| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Suddenly he looked at his watch, jumped up, and hurried from the room,
leaving me with Mr. Wolfshiem at the table.
"He has to telephone," said Mr. Wolfshiem, following him with his eyes.
"Fine fellow, isn't he? Handsome to look at and a perfect gentleman."
"Yes."
"He's an Oggsford man."
"Oh!"
"He went to Oggsford College in England. You know Oggsford College?"
"I've heard of it."
"It's one of the most famous colleges in the world."
"Have you known Gatsby for a long time?" I inquired.
The Great Gatsby |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians by Martin Luther: judgment of God.
On the other hand, Sarah, the free Church, seems barren. The Gospel of the
Cross which the Church proclaims does not have the appeal that the Law
has for men, and therefore it does not find many adherents. The Church
does not look prosperous. Unbelievers have always predicted the death of
the Church. The Jews were quite certain that the Church would not long
endure. They said to Paul: "As concerning this sect, we know that
everywhere it is spoken against." (Acts 28:22.) No matter how barren and
forsaken, how weak and desolate the Church may seem, she alone is really
fruitful before God. By the Gospel she procreates an infinite number of
children that are free heirs of everlasting life.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Christ in Flanders by Honore de Balzac: the rift in the sky fell full upon the boat, and the travelers beheld
each other's faces. All of them, the noble and the wealthy, the
sailors and the poor passengers alike, were amazed for a moment by the
appearance of the last comer. His golden hair, parted upon his calm,
serene forehead, fell in thick curls about his shoulders; and his
face, sublime in its sweetness and radiant with divine love, stood out
against the surrounding gloom. He had no contempt for death; he knew
that he should not die. But if at the first the company in the stern
forgot for a moment the implacable fury of the storm that threatened
their lives, selfishness and their habits of life soon prevailed
again.
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