Why God hides and where to find Him

The experience of wonder is a universal occurrence. One of the things we wonder about is the hidden Designer, Creator, and Maintainer of the universe. The world is clear and manifest to us, but its Maker, the ultimate Cause of it all, is not. Our reason tells us that He must be there, that He exists, and that He is almighty, omniscient, unchangeable, eternal, and just.

It is enough to look at a blooming rose, admire the colors and symmetry of its construction and sense its fragrance, to conclude that there is an intelligent designer and artist. For the beauty of a rose cannot be pure chance. The same is true for the fertilization of flowers by insects with pollen on their legs. Consider too the arrangements in mans optical and hearing systems, the superb activity of the brain, and the splendid immunity system of the human body.  Could all of them be just chance? But it is also true that a veil covers God from our sense perceptions.



The mind can figure that this is because He is infinite Spirit. The question is: What reason could He have for not manifesting Himself in an open, clear, and perceptible manner, if not always, at least, from time to time? There would be a number of advantages to that: the first is that everyone would acknowledge God. Relating to Him would then be easy and a great honor. There would hardly be any sinners daring to disobey His will while He is perceptibly watching.

As things are now, relating to the Almighty is difficult. It is not easy talking with an interlocutor who is almost always silent and invisible. In the course of history, many have ignored Him, while many men and women of God have fervently expressed their desire with a passion proper to lovers, that the veil covering Him be removed.

God, who is not the object of sense experience, remains silent. When a good deed guided by conscience is done, there is no applause coming from somewhere. Conversely, when something is done against conscience, even a terrible crime, there is no external and sensible sign of disapproval.

God appears totally mysterious and beyond the capacity of man to understand. This book attempts to offer some insights into this intriguing mystery, and it ventures answers that might surprise some readers.

In the encyclical Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI states that God loves with an infinite love. He is a loving Father and the great spectator of life. He is eager to give Himself in an eternal embrace of union, life, vision, and love which comprise heaven. Since this gift is immense, rational creatures have to pass a test before they can attain the reward. According to Catholic tradition, the angels were submitted to a test at the beginning of creation. The fathers of the Church concluded that angels, beings like men and rational creatures, underwent some form of trial.

Life is a test for which purpose God endowed free will to man. To ensure the enjoyment of freedom and responsibility, the Almighty refrains from making His presence obvious or too forcefully felt. He wants children, not slaves.

The ultimate reason for God’s hiding and His silence is His love. The surprising answer to the query why He hides is that He loves his creatures so much!

The conclusion is this: in his earthly condition, man finds himself separated from God by a veil that only the lights of faith and reason can pierce. The two are gifts which cannot contradict each other. However, the mind has been weakened by sin, so that the natural capacity to understand things needs the supernatural light of faith in order to gain true and valid insights into the mystery of the First Principle of everything.

When the trial is passed, the reward consists in eternal vision and union with God,  a most fitting recompense for those who doggedly walked in darkness and longed to see Him, and said with the Psalmist, “I shall seek Your countenance, Lord!

Everything begins with the love that the eternal Father has for His children, a love so intense that it has prompted Him to grant humans the reward of eternal vision.

- The above is an excerpt from the book "Why God Hides and Where to Find Him" written by Fr. John Portavella

This remarkable book is a collection of insights that attempt to answer the question: Why is God hiding so much? These thoughts try to grasp flashes of light from the mystery of the hidden God, using the tools of intellect.

You may purchase the book from Sophia Institutes website: https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/why-god-hides

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