by Father Robert Lauder
Catholicism is a religion of mysteries. I think immediately of mysteries such as the Blessed Trinity, the Incarnation, the Resurrection and the Eucharist. I believe that one of the great mysteries that the Catholic Church proclaims and celebrates is the mystery of Divine Providence.
We can reflect and meditate on Christian mysteries for our entire lives and never exhaust their meaning. There is a depth to them that is inexhaustible and infinite. Each mystery involves the mystery of God and so no matter how often or how deeply we contemplate them there will always be more to grasp, always more meaning to nourish us both intellectually and spiritually.
Years ago, a Catholic theologian came up with two metaphors to suggest the depth of mysteries. He wrote that a mystery is like a fresh-water well or a corridor in an art museum. When we are drinking from a fresh-water well, the deeper we reach into the well, the better the water tastes and there is no end to the water. A mystery is like a corridor in an art museum in which there are beautiful paintings on each wall and the further we walk down the corridor, the more beautiful the paintings are and there is no end to the corridor.
Freedom and God’s Causality
Put simply, the mystery of Divine Providence is the relationship between our freedom and God’s causality. If an Infinite God is present to us and causing us to act, how can we be free? I don’t think that any human mind can answer that question but I believe that God is always lovingly present to us and that God’s presence can influence the choices and decisions we make and yet, many of those choices and decisions we make are free. I do not completely understand that but I believe it.
I think that it is very beneficial to think about moments, signs or hints of Divine Providence in our past. On retreats people are often encouraged to do this, to try to take an overview of their lives. Anyone who makes a general confession tries to make some type of evaluation of his or her life. As I look back on my life and try to appreciate Divine Providence influencing my decisions and directing me toward the future, I think not so much of events as of people.
Good Out of Tragedy
My guess is that most people think that their parents are special. I certainly do. The evening my sister was lying on her deathbed, she said to me, “No one has ever had better parents.” I knew what she meant.
Her death at the age of 35, leaving two young children, was the one personal experience of tragedy that I have had in my life. Though I certainly do not understand why my sister died so young, I do not believe that God abandoned my family. In some mysterious way God can draw good even out of such a tragedy.
Writing this particular column, many faces are entering my memory. When I was 18 years old I met an ex-seminarian who was about 28 years old. We became very close friends. He was a very well-read person who seemed to look at everything – his life, politics, literature, theater, film, current events – from a Catholic perspective. Looking back on our friendship, I can see what a strong influence he was in my life, especially in any efforts I have made to have a faith perspective color my view of life.
I cannot even begin to list the nuns who taught at my grammar school, Our Lady of Angels in Bay Ridge. Their dedication and unselfishness were inspiring. Nor can I list the names of the Jesuit priests and lay teachers at Xavier H.S. in Manhattan, which I attended. Their unselfishness and commitment made a lasting impression on me.
At both Catholic University, Washington, D.C., and also at Marquette University in Milwaukee, the two universities at which I did graduate studies, I was taught by professors who were not only outstanding scholars, but also very attractive human beings. A Jesuit priest who taught me at Marquette and subsequently became a friend probably influenced me more than any other teacher I ever had.
I can’t imagine what my life would be like today if I did not have the blessing and grace of the same spiritual director for more than 40 years. His wisdom and readiness to help go way beyond the call of duty. No words of mine will ever be adequate to express my gratitude.
Several years ago I was asked why I never thought of leaving the priesthood. Without delay I responded, “I have been blessed with wonderful friends.” Our friends are gifts from God.
To anyone whose life is going poorly at this moment, I would suggest his or her life is more wonderful than he or she realizes; if anyone’s life seems to be going almost perfectly, I would suggest that person’s life is more wonderful than he or she realizes. I guess ultimately Divine Providence means all of us are in the hands of God.[hr] Father Robert Lauder, a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn and philosophy professor at St. John’s University, Jamaica, writes a weekly column for the Catholic Press.