GOD'S ABSENCE IN A SOUL IS THE GREATEST MISFORTUNE


TUESDAY, THIRTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Reflection from Friar Nicholas Okeke, OP 

Amos 3:1-8,4:11-12; Ps 5:5-8; Mt 8:23-27

Every Misfortune is Sent by the Lord to a City

The greatest misfortune that would happen to a soul is to be without God. The human soul is like a city built for the habitation of the great King of heaven, God himself. We can deduce this truth from the Genesis passage on creation. God, who is Trinity, announced the beginning of the creation of man as follows. “God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild animals and all the creatures that creep along the ground.” It is clear from this announcement that God made man for himself and to be with him. We know this because likes stay together. Since the human imaging of God is basically within, that is, in his immaterial component, God being spiritual, it follows that the beauty of our souls can only shine out the most when illuminated by God’s presence. Based on this, we posited that the greatest misfortune of our soul is to be without God’s presence. The most tangible proof that man is made to be a city of God is the Incarnation of the Son of God. As the scripture says, the Son of Man is like us in all things without sin. So, the Church teaches that the Son of God assumed our human nature to reveal man to man. It follows then that when denied the presence of God, man is in his worst state.

This background aids our meditation on the theme of our reflection and the passage of Amos, the prophet we have as the first reading. “Listen, sons of Israel, to this oracle that Lord speaks against you, against the whole family I brought out of the land of Egypt: You alone, of all the families of the earth, have I acknowledged, therefore it is for all your sins that I mean to punish you.” The prophet listed the sins of the people of Israel in the previous passage. Notable among these sins are idolatry and their preference for material riches to the poor of the Lord; they trampled on orphans and widows for material gain. For these sins, Yahweh has decreed punishment for Israel. The punishment Yahweh decreed for Israel, who abandoned him to serve idols, would be the withdrawal of his protection over them. This punishment is what their conduct attracted to them, for by their idolatry and greed for material acquisition, they removed themselves from the presence of God, who is their protection. Thus, the word of God is sent to them to pass the judgment that their conduct deserves. “Does the trumpet sound in the city without the populace becoming alarmed? Does misfortune come to a city if the Lord has not sent it?”

Subsequently, the greatest misfortune that comes to the human soul made in the image of God and to be the city of God is to lack the presence of God or abide without his word that gives light. We merit this great misfortune when we wander away from the worship of the true God to prostrate ourselves before false gods that are not gods at all. When this happens, our inner self, which ought to be the city of God, is thrown into pitch darkness and decays in death because it suffers the loss of light from the word of God and life from the Spirit of God. Just as God plunges the inner city of man into utter darkness, death, and decay by the removal of his word and presence, he decrees fearsome thunderstorms, gales, and earthquakes of varying natures for the outer man in his physical city to bring man’s arrogance and stupidity into check. The outer or physical threats, misfortunes, and evils amount to nothing for the man who harbours the word of God and his presence within himself. When God dwells in our inner city, which is the city he made for himself within us, we have nothing to fear. Hence, Jesus called his apostles men of little faith when they were agitated by the external storm. “‘Save us, Lord, we are going down!’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened, you men of little faith?’ And with that, he stood up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and all was calm again.”

Let us pray: Grant us, Lord, the grace to internalise your word and understand the mystery of the indwelling of your word within us, that we may be rescued from the misfortune of straying away from your presence in worship of false gods, but rather worship you in spirit and in truth through your abiding Word.

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