This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.
We may think ill of Philip for demanding of Jesus that He show him the Father. After all, Jesus had been working miracles in His Father’s name for a long time now. Did Philip not realize that the Father was with Him? As Jesus Himself asks, ““Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip?”
But in a way, Philip’s wanting that extra bit of encouragement is understandable. It happens to us, too. No matter how much we have experienced Christ in our own lives, the pitiless randomness of the hand of evil and of misfortune is a formidable power to shake our faith. How can I believe myself to be protected by the hand of Providence, when so much random evil seems to befall me? Not to mention the evils that happen to so many others in the world?
Evil is real, and it does have a certain random pitilessness to it. When evil was introduced into the world with original sin, a massive rupture in nature came with it, that makes our lives in many ways a misery. This earth as a dwelling place is, as an ancient hymn calls it, a “valley of tears.”
In promising His providential action in our lives, God does not promise to eliminate all suffering in our lives, and all misfortune. To do so would be to reverse human freedom by eliminating its effects.
But, as St. Paul says, we know that “all things work for good for those who love God.” For those who love God, He curates their lives so intimately, attentively, and personally, that all that befalls them becomes an occasion of grace and even joy.
So we see it to be in the first reading, when St. Paul and St. Barnabas are preaching. The Jewish leaders shout them down to the point that the preachers announce that they are moving on to the Gentiles with their message–and the Gentiles rejoice. Then, those same leaders stir up the faithful Jewish people to initiate a persecution, and Paul and Barnabas are exiled, right as they are starting to reach the hearts of the Gentiles.
Yet, curiously, the two saints’ reaction is not one of anger and frustration–though they did shake the dust from their feet in protest, per Jesus’ command in the Gospel (cf. Mt. 10:14). Rather, they “were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” They sensed the action and plan of the Holy Spirit leading them on the path of Providence, even amid the evil that befell them.
Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus for unshakable faith, that no evil or misfortune can threaten. Tell Him that you are ready to walk the path that He walked, subject to the randomness and evil of the world, and to carry your cross behind Him. And, tell Him that you trust Him to take care of you.
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