The Transformation of Suffering
Reflections on September 11
& the Wedding Feast at Cana in Galilee

The Wedding Feast of Cana

God the Grandparent

    I do not believe the world will be damaged by overrating God's love for us. The problem has been that most of us are for some reason too hesitant. I agree that God can be a little intimidating because of the largeness of his presence. But by spending time in his company, we begin to see that our life is surrounded by this immense intelligence, who figures out all kinds of ways of getting around our faults and sins and making good things happen to us, even when we are making mistakes at almost every step.

    All our stumblings don't cause God distress or annoyance, but probably a great deal of amusement and pleasure. Just as a grandparent enjoys holding his or her grandchild, so does God enjoy holding us in his arms. And they are not asking the child to say or do anything. They are just thrilled to hold this little creature that is so special in their eyes. And if the child opens its eyes or simply smiles, grandparents are in ecstasy for several days. God holds us in being at every moment. Otherwise, we would just disappear or turn into a grease spot. We don't have to earn God's love. It is hard enough just to receive it, given the human condition.

    God is not necessarily going to take away all our difficulties. He does something much more wonderful, which is to join us in them. Thus they become redeeming and healing for ourselves, and at the same time a means of healing for everyone we love, and indeed for everyone in the whole world.

    In the parable of the Prodigal Son, both sons treated their father outrageously--one by living the good life and making a mess of it, and the other by behaving well, chiefly for the sake of receiving the inheritance. Yet the father never complained or even reprimanded either of them. What was the bottom line? He only asked them to live together in peace, because he loved them both so much.

    If you want to give God pleasure, trying to live in peace with everyone is a sure way of doing so. There is nothing to be afraid of in the present world situation. It may look like a disaster if you get injured or hurt; and it is. Nevertheless, such injury is not the ultimate disaster. For in God's goodness, everything that happens to us has the capacity to raise us up through an inner resurrection that enables us to see every tragedy, mistake, and even sin as part of God's plan for our healing.

    Nothing can describe how deep God's love is. In him, with him, and through him we will have the strength to see beyond every tragedy that may lie ahead of us. Whatever happens, since God is present in us, nothing can disturb the basic peace that is there, the peace that Paul says "surpasses all understanding." The divine presence empowers us to perceive what God is asking us to do in each circumstance as it unfolds, without being anxious or fearful. Fear, as Jesus said, is useless. The "fear of God" in scripture is a technical term that means being continuously attentive to the presence of God. When that loving presence is experienced within, we see it in everyone else.

More information can be obtained by reading the book The Transformation of Suffering by Fr. Thomas Keating.  It is offered in our Book Store.