 |
| Logo of the Pontifical College Josephinum. The translation of the Latin motto (Romans 8:31) is at the end of this blog post! |
"Lord, when you went forth from Se'ir, when you marched from the region of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, yes, the clouds dropped water. The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel." -Judges 5:4-5
Imagery like this is used quite often in the Old Testament to describe the divine power of God. It is only rather recently that humanity has become unimpressed and even bored with the sources of power we see in nature; for much of human history natural phenomenon have been seen as the most powerful and awesome experiences we can have. Earthquakes, oceans, rivers, winds, storms, volcanoes, and fires are all used throughout the Old Testament to try and scratch the surface of just how powerful God is. One of my favorite examples of this is the entirety of Psalm 29, which worships the Lord for how powerful and majestic His voice is: thundering over waters, shaking forests, moving nations, ruling over peoples.
"The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire." -Psalm 29:7
We continue to profess and proclaim the omnipotence of God as an inseparable aspect of our praise of Him, even though we are limited in our human ability to truly understand what His power means.
However, God's power is far from arbitrary. All of God's power is focused on loving us as His children, for He is both omnipotent and our Father.
"I believe in God, the Father almighty..." -The Apostles Creed (emphasis added)
God's fatherhood and power are intrinsically connected. God has revealed His Fatherhood for us in the way He takes care of us through Divine Providence. All of His power is used for our service, to lead us into greater union and joy with Him in the smallest parts of daily life and in miracles that are unexplainable without His Divine Power.
God, even in His infinite power, draws near to us personally and lovingly for our sakes, and His power is shown forth in it's greatest form by the sacrifice of love He makes for us. For His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:19), in His infinite mercy even more than His infinite justice. In Jesus was the power of God and the love of God combined to their greatest fulfillment:
"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God... Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." -1 Corinthians 1:18,24-25
Though it seems to be weakness at first glance, God's infinite and divine mercy was the greatest source of His power. Remember that God's omnipotence and His total love for His children are intimately and intrinsically connected. It is in the greatest act of His love that the greatest act of His power is brought forth, that we may be brought through Jesus Christ to be God's reconciled and sanctified children.
In summary:
"God is the Father Almighty, whose fatherhood and power shed light on one another: God reveals his fatherly omnipotence by the way he takes care of our needs; by the filial adoption that he gives us ('I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.'):109 finally by his infinite mercy, for he displays his power at its height by freely forgiving sins." -CCC 270
God's almighty power can be hard for us to come to terms with, especially when we see the problem of evil in the world. When painful and evil situations arise that could easily be stopped by God-- after all, He is omnipotent-- it is sometimes difficult to believe that God's power has any real influence on our lives. If God is all-powerful, all-present, and all-loving, then why is there still evil in the world?
Remember how difficult it is for us to truly understand who God is; how we need analogies and philosophical concepts even to barely scratch the surface of understanding how God works and loves. It is impossible for us to see the complete big-picture view of the plan of God, and it takes faith to believe...
"...that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28
How difficult this faith is to have! It is one thing to know in one's head that God's plan will bring all things to the good, it is another thing to live out our lives in obedience to God's will when we cannot see how the greatest hardships and evils can be transformed and used in God's plan.
Nevertheless, God has given us assurance that trust in His total love and total power is never unfounded. See the example of the saints who trusted in God through incredible pain, even when they could not see the end: the early Church martyrs like St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, later martyrs like St. Paul Miki or St. Maximilian Kolbe, saints who underwent permanent physical suffering such as St. Therese of Lisieux or Blessed Gianna Molla, or saints that suffered with their family or their daily living such as St. Rita of Cascia or St. Josephine Bakhita. Most of all the saints, see the example of Our Lady! She who trusted in the mysterious plan of God through pregnancy, danger, being a refugee, and watching Her son be tortured and murdered has much to teach us and much grace to distribute to us who so often struggle to trust the Divine Will of God.
"The Virgin Mary is the supreme model of this faith, for she believed that 'nothing will be impossible with God', and was able to magnify the Lord: 'For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.'" -CCC 273
Jesus gave us the greatest example of total belief in the plan of the Father when He entered into total suffering and death for the sake of the salvation of the entire world. He who was fully God and fully man never ceased to trust in the plan of God even through great struggle-- Jesus sweat blood as He trusted that the suffering He endured would be brought to God's glory, and in complete love, He laid His life down without reserve.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus as the pioneer and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted." -Romans 12:1-3
Don't hesitate to beg God for help to have faith in His almighty love. He will not leave you orphaned and abandoned, but will strengthen you, His child, and bring you to greater joy and fulfillment than you realize. The plan ahead may look murky, but He wishes to give you infinite mercy to bring you home. Our Lady will bring these graces to you as you ask for them, and She will remind you of the great love of Her son when you begin to forget Him.
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" -Romans 8:31
Comments
Post a Comment