Our Story in God's Story

Sarah Babbs who is a contributor at Virtuous Planet recently wrote a blog post entitled, Good Wins (http://VirtuousPla.net/2011/10/24/4856/). The blog post was inspired by the debut of ABC's new show, Once Upon a Time. I too watched the first episode of Once Upon a Time, and I hope to continue to watch this new series. Read her post to get a better commentary on the show itself, and to more fully understand why I chose to blog on this topic as well.

G.K. Chesterton and J.R.R. Tolkien are two Catholic, intellectual giants who both reminded us that fairy tales can be instrumental in proclaiming profound truths. Babbs shares a wonderful quote from Chesterton at the beginning of her blog. I would like to share one from Tolkien:

“We have come from God, and inevitably the myths woven by us, though they contain error, will also reflect a splintered fragment of the true light, the eternal truth that is with God. Indeed only by myth-making, only by becoming 'sub-creator' and inventing stories, can Man aspire to the state of perfection that he knew before the Fall. Our myths may be misguided, but they steer however shakily towards the true harbour, while materialistic 'progress' leads only to a yawning abyss and the Iron Crown of the power of evil.” 

The fact that the stories themselves are not true events, does not limit their ability to declare truth. I am huge fan of fairy stories and their modern off-spring, fantasy. In fact, I am currently re-reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. I have found the best stories contain shadows or echoes of the greatest story being told, and our own personal stories are a part of this story (Which is one reason I love stories within stories!).

We are all a part of the greatest story ever told, the story of God's love. The Old Testament gives us the first act in which we learn about God as creator, the fall of humanity from the Life of Love, and how God works to bring the world back into the Life of Love through his covenants with Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. He calls upon Israel to be his light in the world, and the Old Testament ends with the prophets declaring God will send them the Messiah. 

The Gospels introduce us to the second act of God's story of love for his creation. We encounter the mystery of the Incarnation, and in and through this profound mystery we encounter God becoming man. In the life, death and resurrection of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, God reveals the fullness of his love to us. During the Easter Vigil, we rejoice with the Church in saying, "O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!"

The rest of the New Testament ushers us into the final act. In Christ, we are called to enter into the story of God's love. We are not just called to enter into His story, we are called to enter into the very divine life of God, the Life of Love. St. Irenaeus proclaims, "The Glory of God is man fully alive!" He echoes the words of Jesus recorded in John 10:10, "I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly." Through Christ, the Father has sent out the call, "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28)." 

May God grant us the grace to respond to the Lord's call to holiness, and enter into His story and life more fully.

Hebrews 12:1

Hebrews 12:1 is a verse near to my heart. I first memorized it one summer when I attended Camp Joy. As a convert to Catholicism, I have been able to encounter a fuller meaning of the truth contained within it. St. Paul calls to mind the transcendent nature of the Church. Not only is God with us always, He is accompanied by the angels and saints in heaven, who witness the lives of the those of us running the race set before us. They witness our triumphs and defeats, both public and private. With this in mind, we are called to unburden ourselves of everything that hinders us from pursuing God. Through the aid of the Holy Spirit, may we be purged of those things in ourselves contrary to the love of God and neighbor, becoming more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who desires that through Him, we may know the Father.

Holy Mother of God, pray for us!
St. Paul, pray for us!
Angels of the Lord, pray for us!
Saints of the Heaven, pray for us!