The whole world senses that an immense crisis is threatening society with inevitable ruin.
Newsroom (06/02/2024 08:30, Gaudium Press) Generally, children imagine that the world is limited to their own area; they later realize that it is somewhat more vast when they acquire the notions of country, continent and globe. Later on, they will have an idea of galaxies and the universe, and with each stage of greater knowledge, they will realize that there is more ground to be explored, up to a limit unknown to them.
This phenomenon, observed in material nature, is merely a reflection of something much broader that exists in the intellectual and spiritual spheres. A true philosopher will never think he knows everything. For every question resolved, dozens of others will arise in unlimited succession.
And what can we say about theologians? If scientists are aware that they know only a tiny part of the material universe, what can man claim to know about God, the eternal, infinite, omnipresent, omnipotent Being? Then he realises that the more he discovers, the more there is to discover. The spiritual panoramas become increasingly vast, profound and mysterious. He realizes his contingency and the impossibility of knowing God completely.
The same can also be said of Our Lady, Mother of God, though a human creature and therefore, limited. Her knowledge of the Holy Trinity is incomparably superior to that of all the Angels and men combined. She realizes that there are unexplored divine universes of which we have no idea.
On the one hand, therefore, She is the one who knows God best, and on the other, She is the one who is most aware that He is unapproachable.
Do these truths not contain a lesson for today’s humanity? Modern man has placed all his hopes in science. It has made astonishing progress, but without solving humanity’s fundamental problems. This is understandable, because the scientific world only has the task of explaining physical and psychological phenomena, not pointing out the deep meaning of our existence. The final causes go beyond its scope and must be sought in religion.
The philosophy of the Gospel governed the people
And there was a time when, as a whole, people sought God, resulting in the medieval Christian civilization that we still admire today. At that time, the philosophy of the Gospel governed the people; in a life focused on glorifying the Creator, everything made sense: Gothic cathedrals sprang up, universities were born, trade guilds flourished and so did science.
After the Renaissance, man turned more and more unto himself, first forgetting, and then rejecting God. As a result, we have today’s critical spiritual situation. Never has technical progress been so colossal, and never have the problems of the soul been so profound.
It is customary to wish loved ones “Happy New Year” on New Year’s Eve. A wish that, in most cases, is limited to material prosperity and peace between people. Except…What about peace with God? Who knows if it would not be better to wish everyone a renewed search for God in their lives? Would that not be wishing them true happiness?
Compiled by Sandra Chisholm with files from Heralds of the Gospel Magazine no. 145, January 2014. Editorial.
