Seeing the world from a different point of view
I begin with a brief insight from the great physicist and Nobel Prize laureate, Richard Feynman. He encouraged his students and others to try to see the world ‘from a different point of view’. He was a master at this in the domain of physics, and as a result he became a very influential and inspiring physicist and a great teacher. As Catholic Christians we are also called to see the world from a different point of view, different from the view of physics. St Paul tells us that “the first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life giving spirit.” “God’s love”, says St Paul, “has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.” We can therefore see the world from a spiritual point of view. This makes an enormous difference from merely seeing the world from a natural point of view. It is not that this latter cannot assist us. We are very much dependent upon a natural way of thinking in our daily decisions, in our understanding of life and the natural world. The farmer relies on good weather forecasts for his planning. Jesus acknowledged this: “And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, `There will be scorching heat’; and it happens.” But then he criticizes his disciples for not knowing how to “interpret the present time”. We see the natural signs and interpret them from a physical point of view. But if we remain in this mode of thinking alone, we will miss the supernatural signs. Jesus sharply rebuked Peter for thinking as man thinks and not as how God thinks. This necessarily entails seeing the world from a different point of view. We take our inspiration here not from the great scientists alone, but from the life of Jesus and the saints.
The title of the Diary of St Faustina is significant. It is not simply “Divine Mercy” but “Divine Mercy in My Soul”. Perhaps we have a tendency to focus on the great Mercy of God from the exterior, what we hope to expect from Him on the day of Judgment. The Mercy of God is unfathomable, infinite. We need to trust in Him. The image of the Divine Mercy, following the visions of St Faustina as described in her diary, has these words at the bottom: “Jesus I trust in You.” This is the essence of the message Our Lord gave to her. Trusting in Jesus is not purely an exterior experience or decision. It is even more an interior one. We receive Divine Mercy into our souls. This is shown by the way we live our lives, in the Holy Spirit. And hence the admonition of Jesus for us today: “Be merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful.” We are called to live lives of “Caritas in Veritate”, Love in Truth, which is identical to lives rooted in “Caritas in Misericordia”, Love in Mercy. As we hear from Jesus today, this does entail sacrifice, a sacrifice of the self for others. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” In a sense, Jesus is not just calling us to see the world from a different point of view, but from an ‘upside down’ point of view. If you want to reach upwards, bend downwards in humility. If you want to move forwards, first retreat, be still ‘and know that I am God’. If you want to gain all – eternal life in heaven – then lose all – no greater love can a man have than to lay down his life for his friends. If you want to find yourself, forget self – in self-forgetfulness we find our true selves.
All this may sound highly illogical and non-sensical. Well, it is indeed, if you think purely from a human point of view. Have you ever noticed how it is that some atheists live lives of great generosity? They may claim not to believe in God. But in their personal lives, through their experiences, they have discovered something fundamental about all human life. They have discovered that happiness entails giving, the gift of self to others. They have discovered the secret of self-sacrifice. Many wealthy people are miserable, because they have not discovered this secret. Many ‘religious’ people are miserable because they have not discovered this secret either, which is not really a secret. Our Lord has told us very plainly. He has shown it to us in His own earthly life. Our vocation is to follow Him, imitate His life, imitate the lives of the saints.
Our life is less than a brief moment in comparison to all eternity. The moments of suffering here below will vanish and be no more. St Francis DeSales wrote: “For God’s sake, let us weigh these words: Our tribulations which are so light that they pass in a moment, prepare for us the solid, stable weight of glory. Behold I beg you, these wondrous things: tribulation produces glory, lightness gives weight, and moments fashion eternity!” This is the Little Way of St Therese, expressed several centuries before her. An atheist, if he ever discovers this in his life, will cease to be an atheist.
Victory hails the winning soul!
The Virgin Mary’s ‘yes’ crowned eternal whole.