God comes always
Carlo Carretto is a great Italian mystic and writer. He wrote a book titled “The God who comes.” The title of the book indicates a present action that is continuous. “God comes” means God never stops coming among his people. His coming or manifestation is a continuous event.
The definitive manifestation or revelation of God is in his Son, Jesus Christ. The Word of God, who is God himself, actually took flesh in Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:14), born of the Virgin Mary (Mt. 1:16). The glory of God is revealed in Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:14; 2:11). Hence in Jesus Christ the light of God has shone in the darkness that envelops the world, and this darkness cannot overcome it (Jn. 1:5). The revelation of God in Jesus Christ fulfills the expectations of Israel for a new era, the era of the Messiah King who comes from the stock of David (Is. 35). In his reign, justice shall flourish and peace shall flow like a river (Is. 9:7). Already his star is seen by the gentiles from the East and they have come to worship him (Mt. 2:2); for the Lord God, who has taken flesh in Jesus Christ, is the King of all nations. Jesus Christ is the ultimate epiphany of God – God’s definitive manifestation of His love and care for all peoples. Henceforth, no new messiah is expected, for Love, God Himself, has shown himself in Jesus Christ.
God continues to manifest himself in our lives in many ways. He gave us Jesus Christ so we can believe in His love, experience it, and have new life. The Missionary Activity of the Church takes this message to far distant lands; it is the liberating message of God’s abiding love; it is the GOSPEL, the Good News. Because this love of God revealed in Jesus Christ is abiding, God continues to come into our lives every moment of our lives. He lives within us through baptism, and by His creative act. But we forget; we are often overcome by worries and tossed around by many desires. Our eyes also tend to be clouded by ambitions and expectations and the disappointments that come from them.
The many epiphanies of the Lord in our lives are often lost to us. These epiphanies come in forms of awakening, insights, inspirations, and real encounters with God’s presence. In these epiphanies God tries to wake us from sleep so we can really enter into a personal relationship with Him in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. Whenever He succeeds in waking a person to the encounter with His presence, that person moves away from being a mere believer to being a committed and faith-filled person, convinced of God’s Saving Love in Jesus Christ, and he or she will be ready to share the experience with others.
God comes always in various ways and disguises. But like the Magi, we need to train our eyes to see the epiphanies; we need to learn to quieten our minds to be able to take in the Light that comes from His presence. We need to be aware of the many emotions in our hearts so as to discern His love that gently nudges us to deeper life in Him. It is such openness to God’s enlightening Spirit that enables us to know in faith that God guides our lives with love and grace to their purpose in Him, irrespective of the circumstances we live in.
Indeed our God is the God who always comes. May 2023 be a year of grace for you and your family members; may you see and experience God’s guiding light each day so you may all feel safe in God’s abiding presence. Amen
~ Fr Cornelius Okeke