Blue Jay’s relief pitcher Roberto Osuna strikes out the last batter, securing victory; doffs his cap, crosses himself and makes a gesture of gratitude to God before joining his jubilant team mates. Osuna, like many sports greats, journeys in comfort with his God.
The riddle of creation has been fascinating theologians and artists since cave wall drawings. Writers have created myths and elaborate allegories to imitate, if not explain, reality. Humankind has an insatiable drive to find answers, especially about our ultimate destiny.
In his book God and the Astronomers, Doctor Robert Jastrow says the scientist has lived by his faith in the power of reason. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.
Jastrow makes the point that what the theologians have known for centuries some scientists will never acknowledge. And that is their loss.
In the shadow of this cosmic struggle you and I must choose – will I journey through life with the comfort of Divine companionship, be that one of God’s angels or the ever present love of Jesus? Or will I ignore the gentle nudges of the God that loves me?
Striking the pose of the thinker, pondering in the solitude of nature might be a good place to start. In Taylor Swift’s song “Mine” she describes a time of searching for answers in the line, “We got nothing figured out.” Another line reflects the process of discerning, “Do you remember we were sitting by the water?”
The seeds of truth can be seen in nature. Sit in the beauty; soak in the smells and tastes of creation. Revel in the good things God has given us. In “The God of our Desires” Father Ron Rolheiser says, “…all that we find attractive, beautiful, irresistible, erotic, and pleasurable here on earth is found, even more fully, inside of its source, God.”
He adds, “The beauties and pleasures of this life are a gift from God, meant to be enjoyed. But, by being aware of their source, we can also then be free enough to accept the very real limits that life puts on our desires. And, better still, we need not fear death since what we lose will be trumped one-hundredfold by what we gain.”
Perhaps the biggest puzzle we have is the very existence of death and suffering. The Book of Wisdom tells us: “God didn’t make death. God takes no delight in the ruin of anything that lives. God created everything so that it might exist. The creative forces at work in the cosmos are life-giving. There is no destructive poison in them. The underworld doesn’t rule on earth.
“Doing what is right means living forever. God created humans to live forever. He made them as a perfect representation of his own unique identity. Death entered the universe only through the devil’s envy. Those who belong to the devil’s party experience death” (?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” /1:13-15, 2:23-24).
It is a tall order to understand the Divine Plan that we as original sinners have messed up. That’s why God sent Jesus to explain things and to model how we should live our lives. We all have a shot at Eden. We have a better chance if we choose the right travel companions.
