Scottish Catholic Observer

Sometimes it is hard to see God in the world around us, be that because we become pre-occupied with material concerns to the point of ignoring to spiritual ones or because mankind’s wickedness blinds us to the Lord’s good. During Lent we are preparing for mankind and Jesus’ darkest hour (the Crucifixion) and greatest joy (the Resurrection). On Good Friday we are left alone without Jesus who dies for our sins. On Easter Sunday He rises from the dead and we learn we too can aspire to eternal life with our Father in heaven.

Where is God, however, we are asked by wider society, when there are natural disasters—such as Cyclone Pam hitting the South Pacific island of Vanuatu last week—and human atrocities such as the suicide bombings at the churches in Pakistan at the weekend. And sometimes, even though we know these questions are unfairly loaded—and come from a place or pain and bitterness—there are no sound bite answers to explain or appease.

Violence carried out in God’s name is abhorrent. Those who commit it are often referred to in the press as radicalised, fundamentalist or extremist. The kindest thing that can be said about them is that they are misguided, selectively taking or receiving parts of holy texts out of context to justify earthly agendas. For a radical or ‘violent’ reading of the Bible will find, particularly in the Old Testament, calls to arms and punishment akin to those found in the Qu’ran. What we must be very careful with is the Hermeneutics, the way we interpret these texts. When that is lost or abused it is mankind’s doing, not God’s.

In the UK we enjoy religious freedom denied in other parts of the world. We must protect that freedom for the secular agenda at home and use that freedom to call for an end to religious persecution abroad. We must show solidarity with our persecuted Christian brethren this Lent and pray for religious tolerance and peace in war-torn lands.

Natural disasters versus man’s role in climate change is widely debate and offers food for thought for another day.

However, as Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury said at the Lenten Catechesis in Paisley last weekend, Jesus Christ is the Light of the World, and in mankind’s darkest days, when we turn our backs on God or when the sun is eclipsed as it was today, we must hold true to our Faith and find that light again. When faced with complex problems, find God in life’s simple joys such as nature and family and you will find your answers.