Friends In The Lord

Finding God In All Things

From left, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan, European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, and President Barack Obama gather for the G8 leaders and outreach nations group photo at the G8 Summit. Photo: AP

In the Spiritual Exercises St. Ignatius encourages us “to find God in all things”.  As I write this during the weekend of the G8/G20, I am finding it hard to find God in all things – reports tell us that the G8 has limited their contributions to the fund for international maternal health while at the same time one billion dollars is being spent to keep these eight and twenty safe from demonstrators and terrorists.

In the face of such events my temptation is to want to find God in authoritarian parental action.  If only God would step in and straighten out the nations’ priorities.   This would be a God who answers prayers miraculously, obviously taking care of the needs of this world, and in the process, my needs as well.   God would act like the good parent who comes to the rescue of an infant suffering some deprivation – food, warmth, or comfort.

God, however, mercifully treats us according to our age and maturity.   Of course, God’s love sustains and protects us, but most of us are no longer children, and God respects this.  We are young, middle or old adults;   young, middle or old seniors.  Our relationship with God is one of mature intimacy and relationship.   As Sally McFague, a contemporary theologian, reminds us, God can be parent, lover and friend.  In adulthood our relationship with God has matured into one of friendship and partnership.

We can find God in all things.   In the G8/20 it is in the complexities of the economics, geopolitics, science, sociology and psychology of world leadership and government.  Leaders and nations attentive to the Gospel can discern wise and just action in our world.  In our own life we can find God in our prayerful reflection upon both the everyday and the extraordinary challenges we encounter and struggle with.  God is there inspiring, enlightening and strengthening us.   God is there offering us friendship, partnership and love.