The Mystery of His Transforming Presence

Here are some thoughts from the book When God Says No; The Mystery of Suffering and the Dynamics of Prayer (Lantern Books 2001) by Daniel Lanahan, O.F.M.

Will our prayer change God?

Once upon a time a child was talking to God. "What is a million dollars like to you?" the child asked God. God answered: "A million dollars is like a penny to me." The child then asked: "What is a million years like to you?" "A million years is like a second to me," God replied. Finally, the child boldly begged: "Could I have one of your pennies?" "Yes," God quickly responded, "but could you wait a second?"

Our image of God

Once upon a time there was a little fish in a little pond upstream who kept hearing about the ocean, how marvelous the ocean was, how magnificently wide, incredibly deep, etc. So, the little fish one day set out in search of the ocean. It took the little fish many days and nights to travel down all the streams but, eventually, the fish entered a river and finally arrived at the ocean though the little fish didn't realize it. Going up to some really big fish, the little fish asked excitedly, "Could you help me reach the ocean?" One of the large ones answered, "This is the ocean, you are in it now." The little fish was puzzled and replied, "But this is only water."

A Resurrection Parable

Once upon a time, twins were conceived in the same womb. As time passed, they grew and began to have feelings and some idea of their surroundings. One said, "Lucky are we to have been conceived and to have this world." The other said, "Blessed is the Mother who gave us this life and each other." Arms grew and fingers, legs, and toes. The twins explored their world and found the cord which gave them life from the precious Mother's blood. So they sang: "How great is the Mother that she shares all that she has with us." And they were pleased and satisfied with their lot.
Months passed and they noticed changes. "We are changing. What can it mean?" "It means that birth is coming near." Fear crept over them. Birth meant that they had to leave all their world behind them.
"If it were up to me, I'd live here forever," said one. "We must be born," said the other. "See the scars? There were others here before us. Maybe there's life after birth."
"How can there be life after birth? Have you ever talked to anyone who's been born? Has anyone ever re-entered the womb after birth? This life is absurd if it all ends in birth. If it is so, then there really is no Mother."
"But of course there is a Mother. Who else gives us nourishment and this world?"
"We get our own nourishment and our world has always been here. If there is a Mother, where is she? Have you ever seen her or talked to her? We just invented her because it makes us feel good!"
And so one complained and despaired, but the other placed its trust in the hands of the Mother. Pretty soon the twins knew that birth was at hand. They were scared. They cried as they were born into the light. Then they opened their eyes and found themselves cradled in the warm love of the Mother. All too wonderful to believe.

Five Statements

These five statements have been affirmed with some modifications by Catholics and non-Catholics for ages. (Compare to Buddha's Four Noble Truths.)

1. Suffering is part of life whether its cause is human or natural.
2. God does not ordinarily intervene in creation to prevent suffering.
3. The purpose of prayer is not to change God, but to change us to accept, transform, and be transformed by the suffering.
4. God does not ordinarily deliver us from suffering but is present with power to enable us to bear the unbearable.
5. At the end of all philosophical and theological debate over the mystery of suffering, there is only one thing that remains - to be present to the sufferer with skills to assist and comfort, and with love and faith to journey with them to victory.

Through the mystery of the Incarnation and the Eucharist we see more clearly what Paul Claudel meant when he wrote: "Jesus did not come to explain away suffering or remove it. He came to fill it with his presence." Through his Incarnation, Jesus embraced our everyday existence and made it holy by filling it with his presence. Through the Eucharist, he continues to make our everyday life sacred by transforming it with his presence.