Against the odds
The story of Christmas never fails to leave me with a sense of hope. As I sit here in the comforts of my hometown of Penang, where I am spending the christmas weekend with my family, I can't help but feel a sense of hope for the things that are to come.
Not that I am hoping for anything. No, in fact more than anything I do feel thankful, but that's a topic for another day. Today's topic is on hope, is on hoping on a God, who despite the obvious circumstances seem to point that things are not going to work out, can somehow make things work.
I am talking about the story of the birth of His son. As I heard the pastor in my parish reading the gospel over the midnight christmas vigil mass, my mind wandered to a different scenario. I know the story of the birth of our Lord quite well. I've heard it countless times and even studied the texts narrating the birth of our Lord.
But my mind kept going to one thought : Wouldn't things have been easier if Christ had been born into royalty? Oh yes Christ was royalty alright, but you know what I am talking about.... the kind of royalty where you get those special favours and privileges of being royalty. I was reading recently on the glory of the Roman empire, and I couldn't help wondering what would have happened if Christ was born into Roman royalty. That would have made things easier no?
But the point is not about convenience. Sure God could have done it, but I believe there is a greater message here. From the onset of when Mary said yes to do God's bidding (be in done to me according to thy word), problems after problems arose, and this could have been quite discouraging to Mary as it is to us today whenever we face our own tribulations. Consider the fact that she was still a virgin, and was already expecting with Child. Or the fact that when it came time to delivery the Messiah, there was no place in the inn?
I wonder if Mary ever doubted God. I wonder if she ever did ask the questions that we so frequently ask today whenever we are faced with our sets of challenges. But I believed, that despite everything, when the odds were stacked up against her and Joseph, they both believed in God. They had something we lack today....hope
And I think this is precisely what God had in mind when He planned to have his only Son to redeem us. The readings in Isaiah that is always said in the christmass midnight mass is beautiful and hopeful. For unto us today a saviour has been called....he will be called Immanuel...God is with us.
And I believe that calls for hope. That God is with us, we can be assured of and that we can depend on Him. The story of the first Christmas points us to that truth.
Getting the right foundation
I decide to write this as a result of a spirited conversation I had with a friend who was perplexed over why people who don't even have any relationship with God can prosper and do well in life. It made her wonder about her own faith in God and as a result, I decided to write this.
Foundations are the most important aspect in the construction business. If you've ever seen a house or any sort of building been built you would notice the foundations go deep. They require the plow machines to dig deep trenches so that the beams, which will later either serve as the frame of the house or the support for the ground level construction.
Either way, foundations serve an important component in the construction business. Likewise it is the same when it comes to faith. Too often without proper foundation, I have seen people lose faith far too easily, or give up hope easier than those who have no religion and they often wonder "what is wrong with my faith?"
Some go into despair thinking that perhaps God is not real afterall, or that maybe it's some kind of emo-feeling based thing. After all, their atheist friends seem to be just fine and dandy carrying on with their own lives. Why is it that the Christian then finds it difficult to live his or her Christian vocation?
Based on my own personal experience, I would say it has to do with getting the foundations right. I know this simply because I too was once a wishy-washy christian who went through the motions of the christian life. When I talk about foundations, I am not talking about baptism and being reborn again or anything like that.
No I am talking about conscious foundations. Understanding and being able to truly grasp fundamental questions such as "Who am I?" and "What is God to me?". Being able to honestly answer this questions is no chicken feet. The soul is often like an ocean, it can toss and turn at any minute and it be calm at times.
As humans, we think we have everything in life. We think we are complete, but truth of the matter is, we will never be complete. Don't believe me? Ask yourself this: When is the last time you felt truly happy or at peace? How long did it last? What was the source of that happiness?
I am convinced, having merely lived for only 28 years now, that no matter how much of money and wealth one has, one will never be satisfied. As C.S Lewis brilliantly then asks in his book Mere Christianity - Could it be that because our hearts desire for something that cannot be fulfilled in this world, that perhaps there is another object that can satisfy us? (that object being God)
Its important and vital to our own soul to be able to answer the 2 questions I posed above because from it the foundations for our life is laid out. And I will admit, to answer these questions earnestly requires faith. Faith is what allows us to even have a relationship with God in the first place, faith allows us to see things differently. Consider the people who were healed in the presence of Christ. They all shared a commonality - faith. And yes faith is important, because without faith, it is impossible for us to see God's hands in our lives.
Once we have faith properly checked, the next thing we need to ask ourselves as part of getting the foundations right is "what's my relationship with God?" This is also another pivotal question because it shapes how you look at God. Are you only seeking His hands and only sometimes his face? To the atheist, God is only proven if he can work something in your life, he can grant your wishes. If God can't do that and if the atheist can do it without God's aid, then the justification is simple : The atheist doesn't need God.
But that's a very worldly view. In fact that's a very poor justification because it then makes God look like a one-trick-pony, or a magician, or worse... a genie in the bottle. And this is the problem that most christians who do not have a solid foundation with God fail to see. It's very tempting to follow the logic of the atheist, but it's also foolish to think that God is a genie in a bottle, ready to do what we wish for.
As a christian, having the right foundation is more than just getting prayers answered or hoping for blessings in life. A christian is meant to live life with God, just like a family. Things always don't go your way when you don't get along with mum and dad, but that doesn't mean you don't need the family isn't it? It's the same with God. It's more than just getting stuff from His hands...it's about a relationship with Him and learning to live in that relationship with Him.
Now that's how you get the right foundation!
Revisiting Discernment
About a year ago I gave a talk on discerning God's will to a group of young Catholic adults. The gist of my talk had to do with discerning between two goods, and trying to understand what God's choice is for us. I spoke about how discernment first involves getting on the same wavelength with God, first ensuring that one's prayer life has to be in place. I concluded my talk by saying that through prayer, God will show you the way, that the path will be laid before you, and you will just have that peace of mind when you make that walk.
A year now later, I am starting to think otherwise on discernment. Prayer is still important, and that constant communication with God is impetus when trying to discern God's will. But having gone through some of life's experience this past year, I have found that discernment works differently for everyone. I have often thought that there is one-sure-fixed way for all catholics to discern. This "cookie-cutter" approach I believe is not the way at all.
I am starting to believe that perhaps discernment is unique to every person. The way God talks to his children is different. It's personal and individual. Just as how we often hear (and accept) that everyone has their own way of approaching God and building that relationship with Him, likewise I think it's the same when it comes to discernment. What God wants for me, and also the WAY he wants me to get it may be different from yours. Perhaps your journey of faith and realization is different from others, and that's okay.
To me, I have realized that it's not so much what God wants of me. I have come to the realization that whichever path I choose and whatever direction I take (so long that it's discerning between two goods), I know that God will be there for me. That if I choose to take path B over path A, God is already a 100 steps down path B ensuring that I still have enough grace to undertake the trials that may come in path B.
Now please remember that this is MY journey. I have shared this discernment view of mine with my friends and my siblings and I have been extremely careful to insert my caveat, that is this is how God works in me. It might not work for you and it should not work for you, because God's discerning will for you will be different. Perhaps God knows that if you had to choose between path A and B, and if you chose path B, you will somehow forget God, or you will abandon God or something like that might happen and God just can't afford to lose you and therefore He will do anything to prevent that from happening.
In my life, it has been different. Although I have gotten most of what I have often prayed for, I believe it's because I have always felt that no matter what decisions I make in life, I have that constant assurance of God's love for me (this is something that I have built over the years, my faith was not built overnight, rather it was through life's experiences I have noticed this).
Discerning is definitely a long and often boring process. Just when you think you've figured things out, life shows you otherwise. But the important thing to share here is that there is no cookie-cutter approach to discerning and no.2 , you need to find how God works in you and that takes
a) Prayer
b) Reflection
c) Acceptance
I mentioned Acceptance as one of the elements required, and that is closely tied with my last point : trust. To trust our Lord is also key in discernment. To know that He knows what's best for you is impetus in living the Christian life and growing in the Christian faith. And again, it ties back to prayer.
