Where In The World Is God?

As human beings, we struggle with many fears. One of the darkest of them is the fear of being abandoned.

We first experience it at infancy. Whenever our mother left our presence, we would cry out inconsolably fearing we would never see her again. As children, we fear that our parents will die and leave us orphaned.

As we grow older, the fear of abandonment does not leave us. It manifests itself in our adolescence as the fear of being left out or rejected by our friends. Young adults experience what has come to be called “the fear of missing out”, that is, that other people will have fun without them.

This fear of abandonment influences all our relationships throughout our lives leaving us insecure, doubtful that others truly love us, and worried that we will be alone.

Most importantly, this fear of abandonment affects our relationship with God.

God can seem so distant from us and our experience. We can wonder whether He truly knows and cares about us. Often it seems that when we need Him most He feels the furthest away. Unanswered prayers, losing loved ones, tragedies and difficulties all can contribute to the sense that we have been abandoned by God. And, if we have had a strained relationship with our earthly father, it can be hard for us to relate to our Heavenly Father.

This celebration of Christmas is God’s answer to our fear that He has abandoned us.

When the world seemed darkest and salvation seemed impossible, God sent His only Son into the world.

The prophet Isaiah tells us in today’s first reading: “No more shall people call you ‘Forsaken’ or your land ‘Desolate,’ but you shall be called ‘My Delight’ and your land ‘Espoused.’  Isaiah goes on to say that God has not abandoned His people but has plans to unite Himself totally to them forever. The prophet speaks about this in the tenderest of terms, comparing it to marriage: “As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you.”

In today’s gospel reading, the angel tells Joseph that the child Mary is carrying is the Son of God. Quoting the prophet Isaiah, he tells Joseph that the child will be called “Emmanuel”, a name meaning, “God is with us.”

Jesus is the fulfillment of our Heavenly Father’s promise that He will never abandon us. He is the answer to our deepest fear that we will be rejected and cast aside.

For that reason, throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus reached out to those who were outcasts. Sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers and the poor were those he sought out for special care and concern. He wanted the world to know that God had not forgotten any of His children, especially those most in need of forgiveness, tenderness and love.

The same is true today. When we are most in need of God, that is when He is closest to us. His love and concern for us are never stronger than when we have sinned and are in need of forgiveness. He does not reject anyone who comes to Him and He never ceases to reach out to us when we are lost. Even if others reject and abandon us, He will never abandon us. Jesus is the proof that God will always be with us until the day we see Him face to face.

Of course, Jesus’ earthly ministry ended long ago and He has since returned to Heaven where He sits at God’s right hand. How can we be assured that He has not abandoned us? How do we know that He is still in our midst?

Jesus continues to be present and active in the world through the Church. Of course, when we use the word “Church” we are not just referring to the Vatican or buildings. We are talking about all God’s people spread throughout the world. The Church is we who have been baptized and who strive to live the gospel by picking up our cross and following Christ. Though we are imperfect people who often fail to live up to what God is calling us to, He has left it up to us to spread His love throughout the world and to bring to everyone, especially the most desperate, the good news that our Heavenly Father has not abandoned His people.

As Saint Teresa of Avila wrote: “God has no hand now but your hands.” Whenever we welcome strangers into our homes, feed the hungry or visit the sick, we are continuing the saving mission of Jesus. It is Jesus, Emmanuel, working through us when we comfort those in sorrow or spend time with those who are lonely. Whenever we sacrifice our time and energy to serve others, we are passing on the message that God is still present and active in our world.

God has not abandoned His people. Jesus is proof of it. If our Heavenly Father seems distant, be assured of His promise that He will be with us until the end of time. If the burdens of life seem too heavy to bear, know that Jesus has carried His own cross and will help you carry yours. And if your heart seems empty, cold and lonely, welcome God into your soul. He will come as quietly and as gently as He did that first Christmas night in Bethlehem.

Even more importantly, if you have felt rejected and abandoned by the Church, come home. We are all weak and imperfect, struggling to live the message of Jesus despite our own fears and insecurities. Let us put aside the hurts of the past and forgive as Jesus calls us to. He founded this Church to be His arms stretched out to embrace the whole world down through the ages. Only here can we find the fullness of truth and, ultimately, the fullness of God’s love. Give us another chance. Come home for the holidays and see for yourselves the Heavenly Father’s tender love and His enduring presence among His people made manifest for all ages through the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ.