We all know that happiness depends on living in a close relationship with God, as Adam and Eve did before the fall. It's the most basic truth of our catechism: separated from God, the human heart withers, like a plant that never gets sunshine.
But after the loss of grace through original sin, staying close to God became impossible. He is too bright for graceless, sin-damaged eyes to see; he is too far away for sin-weakened souls to find.
If it weren't for Christ, who shades that brightness and crosses that distance, every human soul would live in hopeless frustration, unable to embrace the only person who can make us truly happy: God. The symbolism of today's readings reminds us of this dilemma.
In the First Reading, God seals his promise of salvation by making a covenant with Abram. The ceremony for making covenants shows how sacred such agreements were. It involved having the parties making the covenant walk between the severed halves of sacrificial animals. This was a symbolic way of saying: if I don't fulfill my part of the agreement, may I end up like these severed animals.
God makes the covenant, which shows that he wants to be close to us, but in fact he was still distant. This is symbolized by the smoking pot and burning torch that God used to represent his walking through the sacrificial animals.
The smoke of the cooking pot symbolizes God's mystery - you can't see through smoke; likewise, we can't see God clearly. The fire symbolizes his brightness and spiritual purity, too painful to look at directly, hot enough to incinerate anyone who comes too close.
The two symbols appear again in Jesus' transfiguration up on the mountaintop. Here he is preparing to establish the New and everlasting Covenant. This time the brightness shines out of Jesus himself, and the mysterious cloud covers him. The message is clear: in Christ, the distant, mysterious God of the Old Covenant has come to walk by our side.
In Christ, the age of frustration has ended. Friendship and closeness with God are once again made possible. God is no longer too bright and too distant; he is our close companion.
Following God's Example
What should our response be to this marvelous presence of God in Christ? Since we are God's children, we should thank him for his goodness to us by following his example.
Just as God bridged the distance between himself and us so gently, giving us his friendship in Christ, so we should reach out gently to those around us. Jesus is so patient with us. He comes down to our level in order to lead us up to his level. He respects us and even puts up with our tantrums.
We have to ask ourselves, is that how we treat those around us? Every Christian home should be a gymnasium where each one learns to be more like Christ. The family is the school of virtue, which means that it is the school of happiness. At home we learn to forgive and to let ourselves be forgiven; we learn to give and to receive. But we are called to be Christians not only in the home; we are his followers in our schools, in our places of work, in our social gatherings.
Christ still wants to teach the world about God's goodness. He still wants to bring God close to every man, woman, and child, because only God can make them happy. He wants to bridge the gap between God and mankind, and we are the stones of that bridge.
Today, let's all think of someone in our lives who we can treat better, the way Christ treats us. And then, in Holy Communion (spiritually or physically), let's ask God to give us the strength we need to do so.
And after we ask for that strength, let's promise that we will do our best to shine with Christ's gentle light, bringing happiness to everyone around us.
St. Anne's Church
Tel: +852 2813 0206
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Comments