Catholics are, in general, regarded as less of being Christian than
being superstitious. According to 1 Tim 2:5, there is only one mediator between
God and Man and He is Jesus Christ. And Catholics do not seem to grasp that
because the contour of their religious horizon is outlined by so many devotions.
We pray through Mary and on top of that, we also go through the saints.
Furthermore, what is this preoccupation with novenas?
There are so many novenas and the one distinguishing mark about them is
the figure of nine. For example, the Simbang
Gabi, a novena much loved by the Filipinos and takes place nine days
before Christmas.
According to the Catholic Encyclopaedia, "the simplest
explanation of the Christmas novena is the nine months of Christ in the womb.
But for every novena of preparation, as also for every novena of prayer, not
only the best explanation but also the best model and example was given by
Christ Himself to the Church in the first Pentecost novena. He Himself
expressly exhorted the Apostles to make this preparation. And when the young
Church had faithfully persevered for nine full days in it, the Holy Ghost came
as the precious fruit of this first Christian novena for the feast of the
establishment and foundation of the Church".
Perhaps the Proddies were right about this. Like the encrustation
attached to a sunken ship, we fail to appreciate what we have for what it truly
is. Today is the 3rd of the Novena to the Holy Spirit. Just like the
"disappeared" 7th Sunday of Easter when replaced by the Ascension,
for many of us, these nine days between Ascension and Pentecost count for
nothing.
Why?
Within a Pelagian framework, notably in a self-made, self-help,
self-actualised cosmos, the notion of a "deity" is almost redundant.
God for us has truly become "Emmanuel" in the fullest sense of the
word. It means that we want a deity distant enough not to threaten us with his
demand but proximate enough to accede to our every desire. Is it any wonder
that many novenas are organised along the themes of intercessions, petitions
and favours? If God exists, He serves a purpose in my existence--to canonise me
as the centre of the universe.
The Gospel though, provides a purpose that far exceeds one's mundane
needs. But, before we delve into what that aim is, it must be stressed that our
needs, are not bad in themselves, because one should avoid any whiff of Gnosticism
whereby the material world is rejected. Hence, petition is an accepted form of
prayer as suggested by the Pater noster: Give us this day our
daily bread.
Even though we are encouraged to seek, what we ask for should always
coincide with what the Lord intends to give: eternal life. One of the most
precious gifts, blessings or possessions and certainly more desirable than
wealth, is health. If one does not visit a hospital, especially a subsidised
one, one would never think that there are that many people who are sick.
Perhaps it explains why Lourdes as a place of pilgrimage is infinitely more
popular than Fatima since the intent of bathing in the waters is asking for
cures of all kinds. We desire health in order to enjoy wealth and if judged by
the number of movies centring on the theme of immortality, we would like to
live forever. Like 50 is the new 30 or life begins at 70? But, the purpose of
eternal life is not to live forever. Instead, eternal life consists of this: to
know the one true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.
Knowledge is the basis for eternal life. Unfortunately, in a
knowledge-based economy, knowledge is regarded as power. According to this
reckoning, the more one knows, the more powerful one can be. If you think about
it, WikiLeaks and espionage are both battlegrounds for knowledge--that he who
controls the flow of information has greater power. However, knowledge in the
biblical sense is not the amassing of facts or figures or even making
connexions between the conspiracies we have. Instead, knowledge points in the
direction of relationship, as in, when Adam knew Eve, she conceived and gave birth to
Cain. This knowledge of God is relational rather than intellectual for it bids
us enter into the full acknowledgement of who we are and who God is. It is a
recognition of our status as creatures--In Him we live, we move and have our
being—who are dependent on God.
These days between the Ascension and Pentecost are not simply passing
days but truly a time of preparing oneself and waiting for the coming of the
Spirit. They also put into perspective the way we have conceived of novenas so
far. Instead of an exercise to gain God’s favour, the investment of time in
pray is for the human will to bend and fit itself into God’s plans.
In terms of waiting, for a generation easily distracted by mobile
devices, it can be excruciating. This is exacerbated by the expectation that the
world revolves around us. Thus, we easily forget that waiting is built into the
status of dependency. Like a lover waiting for the beloved, we wait for the
Lord so that our hunger can be deeper and our reception richer.
If the eternal life given by the Lord is premised on entering into a
relationship with Him, then like Mary and the 11 in the Upper Room, we follow
them in prayer. Instead of the usual asking for God to answer our prayers,
perhaps it is good to implore the Lord to grant us the gifts of the Spirit--wisdom,
understanding, reverence (traditionally known as piety), knowledge, right
judgment (or counsel) courage (or fortitude), and a sense of wonder and awe
(otherwise called fear of the Lord)--so that we can enter into a deeper and
more loving relationship with Him.
