Rest isn’t exactly what we usually think, writes R.R. Reno in The Deepest Rest of Restless Man .
We sometimes speak of those who have died as finally at rest, or as resting in peace. It’s not a negative image, but then again it’s not positive either. Most of us would rather keep at the work of life than enter the rest of death. So, yes, we cherish days off, but we are also capable of a paradoxical disposition: we get tired of rest.
We get tired of rest, he argues, because that rest is not the rest we were meant to have. His reflection on the real and apparently paradoxical meaning of rest, today’s “On the Square” article, continues with Aristotle, Eric Liddell, the book of Revelation, and the doctrine of the Trinity to explain what resting really means for us.
Of Roots and Adventures
I have lived in Ohio, Michigan, Georgia (twice), Pennsylvania, Alabama (also twice), England, and Idaho. I left…
Our Most Popular Articles of 2025
It’s been a big year for First Things. Our website was completely redesigned, and stories like the…
Our Year in Film & Television—2025
First Things editors and writers share the most memorable films and TV shows they watched this year.…