By Fr. Adrian Mascarenhas –
This question assumes that there was a distance between human beings and God, and that God later bridged this gap by coming to humanity. But I would like to suggest a different perspective from which this issue can be analysed: God has never really abandoned us! So God never “came” to us by any process of movement; he has been with us from the very beginning.
And yet, we now have the season of Advent, in which we prepare ourselves for the Coming of the Lord. What exactly does this mean?
Human minds in their present condition in the world, are limited in their capabilities, and are unable to experience the fullness of God’s presence. This does not mean that God is not omnipresent; it is a question of our awareness. Spiritually enlightened persons are able to perceive God’s presence in many different ways – in his people, in his ministers, in his sacraments, in his providence and care for all creatures.
The historical event that laid the foundations for this enlightenment was the Incarnation, in which God completely united himself to the human nature of Jesus of Nazareth, and instituted various means so that his presence would continue to be experienced until the end of time. At the end of time, all human beings who are counted worthy will enter into the fullness of this blissful encounter which is of a nature that “no eye has seen, nor has any ear heard, nor has it ever arisen in the heart of man” (1 Cor 2:9).
But even before the Incarnation, God made his presence felt in various ways, especially through the prophets and the religion of the Old Testament. We see that even Cain, the first murderer, had an experience of God’s righteousness. The presence of God was revealed in a very powerful way through the events of the Exodus. And even later, Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah and many others had God-experiences which they shared with the people through their preaching and their writings.
So why does God come to us first? The answer is that God knows that only he can save us. Man does not always know this: we often think we can save ourselves, or be greater than God, like the builders of the Tower of Babel.
But God knows that if he were to refrain from saving us, the whole human race would almost certainly perish eternally. Being all-powerful and all-merciful, he therefore intervenes to save humanity. In Jesus of Nazareth, he humbles himself to the extent of dying on the cross – and then he goes still further, emptying himself to become a consecrated host so that you and I can receive him in Holy Communion. Why does God do this? It is part of the mystery of God himself. God is love. We cannot understand why he is love; but love does not need to ask why! We know that he loves us, that he gives himself for us, and this is enough for us to understand and appreciate his saving work.
Rev. Fr. Adrian Mascarenhas has served as the Assistant Parish Priest of St. Patrick’s Church and Ascension Church, and has completed two years of ministry at St. Peter’s Church, Bangalore, India. He received his licentiate in sacred theology from Dharmaram Vidya Kshethram and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Fundamental Theology at the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome.