OPENNESS TO GOD'S PRESENCE


MONDAY, THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT

Numb 24: 2-7,15-17; Ps 25:4-9; Mt 21:23-27

Rejection of the Presence of God

The presence of God is a given if we truly understand the meaning of his name, as he communicated it to us in the Scriptures. God is ‘I AM’, which implies existence and presence. Therefore, he cannot be absent from our situations and conditions. Our ignorance of his presence and operations within and around us is sometimes due to our ignorance of God’s name and his word through which he communicates himself to us. It can also be a result of self-deception or a decision not to admit any witness to his presence and works around us. Such a decision is usually because of a strong desire to achieve our own desires apart from God’s will. The overwhelming selfish desire forces us to overlook or ignore God’s presence and operations within and around us. We fall into the realm of evil if there is no conversion of heart, for even the revelation of God’s will to us by a third party does not cause a change of heart when we are fixated on doing our own and achieving our own goal. Such a self-opinionated and stubborn will definitely destroy itself if others do not win the grace of conversion for it before the allotted time for conversion ends. The sacrifices of the saints as the mystical body of the Son of Man overflow in the achievement of salvation for such souls.

The first reading from the book of Numbers illustrates these two types of individuals in relation to our knowledge of God and his divine will. Balaam was a prophet and had the gift of foresight. God revealed to him his intention with regard to the people of Israel and the coming of the Just One. “Raising his eyes Balaam saw Israel, encamped by tribes; the spirit of God came on him and he declaimed his poem. He said: ‘The oracle of Balaam son of Peor, the oracle of the man with far-seeing eyes, the oracle of one who hears the word of God. He sees what Shaddai makes him see, receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened.” It is one thing to see the will of God and another thing to desire to fulfil it or help bring it about. Even after seeing this vision of God’s will for Israel, the gifts and payments from Balak the king made him desire to see something different from what he already saw and understood. Balak, on the other hand, impelled by a desire to destroy the people of Israel he considered a threat to his kingdom, gave the prophet gifts to induce him to curse the people with God’s blessings and promise. He refused to accept the will of God revealed to him by Balaam the prophet. His refusal to accept the will of God about Israel and insistence on destroying them made him elicit evil counsel from the prophet on how to thwart the plan of God for Israel by leading them to sin against God. We must consistently examine ourselves to know whether we fall into any of these two groups with regard to God’s will for us and those around us.

We see the same distinct groups of people in the Gospel passage. While Jesus Christ was teaching in the Temple, explaining the will of God for the people, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to enquire about his authority for teaching and working in the name of God. They were not asking in good faith, to know in order to do the will of God. But they were looking for a ground to attack and condemn him. Our Lord understood their evil and stubborn motive and confused them with his question, which also revealed their insincerity. “John’s baptism: where did it come from: heaven or man?” They refused to answer the question because they would not admit their knowledge of God’s will, his presence, and operations for their salvation. God would do nothing to help anyone who has stubbornly refused to acknowledge the revealed will of God and his operation for our salvation. Such a one is an agent of the devil, who refuses to acknowledge and confess the good works of God. Thus, our Lord retorted: ‘Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.’ For Christ to come into our hearts this Christmas, we must act in sincerity, always in the practice of our faith and never feign what we are not or reject what we know to be true. Our prayer for light must be sincere and genuine, as the Psalmist. “Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth and teach me: for you are God my saviour.”

Let us pray: Incline a merciful ear to our cry, we pray, O Lord, and casting light on the darkness of our hearts, visit us with the grace of your Son. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. 

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