Souls are like wax waiting for a seal.

Therefore if you spend your life trying to escape from the heat of the fire that is meant to soften and prepare you to become your true self, and if you try to keep your substance from melting in the fire – as if your true identity were to be hard wax – the seal will fall upon you at last and crush you.  You will not be able to tale your own true name and countenance, and you will be destroyed by the event that was meant to be your fulfilment. 

 -          Thomas Merton

There is an underlying paradox which lies at the very heart of our understanding of God.  When we look around our world and contemplate the evils that take place because of human choices, the dilemma of theodicy is born.  God is both rightful judge and unfathomable mercy.  He has a right to punish those who have done wrong and destroyed his creation, bringing so much suffering and pain to the world, which includes every single person, whether it is through the pain we cause each other or by our support of evil things.  When a young person is molested and there innocence tarnished, God has a right to punish the evildoer.  When thousands die of hunger whilst others die of obesity, God has a right to be angry and punish.   Yet knowing the extent of our evil, and having the power to destroy creation in an instant, our life is the very proof that God does not choose to do this, and even comes to our rescue.  He sacrifices his own Holiness, and gives himself to the evil forces of the world, leading to his death on the cross.  Not only does he do this, but he also uses the very evil of the world, to bring good to the world.  He chooses to conquer the darkness with his own light, through this horrible event.  His death brings with it a possibility of new life and his Divine Mercy showers us despite our guilt.  How do we make sense of his Mercy in the face of his right to judge?  This paradox itself was revealed through Jesus Christ who is both the bringer of peace and the sword of judgment: Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matt 10:34). 

Let us not be fooled, therefore, in believing that Jesus means free salvation to all.  The name Jesus also brings judgement with it.  The Parable of the Weeds comes to mind (Matt 13:24-30):

Jesus told them another parable “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.  The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’   ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.  The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ 

At the end of time there will be a judgement between what is good and what is evil.  Those who have heard the good news and tried to make love their God will meet the Divine Mercy of our creator, but those of us who persist in our evil ways and refuse to give our lives to God/Love will have no place in the new creation which Jesus brings to the world.  

Choosing to follow Jesus, however, is not something that is merely done with words.  Jesus also spoke of the narrow gate (Lk 13:22-30):

Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’. “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last. 

Let’s face it; this Christmas can be different in our lives.  We should try and embrace the coming of our Lord for what it means.  His birth brings new hope to our world, a hope which could not have come from within it.  It gives us a new way of life, and an eternal law which circumcises our hearts and not just our minds.  We all follow the law of our society because we fear the consequences, yet following Christ is an act done purely from the freedom which makes us human.  This is a power to say yes and no.  We need to recognise that just because we call him Lord, does not necessarily mean that we are saved.  Our hearts must know Him and our actions must reveal his presence in our lives.  This does not come by believing that one is privileged because of his belief in Jesus and the ensuing pride which manifests itself as being judgmental over the world.  Salvation comes by recognising that we too are as guilty as everyone else in the world and giving thanks on a daily basis for the mercy he shows us.  We need to see Him as rightful judge of all people, before we can accepts his mercy in our lives.

There those of us that explicitly refuse to believe despite any event or evidence.  There are those of us who want to believe, but can’t, because we refuse to make the effort.  There are those of us who can’t believe because of the barriers created by our own selfish ego (because the self simply cannot see beyond its own self).  Then there are those who believe, because they choose to make the effort and build on the foundations given to them by their family and tradition.  Ultimately however, no one of us can say that they are a true believer, because to be a true believer of Christ means to change, and ultimately to sell all one has and follow him.

Nothing can satisfy the emptiness that death brings into one’s life.  Whether it is the contemplation of one’s own inevitable death, or the death of a loved one, darkness and emptiness prevail.  When we loose a loved one, we may choose to try and bring closure through the many occupations of our world, but on the occasions that life brings us to the edge, the emptiness is quick to re-emerge, as if its non-existence in our life was nothing but an illusion. 

One could even argue that the many forms of religion in human history have mostly emerged out of the innate desire in human understanding to bring meaning to death.  Whether we choose to accept religion for an explanation, or even deny religion, we cannot escape the underlying desire to bring meaning to death, and none the more, than when it confronts our life and our family.  Death confronts us as a void which threatens to destroy us as human beings and our ability to live happily. Our ability to bring meaning to death is a crucial factor in our happiness and well being. 

Of all the religions and the religious figures, only Christ is known to have resurrected from the dead.  Only Jesus Christ dies and conquers death in order to free us from the slavery of its darkness.  All other figures may reveal things about death, but only He conquers it and destroys its grip over us.  He is the only one who can truly satisfy the emptiness that death brings into our life.  Through Him we are given the strength and hope to continue with our earthly life, despite death, knowing that nothing can separate us from his love and that one day we will see all those whom we love and have lost.

The idea that our future is written is ultimately an illusion because it necessarily means we have no choice in our own destiny. Although God, who is omniscient, knows the possible outcome of any decision we may choose in our life, this foreknowledge does not mean that we no longer have a choice. Our future may be known by God, but it is not predetermined, and God never takes away the very gift of freedom which makes us creatures created in the image of our creator.

There are special cases however, where God predestined someone for a specific task which is necessary for the salvation of the human race. Take the Blessed Virgin Mother Mary, for example, she was predestined to carry the Son in her womb and God chose her for a specific task. The same goes for St Paul, who himself recognises that some are predestined in order for God’s good work to take root in an otherwise evil world. For the rest of us however, our future is not written, and we have a say in our destiny.