“Adam, where are you?” (Cf. Gen 3:9).
The Heart of God seeks man who, having fallen under the seduction of the powers of darkness, has turned his back on Him. As Jesus shows us in the parable of the prodigal son, God is always waiting—awaiting our return.
Man wanders through this world without knowing where he comes from or where he is going. He no longer knows God as He truly is. With each new derailment, the memory of that trusting relationship with God—the memory of his true home, Paradise—fades away.
Demons add what is missing in order to distort the image of God. They do not want the image of a loving Father to be engraved in the heart of man. Often, this image is perverted, as if God were an arbitrary sovereign, indifferent or even hostile to human beings; a tyrant who does not want to grant them knowledge or allow them to enjoy other desirable goods, and who imposes prohibitions on everything that could please them.
Therefore, man must learn to “spell” again: “I come from God, my Father, and to Him I return. Creation is not God, but the Creator. I must not offer sacrifices to idols, but give my heart to God. Our true home is not Earth, but Heaven. Our true wealth is not earthly goods, but eternal ones. We must not be the murderers of our brothers, but their guardians (cf. Gen 4:9–10).”
“Adam, where are you?”
How can God reach man in his straying? Yes, it will be a long road to Bethlehem!
Man’s perdition must have been truly grave, to the point that the Father had to send a purification upon the Earth—the flood (cf. Gen 6–7)—and He found only one who was righteous in His eyes: Noah (cf. Gen 6:8). One among so many! Only one! But He called him and showered him with blessings.
Was this a new beginning for His creatures? Yes and no… Original sin had not been eradicated, but had also “gone up into the ark,” so to speak. Man had not yet been redeemed. When the Earth was repopulated, men wanted to reach very high—so high that God had to stop them and confuse their languages (cf. Gen 11:1–8).
There was still a long way to go to Bethlehem! It was only thanks to God’s patience and forbearance that humanity did not destroy itself long ago, and that we still have hope.
Yes, from eternity God carried Bethlehem in His Heart, but there was still a long way to go to prepare us, mankind, for His Coming.
Meditation on the reading of the day: https://en.elijamission.net/2022/11/29/
Meditation on the Gospel of the day: https://en.elijamission.net/2023/12/05/