Based on a chapter called the Final Judgement in Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini’ s book “Piccolo Manuale della Speranza – Vivere con Fiducia il Nostro Tempo” [A Small manual of Hope – Living our lives in Trust]. Giunti Editore S.p.A. Milano, 2012.
All biblical quotations are from ‘The Jerusalem Bible’, Darton, Longman & Todd, London, 1966.
We will try to say something about the word “God”. This is certainly difficult as God is understood in adoration, in conversion, in self-giving and not in verbal explanations. Rather, from our previous reflections, it should be clear that it is not we who understand God but that it is God that, with the Word of the Gospel, makes himself understood and who reaches out to us. It is therefore that God that talks to us first.
On the other hand, as Christians, we can speak of God only as a response to his words. For this reason, we will start our reflection from the gospel of Mark, where we are offered an initiation to God’s mystery particularly suitable for catechumens, that is for those who are preparing themselves to become Christians. From indications made in this gospel about the mystery of God, we can grasp some specific aspects of the divine mystery, which are useful to point out to the catechumen so that he moves away from his still pagan and deviant religiosity to the correct conception of this God that reveals himself through the person of Jesus Christ in the Gospel.
Let us look at some fundamental texts. In chapter 1 in verse 2, a divine word is pronounced, “Look, I am going to send my messenger before you.” And in the following verse, “Prepare a way for the Lord.” God is presented as the one who is about to take a enigmatic initiative towards all of humanity. God is the one who is reaching out to us.
Firstly, we must not define God in the abstract, rather we must accept him as the one who is about to take over our life, the one who is reaching out to us with a mysterious salvation plan.
We can find further in-depth analysis of these indications: “Jesus went to Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’, he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’” (Mk 1, 14-15) *. Therefore, the God presented to us by Christian revelation, the God proclaimed by Jesus is the God of the Gospel. It is he that brings us the good news, the one who enters in our life with a disturbing message, full of joy, that comes to reorder things in life and in the world. It is not a God that we seek, but the one who seeks us, and whom we must allow to seize us. Thus, there is a reversal of the pagan mentality. For pagans, god was in some manner at the disposition of people. The gods’ favour could be gained, and thus opening the way to obtaining anything that was needed. It was a god that many attempted to manipulate. And of course, we know that this pagan mentality has not disappeared amongst us, but it is always lurking in the background in us, and sometimes it reappears in sensational ways with demands that are termed religious but are not Christian.
The person who accepts the biblical revelation knows that he is in front of God in a situation of waiting, of listening, of reverence and respect. It is God that establishes the Kingdom: we must first leave space for his project.
This attitude may look passive but, in fact, is the largest wealth man can have. In fact, only in this way is it possible to accept the revelation of ourselves, of our weaknesses, of our potential. God reaches out to us because he loves us, because he wants to enrich us with his fullness. It is important to make him space. If for a moment we renounce our pretensions, we will be doubly enriched with his power.
Nevertheless, the masterpiece that God wants to make of us will not necessarily follow the path that we imagine. We can see this in the last dramatic exclamation in Mark’s gospel, that the words that Jesus says to the Father and that manifest the depth of God’s mystery in the Gospel. As his passion approaches, Jesus says, “’Abba (Father)!’, he said ‘Everything is possible for you. Take this cup away from me. But let it be as you, not I, would have it.” (14,36). And again, from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?” (15,34).
What do these revelations say of God? It is the God for whom everything is possible, the God that could take the cup of suffering away, but who, in the case of Jesus, does not. It is the God that one must submit to totally, to whom we are asked to give our life, because he, as Father, will guide us in mysterious ways, as he guided his son Jesus Christ.
This God for whom everything is possible, that loves us, is not obliged to behave in the way we expect him to. It may even superficially appear that he has abandoned us, as he abandoned Jesus on the cross. But even in this abandonment the words “My God, my God” are words of hope. God took care of his Son, even in the apparent desertion in death. This gives us the certainty that God will take care of us his sons, whatever happens, in every situation we find ourselves in.
The God of the Gospel, who takes the initiative to save us, does not guarantee us success after success, of winning and more winning. He asks us to trust him as Jesus did with his life.
This abandonment full of hope is our salvation, our liberation from fear, from anxiety, the ability to overcome the egoism that chains us and to live doing good to those around you.
We conclude by quoting the words of the psalm of abandonment and of hope, the psalm 21[22]**, the first verse of which Jesus quoted on the cross.
My God, my God, why have you deserted me?
How far from saving me, the words I groan!
I call all day, my God, but you never answer,
all night long I call and cannot rest.
Yet, Holy One, you
who make your home in the praises of Israel,
in you our fathers put their trust,
they trusted and you rescued them;
they called to you for help and they were saved,
they never trusted you in vain.
Yet here am I, now more worm than man,
scorn of mankind, jest of the people,
all who see me jeer me,
they toss their heads and sneer,
‘He relied on Yahweh, let Yahweh save him!
If Yahweh is his friend, let Him rescue him!’
Yet you drew me out of the womb,
you entrusted me to my mother’s breasts;
placed on your lap from my birth,
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
Do not stand aside: trouble is near,
I have no one to help me!
Praise you in full assembly:
You who fear Yahweh, praise him!
Entire race of Jacob, glorify him!
Entire race of Israel, revere him!
For he has not despised
or disdained the poor man in his poverty,
has not hidden his face from him,
but has answered him when he called.
You are the theme of my praise in the Great Assembly,
I perform my vows in the presence of those who fear him.
The poor will receive as much as they want to eat.
Those who seek Yahweh will praise him.Long life to their hearts!
* Mk 1,14-15 means Mark, chapter 1, lines 14 to 15.
** There are 150 psalms, numbered from 1 to 150. Regrettably, the Jewish and Christians numbering systems differ from psalm 9 onwards. This is because some psalms are merged in one system and not in the other. That is why you will see 2 numbers for each quoted psalm with a number higher than 9.