September 2008
A Hidden Closeness
Some years ago, it was suggested that possibly the call to Carmel, at that time, was to bring to the world a new experience of God. Since that time, such a challenge has continued to find an echo in the hearts of those who walk the way of Carmel, in all its different forms.
Karl Rahner asserts that God is involved in all that happens to us as human beings, especially in those depth dimensions of our lives, even in those events that, at first glance, do not seem to be connected with anything religious in nature. He goes on to remind us that God is in our loneliness, our disappointments, our losses, our panic and our worries about the future, to mention only a few events. Strangely, these events are meant to be graced moments.
Coming immediately to the point, if Rahner were alive, today, he probably would be writing about our current financial crisis, and encouraging us to enter the depths of our souls in order to experience the nearness of God. Somehow, in some way, God is there in what is upon us. We are dealing with a very special hidden closeness. It is in moments like these that we are also very much in touch, not only with God, but also with the deepest aspects of our own hearts.
As faith-filled people, we may find ourselves asking what we can do at a time like this. If nothing else, we are probably called to refrain from giving way to panic, and putting in its place a deep belief in the resilience of the human spirit. Resilience is something we are given as human beings. It becomes especially powerful where people join together under the aegis of the Spirit. In this, we can pray that God will raise up and inspire those who have special gifts in solving issues like this.
Lastly, we can ask God to deepen our own trust in the promises of God, and to give us a tranquility of heart and spirit. As the familiar song goes, we are to hold our heads up high and not be afraid of the storm.
Sister Mary Jo Loebig, O.C.D