Many people think of God as a distant being, indifferent to their problems, who one day set the world in motion and said to mankind: “There you are, stay there”. And now He is far away, beyond the stars, with no known occupation, because, in fact, we no longer need him. They think that the world, once created, stands on its own. One can live as if God did not exist. Deism has left a deep imprint on people’s minds, even Catholic ones.
This is neither reasonable nor, therefore, a Christian way of thinking. Creation needs God to maintain it continually in being. The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms, “Recognizing this utter dependence with respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence” (301). And it quotes words from the book of Wisdom:
“For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made; for you would not fashion what you hate. How could a thing remain, unless you willed it; or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you? But you spare all things, because they are yours, O Ruler and Lover of souls, for your imperishable spirit is in all things!” (Wis. 11:24-26).
When we read the Gospels, we discover that God is a close and loving Father, who has sent us his Son to save us, and the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, which means the Comforter, the Advocate, to remain with us always.
We have learned from an early age that God is in Heaven, on earth and everywhere, and that Jesus is in the Eucharist. But perhaps we have forgotten that the Holy Spirit is in our soul in grace, and that where one of the Persons of the Trinity is, the other two are as well. Yes, God is within us. We are temples of the Holy Trinity. God could not be closer:
“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” (Jn 14: 23)
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3: 20)
God is within the person who loves him and keeps his word, his will. And this being within us is real. He is in our house, which is his. And He knows us absolutely. He knows everything that concerns and worries us. He is not there as an indifferent spectator, rather as what He is, a Father, an elder Brother, a Defender and Comforter, our great Friend:
«We’ve got to be convinced that God is always near us. We live as though he were far away, in the heavens high above, and we forget that he is also continually by our side.
He is there like a loving Father. He loves each one of us more than all the mothers in the world can love their children — helping us, inspiring us, blessing… and forgiving. » (St Josemaria, The Way, nº 267)
If God is in us, and we are in God, what can we worry about? Who will we be afraid of? What or who can harm us? What can we lack?
We must live St. Augustine’s advice: stop looking outside and enter into our heart, where God dwells, to speak with Him and listen to His silent words that fill us with confidence: “You are my son” (Ps 2:7); ” Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine” (Is 43:1).
If you, Lord, dwell in me, I dwell in you, in your heart, because, being your child, I belong to your family. I in you, and You in me. You are a close God, an intimate God, a God who does not separate from each of your children at any moment. Help me to perceive your closeness, help me to feel your intimate presence in my body and in my soul, for I am the temple in which you dwell and are at ease.
Fr Tomas Trigo
