PART 3 of 4
FR. RAMON MA. LUZA BAUTISTA, SJ
Summary/Transcript by Teresita Tanseco-Cruz
The God of Assurance
If we examine the human heart, we realize that one of its deepest longings is to be assured. Every one of us, no matter what or who we are, desires greatly to be assured. As weak, vulnerable human creatures, we always long for it and hold on to it once offered to us. The more we experience out-of-control situations, the more insecure and afraid we are about the future and seek some assurance.
This pandemic has made the need for assurance. The pandemic has caused a crisis in many areas – physical and mental health (depression and desolation, for example), economic upheaval, natural calamities. We long to be assured about our loved ones, health, finances, vaccines, and the new normal.
The problem with assurance is that it does not come from us. The source of assurance is always outside of us, with some exterior reality or someone else doing the assurance for us. It is, therefore, important that we define what the experience of being assured really means.
To be assured is to be told that things are difficult now; things can be distressing, unclear, insecure, but again in time, in due season, things will be better. Things will turn out well, and there is much reason to wait and hope patiently.
The most we can do as we wait patiently is to hold tightly to the assurance given us no matter how limited or little it might be. That is all we have for the moment. Nevertheless, no matter how distressed we may be, the power of assurance is that it will always find a way of working its wonders for us, giving us some encouragement instead of discouragement, some peace instead of worry, some hope instead of despair.
Our God, our Christian God, is a God of Assurance, and we see this both in the Old and New Testament. As a God of Assurance, He makes promises, and he keeps them, fulfills them. He’s faithful to them all the time. No wonder our Lord involved himself so much in the ministry of teaching and of healing, but very much so in the ministry of assuring.
If we examine the Gospel stories, we see our Lord doing it all the time – encouraging, consoling people, always taking the initiative, making the first move to comfort and reassure people, reminding them, again and again, to place their trust in God, in the Father, and not be afraid. We have an endless list of Bible characters receiving assurance from the Lord – from Peter and the other disciples to the penitent woman, the adulterous woman, the leper, the centurion, Martha, and Mary, to the good thief: “You will be with me today in Paradise.” Name any Bible character, and he or she was most likely encouraged, assured by the Lord.
As one Christian writer had said: the basis of Christian assurance is not really on how our hearts are set on God. It’s the other way around – it is more on how God’s very own heart is set on us, on His people. This brings us back to Joseph’s “Annunciation.” In Biblical theophany, where the angel of the Lord is, God Himself is present. The angel’s message is God’s message. And what does the angel tell Joseph? ” Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. And to complete God’s assurance, He sends a concrete sign which is nothing but an explicit miracle. This is the usual Biblical pattern at work. Whenever God gives His blessed assurance, He gives a sign, an irrefutable sign.
For Mary, it was the pregnancy of the old and barren Elizabeth. For Peter, it was the miraculous catch of fish at Lake Tiberias. With the Emmaus disciples, it was the Eucharistic meal where they recognized the Lord at the breaking of the bread. And of course, at the Annunciation of Joseph in Matthew 1, the sign was Mary herself, virgin yet with a child coming from the Holy Spirit, who is to be named Emmanuel. It is Joseph, the father, who gives the name Jesus. All this assurance from the angel gives Joseph even more trust and faith in God.
Here is the story, after World War ll, of thousands of orphans placed in large refugee camps where they were provided food and shelter by the Allies. Despite the quality care, the children remained anxious, restless, fearful. Some counselors explain that this resulted from the trauma of hunger and violence the children had undergone during the war. They had become afraid that when they woke up, they would find themselves homeless and hungry again.
The children were then given a piece of bread not to eat but to go to bed with, each securely holding a piece of bread. After several weeks of this practice, more children became calm, their worries and fears diminished. Their fear of going hungry again was eased. This was what the power of assurance, grounded on faith, is all about.
Our faith, in whatever form, is like that piece of bread. When we, like those vulnerable children, are fearful and traumatized in times of insecurity and confusion, we do not have much to hang on to make sense of our difficult situation. This is when our faith, our loving relationship with the Lord, can make a difference in our lives.
The more explicit and personal our faith is, the greater the courage and assurance we can draw from it, just like St. Joseph.
That is why it’s so important at this point to cling to our faith, our piece of bread, that will assure us to a great extent that God is still in control.
PART 4 WILL CONTINUE ON TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021.