The Existence of Good God Part2(3) God in Search for Man. www.dpl21.com

        

         The revelation of the nature of God and His answer to the existence of sufferings and evil is in the clearest way  revealed in the Christian religion.  Christianity  is based on the  unimaginable event : the eternal living God  on the Cross, dying  for sins  of humanity and offering to everyone   the source of power  to become  a child of God. God-Man   crucified, suffering, persecuted and finally  murdered on a tree as a criminal  became  the  reconciliation  between  God   and humanity. Christ death freely accepted is God’s answer to human suffering and dying..   At the last moment   nailed to the Cross with   two other criminals He prayed    for His executioners : “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they do.”   Almost at the same moment  for just one word of compassion  Christ  promised one of the  criminals crucified with Him  “…Today you shall be in paradise with  me…”
   
         Christ  was  the  reconciliation between God  and humanity.   That is why  it can be said that the final answer  of God to human suffering, and dying  is the blood of the dying God on cross . No one could ever imagine  such    a loving complete identification of  God , the Second Person of the Trinity with  humanity. Christ  became  sin for the sake of man  and his complete and absolute obedience to  the death on the cross  created  the renewed and everlasting bridge between  sinful humans and God the Father. Christ  is  the forgiveness of sin, alienation and hostility between  God and humanity.              
          According to the Gospels  the coming of Christ was announced to Mary by  the messenger from God .She  was told   that by  the Holy Spirit she will become the mother of the Savior of man kind.  From  the earliest moments however  Christ  was subject to persecution and later on  after baptism in Jordan and the beginning of his ministry Christ  encountered constant misunderstanding,  suspicions, hostility and rejection by the religious leaders. The  enmity and hostility was growing  and finally it led to His  murder on the tree.  His enemies called Him the worst names imaginable.
        
          Christ was almost  constantly misunderstood, even  the closest people , his disciples  did not understand who He really was  until His  resurrection. When  He was about to be arrested for condemnation and execution all His disciples    proved to be cowards. The chosen disciple Peter  denied Christ three times  although  at the last supper  he  swore to be ready to die for Him. During the prayer in the Olive Garden Christ asked  whether  the suffering  to come  could be spared but always  submitted to the will of the Father. The cross  was  the depths  of His humiliation,  rejection and condemnation by those  who  cried to Pilate instigated by the High Priests “… crucify Him, crucify Him, give us  Barabbas…” However Christ’s death on cross was the greatest victory over all powers of evil death, and destruction. It opened  a possibility for every human   to change from a slave of sin and death  into a new man and for eternal life and resurrection.


          A Christian knows very well that he lives in an  evolving universe, among sinful humans and that life   is an opportunity  of  growing  in  loving obedience to God , through honest love  of others  who are his brothers and sisters in need. Evil and death are only  different phases  of  man’s  journey towards eternity.   A Christian knows   that  life is by no means easy,   although it has  moments of pleasure and  elation. As a totality it is  a  test  and opportunity for spiritual and   selfless growth  in  love. Christianity  is not  an easy or pleasant religion. Christ fully recognized  the relation  between sin  and suffering, but to Him suffering was not only  normal punishment of sin but a necessity for salvation giving  to the disoriented human soul  an openness to Divine Grace. Suffering therefore was a blessing  or  it was capable to became blessing to the  sufferer.  Through Christ  exaltation  of suffering  the problem of  theodicy  received a powerful solution quite foreign to the Greek or  pagan thought . Suffering had no ultras ascetic aspect because Christ did everything possible to alleviate  suffering of others whenever He showed His willingness to drink and eat  with His friends . This fine balance  of His ethics  has some  similarity to some Greek Ideas. C.S. Lewis  was right when he remarked :
“…As you perhaps know, I haven't always been a Christian. I didn't go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don't recommend Christianity…”

         Christianity requires a true giving up of one’s selfishness. A Christian is invited to be a “ second” Christ. When one considers Christ’s life, suffering, dying and solidarity with humans, one gets really scared : Is it real? Is it possible ?. Many believe it is not possible, extremely impractical and too demanding. Christ’s teachings are exaggerated and idealistic. Moreover Christianity destroys the natural joy of life and it stifles the human desire for happiness here and now.    
         
        Saint Paul complained that although he knows well what is good nevertheless he follows what is evil and he is living in despair but in Christ’s grace nothing is impossible. Saint Paul in most of his letters to the new Christian communities insists and admonishes them that they now as Christians are new men. The old is gone and the new is now real. When reading the gospels it becomes  clear  that Christ demands for change are serious. On one occasion Christ tells the story  of  the two builders of houses . One  builds a house on sand  and when  waters and  winds come and  beat against the house it falls into ruins for it has no foundation.  That is when a foolish man builds a house, who does not listen  and does not  live according to Christ’s words. The  other man is a wise man  who listens and builds his house on Christ’s words. Such house has a very solid foundation  and no matter what happens it does not fall.  

         Christianity in spite of all difficulties either is   truly lived  or  it becomes a dead  ritualistic hypocritical

pretending.  The  Christian knows  that  growing  in one’s closeness to God  is never easy. Christ never promised to anyone who becomes a Christian, that other people   will like him more, or that his   life  would be  a success and free   from all evil and tragedy . As a mater of fact  Christ promised the opposite to his followers. Christ  again and again   repeats in the  synoptic gospels : “… do not be afraid..!” This saying  is used  in the gospels more then sixty times. “… Don’t be afraid of those who  kill the body…” The one   who wants to save his   life  shall lose it   but the one who loses his life for Christ’s sake  shall save it for eternity. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul. Christ is the   resurrection and life whoever believes in Him  even if he die  shall live.          

     Those words seem to  seem to be  very  clear . It is  the  question of eternity.   Christ was very sure   “… I am the Truth , the Life  and the Way . Heaven and earth will pass away but my words shall never pass…”

            The most fundamental change required  for the one who wants to follow Christ is in the Gospel of Matthew (Chapter 5 to 7) and also in Christ’s parables. Christ repeated again and again  that  not words are important but deeds and  the way one lives: “Not the one who says to me Lord, Lord shall enter the Kingdom   but the one  who does the will of my Father.”  In another place one can hear Him saying: “If you do all I told you , say , we are useless servants , we only did our duty.”  As  St. Paul  stressed,  by one’s own powers I remain the slave of sin but   

I can do all in the One who comforts me. 

    In order to enable man to do what St. Paul said , Christ had to identify Himself with fallen human beings in all, except sin. The suffering of Christ human nature is visible through His life but especially when the arrest and the crucifixion was near. In the olive garden Christ’s human nature agonized in fear and loneliness knowing what is to come . He almost begged the Father to take away from Him the ordeal if possible, and while sweating blood repeated the same three times. Christ felt very lonely and abandoned by all, even by his disciples: He asked them “ Could you not even one hour stay awake with me?” Christ’s prayer to His Father remained apparently unanswered and finally Christ said ..”but not my will but yours be done…” The temple guards and Roman soldiers with swords entered the garden and one of Christ’s disciples Judas by kissing Christ delivered Him into the hands of His enemies. Christ openly and freely gave Himself up admonishing Peter not to start any fighting and healed the cut off ear of Malchus. The ordeal of Christ passion began. It ended with His last breath on the cross with the words “ Father in thy hands I command my spirit.” That was the moment of the greatest victory of the infinitely good God dying as a man on the Cross and carrying the burden of the total evil of humanity.        

      Human life in spite of all precautions is full of fear and anxiety. People are afraid of loosing their job , getting sick , getting killed in an accident they are afraid of poverty, of bad opinion, of lonely old age and death This anxiety is present in every human life. It takes away man’s awareness of his calling to eternity. But deep down every human being longs for happiness . There is no one who would consciously say that he loves to be unhappy and miserable. The problem and the mistake very common among men is that they try to satisfy this hunger for happiness with transitory and ephemeral values which never satisfy completely.

      Men however are created for eternal happiness. This is the ultimate meaning and value of God becoming man in Christ. . The life here on earth is only a temporal opportunity for knowing God and preparing oneself for eternal life with Him. All sufferings and the misery of this life cannot be even compared with the eternal absolute happiness in eternity with God . St. Paul expressed this with his usual clarity when he said “… I consider everything as dung but I strive only for possessing God my Savior…” The greatest mystery for man is death , because death contains the ambiguity of nothingness or eternal life. This eternal life however is also not certain to lead to happiness . The fear of death remains, but not for a Christian because Christ’s resurrection and His promises make the Christian certain of His own resurrection also. Therefore within the context of Christ’s victory death becomes a transition from this temporary life into the real eternal existence with God. This is the certainty flowing from the words of Christ at the tomb of Lazarus when He said “ … I am the resurrection and life, whoever believes in me even if He die shall live…”

        Everyone wants to be happy. The desire for happiness is the most powerful dynamism of all that men do and it is in harmony with what God intends. The misunderstanding comes in when man forgets his internal calling and tries to build his happiness only on earth here in spite of the knowledge that whatever he builds here and the values here on earth is only a shadow of true happiness. Time sweeps everything away. This attitude of life creates the foundation of evil . Man becomes selfish wolf for others. His greed , ambition, acquisitiveness , hunger for popularity and power over others are the causes of immense misery and suffering in this life. The basic evil is self-centeredness and self-adoration to the exclusion of anybody else. Even God. The words of Christ describe this situation. He remarked that the one who wants to safe life shall loose it. The one who looses life for Christ’s sake shall save it for eternity. It is not so important what man does or what he is in the society. It is important with what spirit and intention one lives here and now. The basis of honesty and openness to God is acknowledgement of once own guilt and evil.

       In the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector there is a clear indication of what makes someone be closer to God or blind to his situation as a limited human. The Pharisee thanked God : “ Thank you God that I am not born as a woman , I give one tenth of all I possess not like the adulterers and sinners as even this tax collector. The tax collector did not even dare to enter the temple but stayed outside and repeated only one thing , “…Be merciful for me God, I am a sinner...” Christ said that the tax collector was justified in the eyes of God not the Pharisee. It is easy to see why . The Pharisee did not really come to pray but to admire him-self and how much better he is than the rest of mankind who are filthy sinners as the tax collector outside.

           On another occasion Christ said that sinners and prostitutes will enter the Kingdom before the Pharisees who considered themselves so holy. Why? because the sinners knew that they are in need of God’s mercy and the Pharisees believed themselves to be self-sufficient and proud of their own goodness. They did not realize their own sinfulness and therefore did not seem to need God’s forgiveness and mercy. Finally they did not see any other way but to crucify Christ. . Christ pointed out again and again the need for repentance , a complete change of life and values and beliefs . Every human being was invited for forgiveness of sins and through the merits of Christ to enter into the Kingdom of God and to become a new man who can pray with confidence to God :

“ Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by the name; thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.”

         The word father is in human life  a symbol of care , trust  and unconditional love. A child  places  it’s complete trust and  security in  the belief  that the father is there  and therefore  he always  will give his love and protection. What is necessary  is only  unwavering  trust . Here  Christ  teaches  the  necessity  of  trust in God and  belief in His presence .  On another occasion Christ stressed  God’s care  for all His creatures  even for a dying sparrow  and He added  that even the hair on your head is counted, therefore  do not be afraid.   

       Ultimately it is a matter of free decision : either for the plan of God leading to eternal happiness or for one’s own plan and refusal of the central demand of love . This way man becomes the creator of his own destiny. But the ultimate true happiness with God is made possible through the Son of God who became man and took upon Himself all the sinfulness of humanity.