“I rejoice in the fact that God is God.” (Saint Charles de Foucauld)
With all our hearts, we can make the words of Saint Charles de Foucauld our own: “How good it is that God is God!” This realization can well up from the depths of our hearts as constant praise. Already in the Old Testament, King David exclaims: “I am in great distress; let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.” (1 Chr 21:13).
David’s words reflect the experience that we often find no mercy when we fall into the hands of men—but we can always appeal to God’s mercy.
But it’s not only about the contrast between the mercy we hope for from God and the lack of mercy we often encounter in people. Rather, it is about joy in God—because He is who He is, and because He is unchanging. Our Father always acts as God, will always remain God, and will never be anything else. If we look deeply into our own experiences, praise like this will often spring from the heart: “How good it is, O God, that You are God! Without You, beloved Father, where would we go? Without You, nothing has real meaning. If it were not for You, and if You were not as You are, we could not and would not want to live. You are our life!”
Therefore, our hearts rejoice because we have a divine Father who is there for everyone. May everyone recognize Him for who He truly is, because the joy that Saint Charles de Foucauld expresses in today’s passage is offered to everyone without exception! Then we will be able to look each other in the eye, knowing that we owe everything to our Father. We will rejoice together, knowing that God is our Father and that He is who He is.