QOTM...*: Martin Luther on Fishing

(*Quote of the Month)

With a shout out to George Gershwin and Ella Fitzgerald, it’s “…Summertime, and the livin’ is easy…" Since I’ll be heading to the Northwoods in the next couple weeks for some easy livin’, and very likely to hold a rod and reel in my grip for some portion of that time, my daydreams have turned to fishing. Note that I say ‘fishing,’ not ‘catching,‘ but that’s all right with me. In fact, it’s all good, because I’m a firm believer in the ancient Babylonian proverb: The gods do not deduct from a man’s allotted span the hours spent fishing. And since I do far more fishing than catching, I may live forever…

OK, so I’m a paragraph in and have already quoted two sources other than whom I had intended. Forgive me, though I have warned you before that naturalists can go on and on about the simplest of things. Luther on fishing is what I said I’d get to, so let’s get to it then.

Martin Luther -- the Great Reformer of the 16^th Century, the founder of the Lutheran Church, the debater of long-held theology, the rebellious monk standing up to the monumental powers that be, the writer of what may be the most brilliant and well-rounded catechism in the history of Christian discipleship, that guy –once met up with his friend, Phillipp Melancthon, perhaps the greatest systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation. Melancthon, ever the heady intellect, wished to lay out the day’s agenda with Luther and announced:

“Today, Martin, you and I

shall discuss the governance

of the universe.”

--Phillipp Melancthon

Luther replied:

“No, Phillipp. Today, you and I

shall go fishing and leave the

governance of the universe to God.”

--Martin Luther

~~ Get Outside, 

RGM, July 25, 2014