If both the sower and the mustard seed belong to the mystery of the Kingdom, this Sunday we explore our relationship with God through the mysteries of good and evil, blessing and punishment. These mysteries ultimately shines the spotlight on the God whom we worship. Who is He in relation to us?
One of the glaring and lasting effects of science is the marginalisation of God. With Him sidelined to the periphery and with Man occupying the centre of the universe, the very notion of a supreme deity is reduced to a role supplemental to Man’s ambition, well-being and need. We believe in and worship God evidenced by our being present here. But closer to the truth is that God does not direct the course of our lives. We do for we believe that we are in charge and God’s role is to support Man’s quest for self-realisation.
Sounds rather disrespectful but the truth is that God serves no purpose except when He plays the functional role which the Greeks in theatre used to term as “deus ex machina”. This theatrical device justifies God’s utility to be the blessing that we want, at the time when we need it most. Survey the present attitude towards the celebration of jubilees. The original jubilees was a fixed term of letting the year after 7 cycles of 7 years be dedicated to God. For a long time, we waited for the exact moment and it was a long wait of 50 years. A jubilee is not just a milestone of temporality. It is also a marker reminding us that the nature of providence is patient waiting, a humble dependence on God to provide. Today, we have jubilees jumping out of the blue. This is not to say that we should not have them but perhaps the mentality which supports this course of action is that God can be trotted out at our beck and call. Since time is of the essence and urgency is our brand, we simply brandish God to justify our programmes and to legitimise our current concerns.
God cannot be spoken of without acknowledging His sovereignty. In the 1st Reading, He does not answer Job except to draw him deeper into the mystery of His sway and supremacy. But given that our focus is sharply on the “autonomous” and the outlook self-referential, it basically means that we do not look to the heavens to find God but instead we are confident that we can force the heavens to reveal their secrets. The very idea that a deity has sway and supremacy, primacy and power sounds primitively antiquated but more than that, it paints God to be capricious. What makes the caprice worse and God’s impotence glaring is when evil men seem to flourish.
What can we conclude then?
God’s answer to Job does not remove pain nor does it soothe sorrows. Such an unvarnished truth unsettles our maudlin and modern mind. Fundamentally, we face challenges in three major areas of concern. Their shoots spring from the fertile soil of materialism. Our security is measured through the index of “possession” out of which the three challenges seem to expose a distant God who is cold and uncaring. Firstly, we want or demand a God who blesses us materially. When prosperity is our gospel, God is no more than a provider. Secondly, we struggle to cope with the loss of loved ones and not a few are inconsolable when grieving. Life is not on loan, a gift but rather a right due us. It is possibly a symptom of the loss of belief in the Resurrection. Thirdly, we are overwhelmed by the blatant triumph of evil over good.
The experience of Job coupled with the Disciples in the boat show us that both suffering and evil are weaved into the fabric of a fallen world. Nevertheless they invite us to have faith and to put our trust in God. We may never find a satisfactory response to why “bad” people seem to flourish. Or that we fail no matter how hard we try. In fact, social media has definitely deepened our anguish because right in our faces, those who are patently evil enjoy life without retribution!
Thus the Psalmist’s cry is powerful for it beckons us to peer beyond our myopic horizon. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:2). No, Job did not find the solution to his problems but he was not left unanswered by this powerful God. Neither will we find satisfactory answers to the puzzling mysteries of life. Instead, the voice through the thunderous storm and Jesus stilling the seas remind us that God is always in control.
The evidence or proof for Christians, in the face of suffering and evil is the mystery of the Cross. When we feel most abandoned by God, as Job and the Disciples felt, God is in our midst. Even if we do not feel it, the Cross stands as the everlasting symbol of the forgiveness and the faithfulness of God. Before the Cross, the mystery of suffering and evil is not an abyss of dark despair. There at Calvary, we are offered the full guarantee that God is present even in the darkness of faith. The Supreme God will never abandon those who place their trust in Him.
As the oft-quoted Chinese proverb suggests, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a step”. Put out into the deep is Christ’s invitation to take that first step of trust and faith in Him for we will never be confounded.
