Here We Go Again

Humanity is teetering over the edge again. The flames of war rage in Europe. If left unchecked, it could go nuclear. We have not even solved the Covid-19 pandemic yet. There is so much evil in the world right now that man in his anguish is tempted to either blame God or seek God.

The blame game is an exercise in futility. These hardships cannot be blamed on God. Yet man continues to do so. Countries hurl bombs then people blame God for cancer. Companies exploit nature then people blame God for calamities. Communities turn a blind eye to bigotry then people blame God for socio-economic injustice. Churches fail to nurture the youth then people blame God for the rise of morally weak generations. It is a tale as old as time, humanity abandons truth, justice, and love then blames God for the consequences. The patience of the Lord is definitely divine. He is most certainly good! As Pope Francis said, “God never tires of forgiving us.”

When we look to the Book of Job, we see a glimpse of God’s response to our incessant blaming (Job 38 – 41.) Do we comprehend the complexity of the world that is in God’s hands? Do we recognize our own role in the increasing chaos?

Three Options

One can wonder where the Savior is in all of this chaos. Where is the promised salvation? God’s salvation of humanity could happen in three ways.

One way is through total annihilation. Destroy mankind and start all over again. While it happened in the generation of Noah, it was not total (Genesis 7:6-24.) God loves us so much that He made a covenant that never again will He destroy mankind with a flood (Genesis 9:1-17.) This is definitely opposite to God’s nature and, therefore, not an option.

Another way to save mankind is through total forgiveness. God could forgive every sinner on Earth, but what of the unrepentant? Would they accept His forgiveness? Should God force His forgiveness on them? God would never circumvent man’s free will. He would never force forgiveness on us. Moreover, sin is not just any trivial thing that could be erased by one party. Forgiveness is a shared responsibility. Man has to desire God’s mercy! Listen to St. Anselm when he said, “You have not yet considered the greatness of the weight of sin.” Sin is so heavy a burden that God had to become a man.

The final way to salvation is through total transformation. God transforms mankind’s evil into good. By the Cross of Christ, man can freely participate in this transformation. However, the work of conversion is uncomfortable. Forgiving love is rife with difficulty. This is why man cannot be forced into carrying his cross.

Carry Your Cross

Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. (Matthew 16:24”) A cursory interpretation of this command is to take up your suffering and follow Jesus. There is a real danger of romanticizing suffering here. People might get the idea that suffering is something desirable. It is not. Would God, who is all-loving, force pain and suffering on His children then have them follow Him around in agony? No.

The answer is the Cross. Just as Christ transformed from the cross something feared and hated so does it transform us. Carrying our cross is painful because it changes our hearts. Suffering makes us more sensitive to those who suffer. Pain makes us more merciful to those who are in pain. Conversion is the excruciatingly agonizing result of carrying our cross. However, we do not suffer needlessly. We are following Jesus. Our suffering has meaning. Jesus saved the world when he took up his cross. When we follow Jesus and carry our cross, we participate in the salvific work of Christ.

Carrying our crosses seems like a pretty farfetched solution to the countless ills of the world. Would the transformation of the individuals really stop the wars? Is metanoia really the answer to the injustices of the world? Will conversion really counter the chaos?

Humanity has been walking the worldly path and collectively raised its fist towards heaven for its own self-inflicted woes. Are we not tired yet? It is high time we change course and follow Christ with our cross in tow.

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