In a conversation I just had with my younger brother, he asked me, "If God is all knowing, why ask Him for anything? Since He already knows the outcome isn't futile to ask?" My brother asked this question with two premises on his mind, one) If God is Providential we cannot change His mind, "Surely I, the LORD, do not change." (Malachi 3:6) and two) How does the mystery of God's Providence work while still respecting our free will; is that even possible?
First, Sacred Scripture must never be isolated and taken out of context. Catholics place much importance on the word "and." For instance, we believe in faith "and" works, we believe in Scripture "and" Tradition, we believe in God's Divine Providence "and" free will. Once we isolate one of these themes (doctrines) we do harm to the other.
Let us deal with the 2nd premise first, "God's Divine Providence" working together with our free will. This is the more difficult of the premises that my brother put forth. When the Church speaks of God's Divine Providence or His will this must never mean that God is the cause of moral evil, i.e. sin, "No one experiencing temptation should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather, each person is tempted
when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15). What is meant then by God's Divine Providence?
The Catechism defines in the following manner: God always guides all creation toward its ultimate perfection by Divine Providence. "By his providence God protects and governs all things which he has made" (First Vatican Council). God's care for every creature (from least to greatest) is concrete and immediate. God does "whatever he pleases" (Ps 115:3). Christ opens and no one shuts, shuts and no one opens" (Rev 3:7). "The purpose of the Lord will be established" (Prov 19:21). (c.f. 302 Catechism of the CC) The Church also defends man's free will. The dilemma that we are faced with is how do the two work together? The best explanation I have heard also comes from the Catechism, “In God's plan He has included all our choices."
My brother included this premise for the simple reason that if God already had a plan and knew that plan, my asking Him to change it makes no sense. If a person eliminates free will or God's Providence then the understanding of our relationship becomes much simpler, but it also eliminates something crucial and of vital importance, as we can clearly see if one or the other are removed. If free will is removed then there is no such thing as love, since we would be reduced to robot like beings. If God’s Divine Providence is removed then we live in a world of chance or God would be like a clock maker who built the clock, started it, then no longer had anything to do with it. You can see the problems if one or the other is harmed, reduced, or done away with.
His first premise was that God does not change. We believe this; God does not change as stated in Scripture and through understanding His nature. St. Thomas Aquinas tells us God cannot be moved, if He is then someone or something else is moving Him, this cannot be, because then God is not first. But more to our conversation is the notion of prayer, why pray knowing God does not change?
The 1st reading today shows us that God loves us and that He even becomes our equal in some ways. God knew the outcome of Sodom and Gomorrah and yet He decides to speak to Abraham face to face about it. As their conversation continues God even allows Abraham to bargain with Him, ie. What if there are 50, 40, . . . 10 righteous people in the city? Is Abraham being toyed with? No, God respects relationships and more importantly loves us and the only way to get to know someone is to have conversations with them. If we shrunk away from God because He "already knows all things" we would never get to know Him.
God in His love of us respects our state and meets us on our level, so much so that we are not simply servants or pet like creatures but we are friends (c.f. Jn 15). How awesome is that! That this God who is so above me would come to meet me and speak to me face to face and call me friend is wonderful beyond description.
You and I are Abraham in the story of Genesis 18:20-32. We too are God's friends and even though He knows all things and does not change His mind, He listens to us and has included our choices in His Providence. Just when we thought we had nothing to do with God's plan, we find out that we have everything to do with it, everything!
First, Sacred Scripture must never be isolated and taken out of context. Catholics place much importance on the word "and." For instance, we believe in faith "and" works, we believe in Scripture "and" Tradition, we believe in God's Divine Providence "and" free will. Once we isolate one of these themes (doctrines) we do harm to the other.
Let us deal with the 2nd premise first, "God's Divine Providence" working together with our free will. This is the more difficult of the premises that my brother put forth. When the Church speaks of God's Divine Providence or His will this must never mean that God is the cause of moral evil, i.e. sin, "No one experiencing temptation should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather, each person is tempted
when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15). What is meant then by God's Divine Providence?
The Catechism defines in the following manner: God always guides all creation toward its ultimate perfection by Divine Providence. "By his providence God protects and governs all things which he has made" (First Vatican Council). God's care for every creature (from least to greatest) is concrete and immediate. God does "whatever he pleases" (Ps 115:3). Christ opens and no one shuts, shuts and no one opens" (Rev 3:7). "The purpose of the Lord will be established" (Prov 19:21). (c.f. 302 Catechism of the CC) The Church also defends man's free will. The dilemma that we are faced with is how do the two work together? The best explanation I have heard also comes from the Catechism, “In God's plan He has included all our choices."
My brother included this premise for the simple reason that if God already had a plan and knew that plan, my asking Him to change it makes no sense. If a person eliminates free will or God's Providence then the understanding of our relationship becomes much simpler, but it also eliminates something crucial and of vital importance, as we can clearly see if one or the other are removed. If free will is removed then there is no such thing as love, since we would be reduced to robot like beings. If God’s Divine Providence is removed then we live in a world of chance or God would be like a clock maker who built the clock, started it, then no longer had anything to do with it. You can see the problems if one or the other is harmed, reduced, or done away with.
His first premise was that God does not change. We believe this; God does not change as stated in Scripture and through understanding His nature. St. Thomas Aquinas tells us God cannot be moved, if He is then someone or something else is moving Him, this cannot be, because then God is not first. But more to our conversation is the notion of prayer, why pray knowing God does not change?
The 1st reading today shows us that God loves us and that He even becomes our equal in some ways. God knew the outcome of Sodom and Gomorrah and yet He decides to speak to Abraham face to face about it. As their conversation continues God even allows Abraham to bargain with Him, ie. What if there are 50, 40, . . . 10 righteous people in the city? Is Abraham being toyed with? No, God respects relationships and more importantly loves us and the only way to get to know someone is to have conversations with them. If we shrunk away from God because He "already knows all things" we would never get to know Him.
God in His love of us respects our state and meets us on our level, so much so that we are not simply servants or pet like creatures but we are friends (c.f. Jn 15). How awesome is that! That this God who is so above me would come to meet me and speak to me face to face and call me friend is wonderful beyond description.
You and I are Abraham in the story of Genesis 18:20-32. We too are God's friends and even though He knows all things and does not change His mind, He listens to us and has included our choices in His Providence. Just when we thought we had nothing to do with God's plan, we find out that we have everything to do with it, everything!
Hi Father! I wanted to respond to your entry but forgive me, as my statements will be quite simplistic in comparison.
ReplyDeleteMy first response to this was yes, God is all-knowing, but we aren't. Only God knows His plan, so who's to say that asking God that question isn't part of it? It's not for us to know.
You pose the question: why pray knowing that God does not change? I agree with you that it is through prayer that we get to know and become friends with God. But not only that, it is how we get to know ourselves. I say why not pray, as it is not God that we should be looking to change but ourselves. Wouldn't a loving, caring parent want his/her child to ask questions so they could learn, and wouldn't that parent want to offer guidance to their child to help them become the best person they can be? Why would God be different?
God made us all in His image, out of great love, and for a great purpose (or as I was told recently on retreat, for "something big"). Since only God knows what that purpose is, why wouldn't we want to ask questions to try and learn about it? Ask the question and listen to the silence. The answers that one can hear during these quiet conversations can be life-changing.
Thanks for the blog!
Thank you Gina, excllent post and reflection, God bless...Fr John
ReplyDeleteFather
ReplyDeleteI will keep it simple
I WILL CONTINUE TO PRAY AT MY PLACE OF WORSHIP BENN HILL GRIFFIN STADIUM ALSO KNOWN AS THE SWAMP
GO GATORS!!!!!!!!
My dear friend, Two Things, 1) Simple is always the best, face to face brother, the story I used is right from the Hebrew Scriptures, and 2) You better start praying for them Gators now because it's gonna be a long season :)
ReplyDelete