On this last Sunday of Advent
very close to Christmas Eve, the evangelist has a special interest in telling
his readers that Jesus should be called “Emmanuel.” He well knows that this can result shocking
and strange. Who can be called by the name
that means “God with us”? This name,
however, contains within it the core of the Christian faith, and is at the
center of the celebration of Christmas. The ultimate mystery that surrounds us
on every side and which we believers call “God” is not something removed and
distant. It is with us and with each one
of us. How can I know it? Is it possible to believe reasonably that God
is with me, if I don’t have some personal experience, as small as it may be? Ordinarily,
we Christians have not been taught to perceive the presence of God’s mystery
within ourselves. That is why many imagine this mystery to be in some undefined
and abstract place in the Universe. There are enough people who try to listen
to this mystery in the Bible. For others, the best way is Jesus. Without a
doubt "all roads lead to Rome", but God’s mystery has its ways to
make itself present in every life. But
it can be said that in today’s culture, if we have not experienced it in some
way within ourselves, it will be difficult to find it outside ourselves. On the other hand, if we do perceive its
presence inside us, it will be much easier to find vestiges of the mystery
around us. Is it possible? Where’s the secret?
It consists, above all, in knowing how to just be there with our eyes closed
and in gentle silence, welcoming with a simple heart this mysterious presence
that is encouraging and sustaining us. It is God who also lives within us, in
that restless heart of which St Augustine spoke! It is not about thinking about
this, but about just being there to “welcome” the peace, the life, the love,
the forgiveness …, all coming to us from the very depth of our being. When we
go into the depth of our own mystery, it is normal to encounter our fears and
worries, our wounds and unhappiness, our mediocrity and our sin. We do not need
to get worried, rather let us just remain in silence. The loving presence that is in the deepest
part of ourselves will keep calming us down, freeing and healing us. Karl
Rahner, one of the most important theologians of the twentieth century, affirms
that, in the midst of the secular society of our day, “it is only with this
experience of the heart that the faith message of Christmas —God has become
man— can be understood.”[1].
The ultimate mystery of life is a mystery of goodness, of forgiveness and
salvation, a mystery that is with us— within everyone and within each one of
us. If we welcome it in silence, we will
come to know the joy of Christmas and, of course, to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, the savior and redeemer of humankind•
AE
[1]
Karl Rahner SJ (1904 –1984) was a German Jesuit priest and theologian who,
alongside Henri de Lubac, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Yves Congar, is
considered one of the most influential Roman Catholic theologians of the 20th
century. He was the brother of Hugo Rahner, also a Jesuit scholar. Before the Second Vatican Council, Rahner had
worked alongside Congar, de Lubac, and Marie-Dominique Chenu, theologians
associated with an emerging school of thought called the Nouvelle Théologie.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario