Where Are You God, Why Are You So “Silent”?

“Spare your people, LORD! do not let your heritage become a disgrace, a byword among the nations! Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

Lord our Father, are You not seeing all Your churches and places of worship being closed throughout the world? Are You not aware that the world You gave us is becoming so boring and uninhabitable? Where are You, Lord? Are You not seeing Your people becoming strangers in the world You created for them? How can we sing Your praises in this strange land where even the good men and women have become prisoners in their homes? “For both prophet and priest ply their trade throughout the land, and have no knowledge” (Jr 14:18). They even do not know exactly if they will celebrate the Holy Week with Your holy people or in private. How can it be that Your people are deprived of celebrating the Paschal mysteries, the highest manifestation of Your love for us? Yes Lord, you never cease to call us to love You our God and our neighbor as we love ourselves, how can we do so in the context where our neighbor has become a potential danger, a threat against life? We do not know who to turn to.

In our deepest despair and doubt, Matthew reminds us of the words of Your only begotten Son: “Behold, I am with You always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20). While we are weeping because of all those people who have died by Covid-19, John reminds us Your Son’s words to Mar-tha : “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn 11: 25-26). Of course Lord, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” (Mc 9: 24). The challenge of life, especially during this public health crisis, shakes our belief. Your Son, Jesus knew it when he said: “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mt 26: 41). Thank you, Jesus for asking us to stay alert, to watch and pray that we may not undergo the test.

Our prayers remind us again and again that You, our Lord are so close to us. You are still present in our midst even when you seem to be “absent”. Your absence-present or Your presence-absent reveals your visible and invisible being beyond our understanding. We thank You, Lord for coming to our rescue when we walk in the valley of doubt and miss your presence. Even Your only begotten Son experienced your presence-absence on the cross. He cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mk 15: 34). On the third day, you raised Him from the dead in accordance with the Scriptures. You taught us that challenges can happen in our lives. It can take three days or more but you, God never abandoned us. In your absence-present or your presence-absent you still talk to us by keeping “silent”. Your “silence” is so eloquent that it warms our faith and trust in you alone.

As I am writing these words just after I have celebrated the Mass of the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, I realize that in your silence, you sent the angel Ga-briel to Mary and to us today. Through Gabriel you are saying to us “Do not be afraid”. We thank you, Lord for reminding us that nothing is impossible for you, our God. We thank you, Lord for teaching us, through the challeng-es of life, to be aware of the fragility of our being. We have to work together for the well-being of every human being in this world as we are all interconnected. We are brothers and sisters, a family of God, beyond our differences.

May our Mother Mary, our Lady of Perpetual Help, inter-cede for the world and may the Holy Spirit strengthen our faith and trust in God. “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who built it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain” (Ps 127: 1). May the same Spirit of God bless and guide all those men and woman – government officials, first responders, scien-tists, health care workers, religious leaders, etc. – who are working hard day and night to make our lives great again. May Jesus who raised Lazarus from the dead grant ever-lasting life to those who have died by Covid-19. And may the Lord our Father keep us safe as we continue to sing with the Psalmist “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God”. (Ps 42: 11).

Peace!