When Jesus began his ministry he was about thirty years of age. He was the son, as was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, ... the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse, ... the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, ... the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. 

John Koestler, professor at MIT and self-proclaimed determinist, who believed that everything in the universe could be foretold, and his friend Diana, suddenly become aware of a sheet of numbers which seem to support his belief. The numbers tell of tragedies that will happen on a particular date, at a certain place, how many would die, with no possibility of preventing the tragedies from happening, and they discover that the listing of numbers closes with "EE". Finally discerning that EE stands for "Everything Else," they prepare for death. But something else is at work. Although the world will be destroyed as the numbers predicted, the children of John and Diana are taken to a place of safety and replaced on the earth, one would guess, to begin the human race again. Could it be that God was directing everything from the very beginning?    

God's action in our world is chronicled by Luke's Gospel, tracing Jesus' life through Adam, the first man, to God the creator. It is a matter of faith, and in the eyes of that faith, everything from the very first moment of Jesus' work can be seen to be what God wanted from the very beginning because Jesus was in fact the son of God, even though he was thought to be the son of Joseph.

God's presence in our world, and especially in how the world was created, has long been the topic of human science. Many scientists say that there is no need for God once one figures out what has happened in the universe. What happened at the very beginning is the question. It is a matter of our faith that no matter how the universe came to be, God made it happen. It is also our religious belief that everything that happens has the hand of God involved in it in some way, especially in the redemption brought about by Jesus. In terms of the movie "Knowing," God knew that nature would take its course, but guaranteed the continuation of human life even as human life was destroyed.

The Christian believes that God is directing everything that happens. Not only can the ancestry of Jesus be traced back to God, but God is the source of everything else. God chooses not to "cause" things directly, but when things go wrong, God chooses to make everything good. In our lives, as we move closer and closer to the end of the world, whenever it occurs, the Christian understands that God's action is present both in what happens in the outside world as well as in what happens in our own individual worlds. And God always works in such a way as to make everything turn out for the better.

THOUGHT
 
PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we believe that you created our world, and also that you redeemed and sanctified it. Help us be more aware of your presence in what happens, especially in what happens in our own lives. Be with us, we pray. 

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America