The father speaks to his children, Part 5
In view of the current pandemic, I will refer to the current situation tomorrow in my reflection, also because the text is particularly suited to this.
Today I invite you to welcome deeply the words that we will hear, because it is precisely in times of need and unusual circumstances – as indeed a pandemic is – that we must root our trust in God and intensify our prayer for the whole situation.
The words of the Father:
“Finally, the creation of man… I took pleasure in my work. Man committed sin, but it is precisely then that my infinite goodness is manifested. To live among men, I created and chose in the Old Testament the prophets, to whom I communicated my desires, my sorrows and my joys, so that they could transmit them to all.”
So far the words of the “Message from the Father”…
This passage brings to mind the words of Genesis, when God, contemplating his work after having created man, saw that he was “very good” (cf. Gen 1,31).
The glory of man must be very great! Some mystics, who sometimes have the gift of “inner vision”, speak of an “ecstasy” when contemplating the beauty of man. Perhaps it is similar -although much stronger- to what we experience when we see a small child, who can captivate us. Even greater is God’s joy in contemplating his Creation; in particular, man, whom he created in his own image (cf. Gen 1,27).
With these eyes of love God looks at man.
But then comes sin, separation from God, with all its terrible consequences
However, God’s answer is not to withdraw from man, who has stripped himself of his original beauty. Rather, it is precisely then that His love is manifested, not leaving His creature, His child, at the mercy of destructive powers; and offering Him His goodness and mercy.
Let us stop here for a moment…
We have probably heard all this many times already; and we know it well from sermons, from Holy Scripture and from pious books… But it is not only a matter of knowing what faith teaches us; it is also a matter of interiorizing God’s love, which is manifested in His words and deeds. Our Father wants us to live in this awareness and to put it into practice day by day; to keep it in mind when we wake up, when we go to bed and throughout the day… The Church exclaims in one of her liturgical prayers: “Our God, (…) admirably you created human nature and, even more admirably, you restored it”. Let us praise the Lord with these words of the Church!
May the Spirit of the Lord implant this certainty in the depths of our hearts, so that we may never doubt the goodness of God! Even in the face of our weaknesses, faults and sins, we must never be robbed of this holy knowledge of our Father’s love. For so were His words:
“Man committed sin, but it is only then that my infinite goodness is revealed.”
Let us take some time to interiorize these words, simply moving them in silence, just as we should do with the words of Sacred Scripture. Let us talk about it with the Lord, let us listen to it and let us be touched by His love.
After this separation from God because of sin, He decided to choose prophets to communicate to men. Men were no longer able to live in the original trust with God. Our Father entrusted to the prophets “his desires, his sorrows and his joys”, so that they, in turn, could transmit them to men. The prophets were His friends and messengers, through whom He spoke to mankind.
Again and again throughout history, the Lord continues to choose this way of communicating to mankind, especially in difficult times, when receptivity to His presence has decreased or almost disappeared in men. This also applies to our times, even though today’s prophets no longer have the task of preparing for the Advent of the Messiah, who has already come into the world. But, in the Spirit of the Lord, they will remind us of all that Jesus said and did, and of what He entrusted to His Church.
If the Father sends such people and we identify them, we must listen to them carefully. This is all the more important the less we receive clear instructions from the church hierarchy. The Lord does not simply leave His people without guidance; He will come to our aid through His friends!
On the other hand, we must close our ears when voices are heard to lead us astray, no matter from whom they come. Every Prophet who speaks by Divine appointment must be led by the Spirit of God and not speak in his own name.