God’s Answer to the Questions of Humanity and our Response - A Christmas Reflection

While I was preparing this talk I was very much powered by two things:

First, my memory went back to one of the holidays I spent in Kerala during Christmas. It was a memorable holiday because a one year old child helped me to imprint an image of the reality of being born in this world. The specialty of the child was – she did not know how to speak in a language which I could understand, she could speak few limited vocabularies a child could at that age. She silently spoke to me through the words that were printed on her dress. The words were stunningly striking with an existential flavor, it read Why ME? I was just thinking to myself that early in life we are faced with questions, we move on to seek answers, sometimes we are delighted on the way and other times we just can’t go on without facing some existential questions to make us strong in our belief in the unseen digitus dei the finger of God.

Secondly, I was asked by one of my students, brother, why certain things happen to us the way we do not expect it to happen? What spontaneously came to my mind was the phrase of Fulton J. Sheen, divinity is found where we least expect to find it. God is often found in the mess of our lives, where we least expect Him to be there. This is exactly why the Lord says, “those who are well there is no need of a physician.”

Why to take these two singled out questions when we have lot of unanswered questions. Questioning is the characteristic of humans especially when we are young. Our venerable Pope John Paul II singles out this special characteristic of questioning in his book Crossing the Threshold of Hope. He says, “Youth is a time given by providence to every person and given to him as a responsibility. During that time he searches, like the young man in the gospel, for answers to basic questions; he searches not only for the meaning of life but also for a concrete way to go about living his life.” Let me also make some reflections from the Bible. It is very interesting to note the presence of kings at the birth of Jesus and at the execution of Jesus. Both of them reacted since they were questioned by His way of being with Humanity.

The birth of Jesus questioned the authority of Herod the King - He had an internal question – why should there be another King apart from me. He was insecure and frightened. So the answer of Herod to the birth of Jesus was rather drastic and ended up in being bluffed by the three kings and consequently led to the slaughter of the innocent children. On the other side we find the Pilate questioning Jesus – Are you the king of the Jews? What is TRUTH? etc. He too was insecure and frightened and hence he handed over the TRUTH to the people who crucified him. It is good to question, no matter whether we find a true and perfect answer because Jesus Himself says, “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens my voice”. But it is not good to react violently like Herod or indifferently like the Pilate to the questions that we often face, no matter however turbulent they seem to be. Are we really comfortable with the grace of God being born in us to lead us somewhat close to the answer that we are seeking? Jesus (the second person in the trinity) is really an answer to the questions of humans by being God and becoming a Human being like us.

God has another answer by ‘being-with-us’ (Emmanuel – God with us). Since God is so much with us, we fail to grasp the mystery of He-being-with-us. It is like we carrying the weight of our bodies and often do not realize that one is 59 kg/ 70 kg, etc. We read in the gospel of John: 14:9 – ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip and you still do not know me?’ He questions our way of being-with-Him. He completely leaves the responsibility to us of our being-with-him. Consider Judas the traitor and the other faithful apostles!

As a human being he himself had questions. For example, on Calvary where he cried out - Eloi! Eloi! Lema Sabachthani – My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me? (Mk 15: 34)

When I was born, I saw the world with a cry and I did not know that this would also involve an anticipated cry of existential pain and isolation when lived alone. I do not know whether Jesus cried at birth since no one testified it. But Jesus did cry when he was dying on the cross – A cry of isolation and pain as a fully human being, a cry of faith knowing fully well that he has to go through it.

The Birth of God is a mystery. The very concept of ‘God’ moved the philosophers who failed to prove the existence of God sufficiently. Our birth itself and the questions connected with our lived experiences are mysterious paradoxes. Humans are not capable of withstanding an excess of the mystery. Incarnation is too much a mystery in which God could not go further and beyond.

But, if we were to stay focused on the current situation we find ourselves in, what it is that God wants us to do right now in our lives at this moment, and know that God reveals himself to a soul just as much as is most benefiting for that soul. And we can say to ourselves, ¨ok, right now my strength is being tested, but there will be a time when God will personally speak to me...and I have to be strong until that time comes so that when it does come, I will not regret not having served him in hard times.¨ And to be sure that in every situation God gives enough graces to keep us going. Like Mother Teresa who was also in despair because God apparently hid himself from her. But at the same time it brought her relief to hear from her confessor that it must be very hard for God to keep Himself hidden. But it was the best for her not to know everything. If we were sure of everything all the time, and perfectly confident and unwavering in every situation, would we be of any use to Jesus? Maybe, but many of the saints whom we read about were very wavering people.

Thus, God is Reaffirming his ‘invisible manifest Presence’ among us at this anniversary of his birthday. He invites us to “seek and find” and personally answer the questions that Jesus Himself asks:

Who do you say that I am? Why do you doubt? How long have I been with you?

Do you love me?

Wish you a very happy Christmas!!