“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.
I often read this passage to patients and their families as death approaches. These words of Jesus are dear to my heart.
People complain about telephoning churches, businesses and government offices and having to speak to a machine. Many simply refuse. They will not be treated as customers or consumers.
The Gospel assures us there is a Person at the heart of Being. In fact there is a Trinity of Love; a Father, Son and Holy Spirit who take endless delight in gathering you and me to holiness. No one who comes will be rejected; no one will be lost.
Dante, in his Divine Comedy, upon entering Purgatory, expresses astonishment,
And after it there came so long a train of people, that I ne'er would have believed that ever Death so many had undone. (Canto III, vs 55-57)Can the Lord God know such a throng of people? Can anyone find herself in such a crowded world?
These questions are not just religious. The power of computers increases daily; markets and governments amass data on every individual on the face of the earth -- from your tastes in music to your DNA code. Despite the eight billion people expected to cover the earth in a few years, computers promise to identify and tabulate every one of them. There will be no secrets in that dystopian future.
The human being has an innate right to dignity but the forces that crowd us into categories and bundles are enormous. Can anyone rightfully expect recognition or respect or will we succumb to the numbing, crushing presence of numbers? Will Death, that grim reaper of souls, finally usher us into the mindless, lobotomized Hades the ancient Greeks expected?
The Gospel of Jesus Christ remains as the reassuring Word of God. You are known and loved. Your privacy is respected; your dignity, protected; and your secrets, kept.
The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them...
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.
The Catholic philosophical tradition -- I think especially of the Franciscan John Duns Scotus -- provides ample assurance of our standing in God's sight. Technology, like the Tower of Babel, can reach only so high; despite its pretensions it knows nothing of you or me or God.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.