the apostles as fools for Christ’s sake. Since then, a number of saints, such as St. Francis of Assisi, have adopted this image of being fools for God. And even mystics whom we think of as typically rather serious will on occasion play the fool card, such as when John of the Cross writes, “It would be foolish to think that expressions of love arising from mystical understanding are fully explainable.”1
There’s something deliciously foolish about believing that our destiny is nothing less than union with the divine.
The word fool comes to us from the Latin follis, which means “bellows.” Like a bag of wind we use to fan the flames of a fire, an air-headed fool will use his lack of understanding to fan the flames of ignorance. But that’s just looking at folly from a cynical perspective. Let’s not forget that the Holy Spirit (the holy breath) functions like a wind, whether it’s the wind blowing over the creation of the universe, or the breath of Jesus when he gives us the Spirit, or the rushing wind that accompanied the glossalia of the first Pentecost. If it is foolish to be filled with the wind, the breath, the air of the Holy Spirit — well, sign me up.
Friends, join me on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 for a free online event that will include Centering Prayer and a conversation about some of the most common challenges we face when we engage in a contemplative practice. Do any of these statements sound familiar? “I’m just not very good at Centering Prayer: my mind is too distracted!” “How can I be attentive to the silence within, when all I notice is how noisy my mind is!” “I thought contemplation was about finding inner peace, but all I’m finding is inner turmoil.” So often, we find ourselves discouraged, rather than inspired when we give Centering Prayer a try. As a commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer Introductory Workshops and a long-time practitioner of Centering Prayer myself, I am no stranger to these kinds of discouraging thoughts. I hope you’ll join me and other seekers of the silence within on April 8, 2026, as we seek to bring more curiosity, and less criticism, to our Centering Prayer experience. This 90-minute online event is free and everyone is welcome. I do need you to pre-register so I can make sure my Zoom account will accommodate everyone.
Please note: this workshop is based on an article I recently published on my “Fullness of Joy” Substack, called “Above Boats on a River, the Sky.” You don’t have to read the article to participate in the meeting, but reading it will enrich the experience. Click on the title to read the article.
St. John of the Cross. The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross (includes The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Dark Night, The Spiritual Canticle, The Living Flame of Love, Letters, and The Minor Works) [Revised Edition] (p. 519). Kindle Edition, p, 519.