The Perceived Absence of God

"Jesus replied, 'You believe because you see me, don't you? Happy are those who believe although they do not see.'" - John 20:29

Watch this video from The Colbert Report on Comedy Central:




Don't let Stephen Colbert fool you in this video. He's actually a devout Catholic who even teaches Sunday school. What he did in this video is bring to national attention a really important topic - the apparent absence of God in our lives. As some of you may know, a book was just published about Mother Theresa in which she writes about her struggles with her faith, even feeling that God didn't exist, Jesus didn't exist. This absence of God is what Saint John of the Cross called the "dark night of the soul" and it's something we all experience for reasons only God knows. There are times we really feel God there with us, and other times it feels as if He's abandoned us. For Mother Theresa, this absence lasted for about 50 years. These are the moments in which we must really practice our faith. Remember, faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1), so when God appears to be absent, be strong and secure in the fact that He is there, He is listening and He is acting on your behalf. Silently yet clearly, He moved Mother Theresa through those 50 years in devotion to Him. When Jesus says in the above verse, you believe because you see, He is not only referring to Thomas seeing Jesus with his natural eyes, but our ability to sense God, sense Jesus or the Holy Spirit, to really feel as if we're being listened to. But Jesus also says that blessed are those who believe without seeing, without feeling. You prove your faith by holding strong at these times - you are tested in fire and found to be gold. You show your love and confidence in God by remaining true to His commandments no matter how distant He feels from you. This is why instead of being viewed as an atheist or a fake Christian, Mother Theresa of Calcutta is actually a champion of the faith. She persevered through God's perceived absence in her life because her faith told her that although her spirit and her body couldn't feel God there, He was there with her all along. Someone who didn't believe in Jesus Christ wouldn't have spent hours kneeling before the tabernacle in deep prayer. Someone who didn't have the love of Christ wouldn't have devoted her life to helping and bathing the poor and the old. Most people wouldn't have made it past a few days, but she dedicated her entire life to God. Don't let your senses deceive you, Jesus Christ is alive and active in your life and if you don't feel Him, keep praying…practice your faith and remember that even someone as devoted as Mother Theresa struggled, yet persevered because although her senses fooled her, her faith always reconfirmed in her heart that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, strengthen my faith so that I never get lost in my dark night of the soul. Give me courage for those moments in which I don't feel You are there and work through me to strengthen my brothers and sisters who feel Your absence at this moment. In Your Name we pray, amen.