For many people today, the world came about through a series of fortuitous random events. For a man of faith, everything is part of the divine unfolding of the universe and everyone has a role to play in this great cosmic drama so that the world will not be able to move on until the last leaf has fallen off a tree. Even science today considers it possible that the movement of one tiny quark in my vicinity can have a cataclysmic effect in some distant galaxy across the universe. Like, the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings can trigger a storm.
Man has come a long way from the caves he first lived in to the condos where he now resides. From standing in awe at wind and thunder, man now understands and can replicate and even manage many of the things around him. In some moments of hubris, there are people who think the human mind supreme and God is but one superfluous idea mankind must outgrow. True, the achievements of the human mind have been most truly impressive. Man has been able to invent and make a lot of impressive and magnificent things and events. Yet, there is this deep yearning in my heart that needs to be filled and science has not been able to give me a satisfactory answer. There is this restlessness and gap within me that longs for completion and fullness. There is this unquenchable hope within me that tells me the best is yet to come. And everywhere I turn, there are signs that tell me that which I am searching for is just right around the corner. Like Simeon of old, I am seeking and praying for “a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many.”
Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” Luke 2:22-35