INSCRUTABLE AND UNSEARCHABLE ARE HIS WAYS!
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
August 24, 2014
INSCRUTABLE AND UNSEARCHABLE WAYS OF GOD!
Life is full of mysteries. They say that life in its
totality is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved. Indeed … There
comes a time in one’s life when one has to accept the wisdom behind seemingly
senseless and meaningless things and events. One such reality that begs for
acceptance, not resistance, is the mystery of whatever our status in life is.
Some get more keys than others (read: more responsibilities). Some get the most
coveted key (read: the choicest appointive position). Still others get no keys
whatsoever (read: they are just part of the hoi polloi – the many and the
unknown; the plebeian foot-soldiers who soldier on without much fanfare and
recognition). And then some are left with the task of holding the door for
other people, and not much else!
Eliakim was one such individual whom the Lord saw as worthy
enough to be given the “key of the House of David,” a foreshadowing of one
other form of keys that will be fodder for thought from the Gospel reading. And
this leads me to the key thought for today, the 21st Sunday in
ordinary time. And that key idea is that position, title, power base, promotion
and the holding of privileged places and posts do not have much to do primarily
with merit and personal worthiness, but a lot to do with the greater and bigger
mystery of God’s choice and God’s will.
Throughout history, there have been good Popes and bad
Popes. There is no need for me, or anyone else to deny that, or cover that up.
Whilst the Lord, we are told, called Peter a “rock” on which he meant to build
His Church, the reality is that there were those who were more of stumbling
blocks than solid rock of stability and strength. Even now, even here, I know
of some bishops, who, from the purely human point of view, do not deserve
anything, definitely not their august position as Ordinary, but they did get
the choice, which in our catholic faith we believe to be ultimately God’s
choice and God’s will. (I even know of one who holds the highest position in
the land who definitely does not even deserve to be President of a homeowners’
association!)
But life, like I said, is a mystery to be lived, not a
problem to be solved. Let us take it
from Paul. He waxes lyrical in his letter to the Romans: “Oh, the depth of the
riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and
how unsearchable his ways!”
That sort of puts me in place for today! Me and my foolish
thoughts! Who am I to think about how unworthy certain people are of their
positions! Who am I to presume that many of them are not the least bit
deserving of whatever it is they hold (and boy, do some of them really feel the
power and the glory emanating from their mouth, ears, hands, and feet!)
Today, as a loyal Catholic believer, I pledge my allegiance
to the Pope and his bishops and priests. Many of them are rocks of faith and
good example. Some, I already said, bring nothing but shame to the Church and
society. But one thing that I can never deny is the fact that God, who makes
the choice, ultimately does not err, and even his “mistakes” from the human
point of view, can be used for the furtherance of ultimate good.
The last six Popes that spanned my lifetime, so far, have
all been rocks of sanctity and fidelity. I am well aware, being once a student
of history, that I cannot say the same about the likes of Pope Alexander VI,
Julius II, Paul III, Pius VI, Boniface VIII and Paul II! Those of you who love
sleaze might want to google them for the sake of your curiosity.
But I have one message for you today – in connection with
that key thought I spoke about above. Yes, life is a mystery. And yes … God’s
will is even more mysterious. His ways, like we said, are inscrutable and
unsearchable. You cannot google God’s will and God’s plan. But mystery does not
translate to impossibility. Mystery does not mean illogicality. Mystery does
not equate with senselessness and gross inanity. The mystery of his love and
his choice all have to do with his overall plan for each and everyone of us,
and for the world that he loves to the hilt.
My task right here, right now is to accept even what appears
to be unacceptable. My job is to make myself at home even with what appears
insufferable. I cannot accept the fact, for example, that there are still
people who kill in God’s name; and terrorists who wage war in God’s name … even
if they call themselves followers of a religion of peace! Even in my pain, I
cry out, as did the psalmist: “Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the
work of your hands!”
Today, though, there is one thing you and I need to, not
only accept, but also proclaim with all our might and strength … Yes, bad Popes
notwithstanding … bad bishops and priests though there may be (and I may be one
of them), the Word of the Lord is clear and unmistakable, although certainly
inscrutable and unsearchable: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build
my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”
Need I say anything more?
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