By Fr. Roy Cimagala
LET’S never forget that God is always with us, eager to help us in all our needs. We cannot doubt this truth of our faith since as St. Paul once said, “He (God) who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8,32)
Our usual problem is that we doubt this ever-ready availability of God’s help for us. Because of that, we hesitate to go to him, or we may approach him but lack the proper dispositions to receive what God is eager to give us.
Let’s be like these simple characters in the gospel who, in their great need, approached Christ for help, for some miracle. They did so in great humility and faith, the basic and indispensable qualities we need to make ourselves receptive to God’s help.
Christ himself reassured us of this constant help of God for us. “Ask, and it shall be given you,” he said. “Seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.” (Mt 7,7)
And reinforcing this divine reassurance to us, he continued to say: “For every one that asks, receives; and he that seeks, finds; and to him that knocks, it shall be opened. Or what man is there among you, of whom if his son shall ask bread, will he reach him a stone? Or is he shall ask him a fish, will he reach him a serpent?” (Mt 7,8-10)
There’s always hope even in our worst scenario. And that’s because God never leaves us, but continues to love and care for us, in spite of all. He gives us everything we need to handle this situation.
We should be quick to realize this truth of our faith, and act accordingly. Let’s avoid aggravating the situation by avoiding falling into discouragement and depression, a fertile ground for the devil to tempt us into worse conditions. The devil obviously wants us to be alienated as much as possible from God. Rather, like the prodigal son, let’s return to God asking for mercy which he readily gives.
We cannot doubt that we have our human and worldly limitations. And yet in spite of that, neither can we doubt that deep within us is, at least, the desire to go beyond our limitations.
Given the fact that our human nature is not only totally material, but is also spiritual, we should not be surprised when we feel those seemingly contrasting sentiments. The truth is that we are a material being that is poised for eternity, for immortality. In the end, the truth is that we are meant to live a supernatural life, and not just a natural one.
This is where we have to entrust ourselves to the workings of the spiritual and supernatural realities that also govern our life. We have to remember that we are not ruled simply by biological laws or physical, chemical, social, political, economic laws. There is a higher law that governs us and that would enable us to transcend our human and earthly limitations.
This is the law of grace, a law that is spiritual and supernatural in nature. It is the law that enables us to go beyond our human limitations without, of course, compromising our humanity. It is the law that enables us to enter into the very life of God who created us to be his image and likeness, sharers of his life and nature.
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
