God is Concerned about Me

31 October 1991
Paris, France

My dear Confreres,

Some years ago the late Cardinal Heenan of London was interviewed on television by a man who was certainly not a Catholic and perhaps not a very convinced Christian. He was, however, a very competent and skilled interviewer. To be interviewed on television by this man was to be exposed to some very searching personal questions. Millions of viewers could see the reactions to the questions in the expression of the person being interviewed. It was entertainment that millions enjoyed for years.

The Cardinal was asked what point of Catholic teaching he found hardest to accept. The interviewer had quite clearly prepared himself for a number of possible replies, and from the reply given, he would proceed to probe further into that particular point. Perhaps it would be Papal infallibility, abortion, birth control, euthanasia or divorce. The Cardinal, before answering the question, paused for a moment and reflected. Then with striking simplicity and sincerity he remarked: "The point of Catholic teaching that I find most difficult to accept is that God should be concerned about me." It was a reply the interviewer did not expect and one could see that he was quite perplexed by the reply.

For us who are Catholics, it is easy to accept the Cardinal's reply. Each of us believes and accepts, at least with our heads, that God is concerned about us, as we have been told so hundreds of times in homilies since we were children. But it is a little more difficult to grasp that truth, not just with our heads but also with our hearts.

That truth was grasped by St. Paul. It was a truth that burned itself into his being. How else can you explain those burning words of his in the first reading of today's Mass: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword?... I am sure that neither death nor life...nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, Our Lord." (Rom 8:35ff.).

To be convinced of the truth that God is concerned about us, that God loves us, is itself a grace. There are millions of people who are not aware of the truth. There are millions more who have heard the truth stated and have not believed it. There are still millions of others who have heard it but doubt it and are not fully convinced about it. If we want to be convinced of the truth that God is concerned about us, that He loves us personally, we must humbly and simply ask Him often for that favor or grace.

It is a grace well worth asking for, because once we are convinced of it, we will blossom and open out as a flower in the sun of springtime. Watch how an infant responds to real love when it is lavished upon it. The infant cannot speak, but from the expression on its face, you know that it is pleased and happy and confident. When the child experiences constant love, it will grow up serene and content and become, in turn, capable of showing love to others. If we wish to show love to others, particularly to the poor, we must be convinced that we ourselves are loved by God personally and that He is concerned about us personally.

As members of the Provincial Council you are aware of the personal problems of a number of Confreres. I think it would be true to say that our problems in the Congregation or in the Province would be very much less, if Confreres were really convinced that they were loved by God, and that they were precious in His sight. We would seek much less for recognition from others if we could realize that we were really loved and cherished by God. Then we would find it much easier to show love and concern for others in the Community. We erect barriers between ourselves and others because we feel that we are alone in this world. We are not, for the Lord of today's gospel is brooding over us as a hen does over its chickens.

St. Vincent could not have done what he did for the poor, if He had not been convinced that God personally loved him and loved the poor. So, with St. Vincent I offer you the advice he gave to St. Louise as he worked to build up her confidence in the truth that God was concerned about her: "Relieve your mind of all that is troubling you: God will take care of it. You cannot become involved in this without saddening (so to speak) the heart of God, because He sees that you are not honoring Him enough by holy confidence. Put your trust in Him, I beg you, and your heart's desire will be fulfilled. Once again I repeat, cast aside all those mistrustful thoughts which you sometimes allow to invade your mind. And why would your soul not be full of confidence, since you are, by His mercy, the dear daughter of Our Lord." (Coste I, Eng. ed., ltr. 53, p. 90).

May God in His mercy and through the intercession of his Mother Mary, give us all the grace of being convinced that He is concerned about us and that He wishes that nothing would separate us from the love which is in His Son, Christ Jesus.