Ascension
June 2011
“I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.”
Since that momentous day, hundreds of thousands of years ago, when The Supreme Being - the creator of all things, ‘breathed’ on the ancestors of human beings and gifted them with an immortal spirit which made them in God’s image and likeness, God has been trying to convince us that He is ‘with us always.’
Today, God is trying to do the same thing. To convince you and I that He is ‘with us always.’
You and I, today, just like our predecessors, keep sliding sideways, away from this reality. I am afraid of this reality because I realise, consciously or unconsciously, that if I embrace it, it will change my whole attitude to everything and everyone, including myself.
It will mean unconditional availability to God and to my fellow human beings.
So we harness God. We make him work to rule-our rule. We put him in a box. We invent rituals and liturgies to honour Him. We perform splendid ceremonies and parades in His name. We take Him out of the box to witness these events in His honour and then put Him safely back in the box again until we are ready for the next event or celebration in His honour.
In the Old Testament we were very good at this. Wherever we were we gave Him a certain place to live be it a cloud or a pillar of fire, Mt. Sinai or the Ark of the covenant, the temple in Jerusalem or the holies of holies.
In New testament times we are even more brilliant at this. We confine God to holy cities and holy places, to tabernacles and churches. We roll him out when we arrange colourful ceremonies and fine liturgies, pilgrimages and holy days of obligation.
All these times and events are of course fixed and arranged by us.
Poor old God; and all he wants is for me to realise that He is with me always and everywhere.
There is no point blaming religions and churches for this approach because we - that is you and I - want it that way. Very few of us, if any, are keen on the idea that we are always being watched over and cared for by a doting Father.
We all want to slip the reins from time o time, if not in action at least in our thoughts.
Having the tolerant, loving, forgiving, compassionate, parental eye on me always can be a bit disconcerting.
It is much more civilized to keep the Loving Father in a building or tabernacle and only take Him out when we are ready for Him.