Isn't God in Charge?

I was listening to a podcast by Bishop Robert Barron on Sunday.  I have a few of them that I would like to recommend this week.

Today’s is titled “How Strange is the Power of God.”  It is his reflection on the Book of Wisdom, but I am offering it to you because I especially like his concrete comparisons between what is going on in our lives and the work God is doing in the world.

He begins by asking the question, “Where is God?”  When goodness and evil surround us, where is God in all of that?

He asks and answers the question, “Why doesn’t the world look like it’s being governed by a wise providence all the time?”

This world, he says, “Can look like it is full of incompleteness, suffering and injustice.”   

Like road construction.

These past two weeks, the road in front of our house has been under construction.  The workers got it paved, and then they didn’t come back for a week.  They poured some gravel on the shoulder, and only got part of it done.

When they returned, their machine broke, so that delayed them a few more days.

Barron uses another example to make his point—that of an artist’s studio.  It looks messy and can be in various stages of completeness.  Goodness and beauty eventually come out of the mess.

These are images of the world—incompleteness, messiness, and a place in progress.

“Who is God?” he asks.  Continuing, he explains:  God is like the artist and the world is the studio. “Sometimes we can see completed masterpieces but most of God’s workshop is like a hodgepodge, kind of a mess, as we move on our way.”

Our way, like a highway under construction, can be smooth at times, frustrating and slow-going other times.

This world, like an artist’s studio, can bring beauty out of what looks like chaos.

This is a short podcast, but Barron’s conclusion is well worth staying with him until the end.

I hope you will take a few minutes to listen to it and enjoy it.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com
janetcassidy.blubrry.net (podcasts)