The danger of replacing God

WE need to be wary of the danger of replacing God with our

own philosophies, ideologies and theologies. This reminder was

practically voiced out in Pope Francis’ “Amoris laetitia,” the

apostolic exhortation on the family.

            In its point 311 we read the following words: “Although it

is quite true that concern must be shown for the integrity of the

Church’s moral teaching, special care should always be shown to

emphasize and encourage the highest and most central values of the

Gospel, particularly the primacy of charity as a response to the

completely gratuitous offer of God’s love.

            “At times we find it hard to make room for God’s

unconditional love in our pastoral activity. We put so many conditions

on mercy that we empty it of its concrete meaning and real

significance. That is the worst way of watering down the Gospel.

            “It is true, for example, that mercy does not exclude

justice and truth, but first and foremost we have to say that mercy is

the fullness of justice and the most radiant manifestation of God’s

truth. For this reason, we should always consider inadequate any

theological conception which in the end puts in doubt the omnipotence

of God and, especially, his mercy.”

            These words practically make us think that we might be

strait-jacketing God and his omnipotent mercy with our all-too-human

albeit brilliant ideas, schemes and categories. This danger is highly

probable precisely because the more brilliant, more practical, more

exhaustive we think our ideas are, the more we also think that we

already know everything, or that there’s little else to be known.

            This thinking runs counter to the experiences of saints

and great men. The Greek philosopher Socrates, for example, said: “The

only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” And all the saints,

including the very brilliant St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas,

practically had the same sentiment and in so many words also said that

the more one learns, the more one realizes how little he knows.

            This is all because the more one knows, the more he gets

immersed in the mystery of God and of the whole creation. There is a

sensation that the more one progresses in knowledge, the more he needs

to know more.

            This does not mean that we cannot know anything

thoroughly. We just have to admit that the thoroughness of our

knowledge cannot exhaust everything that can be known about a certain

thing. Rather, it increases our awareness that there are a lot more,

even infinitely more, to be known.

            Thus, our quite developed and rich philosophies,

ideologies and theologies, while offering a lot of knowledge already,

should always defer to the reality that there is still a lot more to

be known. A philosophy, ideology or theology that stops at what it has

already discovered and developed, and is contented with it, is not a

good philosophy, ideology or theology.

            With respect to mercy, we should not tie the hands of God

who readily gives mercy to all. The fact that Christ died on the cross

in propitiation for all the sins of men, including those directly

involved in his crucifixion, is the supreme proof that God through

Christ in the Holy Spirit forgives everyone readily. “For God did not

his send Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the

world through him.” (Jn 3,17)

            Yes, we also have to attend, as far as we are able, to the

requirements of justice, making atonement and reparation for whatever

harm and damage our sins and mistakes might have caused, but we should

be ready to forgive. The requirements of justice and truth should not

stand in the way of forgiveness. These can be worked on in other ways

and in another plane.

            This divine way of dispensing justice is definitely not

easy to do. Here we have to go very slow and discerning. God’s law, or

the Christian ideals and standards, just cannot be applied

indiscriminatingly on everyone.

            Divine justice is not blind justice, represented by the

image of a blindfolded woman with a scale and a sword. Rather it is

very attentive and gives due consideration to the different situations

and conditions that people can find themselves in. From there, it acts

according to a certain law of gradualness.

            This law of gradualness has parts that already are quite

defined by moral teachings of the Church. But there are also parts of

it that can only be known as long as the party concerned continues to

seek light from God. These are the parts that can be known only by

those who are pious and most faithful to God.