Mystery and the Ascent Through Choice

Beginning from the paradox that 'as God reveals who he is, he hides,' this reflective synthesis explores how mystery, far from being an obstacle to knowledge, is the very horizon within which the human person grows. Using the image of the vanishing point in perspective drawing and Socratic aporia as figures for the limits of philosophical inquiry, the author draws on Aquinas' account of the mind's unrestricted desire to know, Levinas' account of the encounter with the face of the Other, and the myth of Sisyphus to argue that genuine understanding of mystery requires an active and repeated choice to ascend toward it rather than to master or possess it. The paper concludes that embracing mystery through free choice, rather than resolving it, is what allows the human person to find meaning, community, and openness to the transcendent.