Into this Chaos, God Comes | A Virtual Pilgrimage of Incarnation Reflections - Week 1

In her final reflection, Lauren invites us to look with God upon the world as it is today, seeing its chaos, beauty, and need through the loving gaze of the Trinity who still comes among us.

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Transcript

Into this chaos, God comes. A few years ago, this became something of a reframe for me. I think it started inspired by the creation stories of Genesis: Into this chaos, God comes. And then, reflecting on the birth of Jesus: Into this chaos, God comes. In my own personal and professional life. And as I listened to friends, relatives, colleagues — into this chaos, God comes.

As I watched situations unfold in my city, my country, our world — into this chaos, God comes.

Today is our third and final day praying with the Contemplation on the Incarnation from the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius. Our prayer today is very similar to that of the first day, in which we lovingly looked upon the world with the Trinity in the moments just before the Incarnation.

Today, however, we gaze with a contemporary lens rather than an ancient one. We will look with God upon this day.

We begin our prayer with a moment of quiet.

Come, Holy Spirit.

I ask for the grace I desire before the mystery of God becoming human.

I again place myself with the Trinity, becoming present with Creator, Christ, and Spirit as they look with love upon the earth. We look at things not as a worst-case scenario or a best-case scenario, but simply as they are. I try to see, not from my own perspective, but from the vantage point of God.

I look with God, and I try to see as God sees: people being born and people dying; some marrying and others divorcing; old people, children, babies, and every age in between; rich and poor; happy and sad. I see killing and addiction, sickness and loneliness, forgiveness and celebration. I see some manipulating people and power and money for more, while so many barely get by with so much less.

With God, I hear people laughing and crying, shouting and screaming, praying and cursing. And from this wide, wide vision, I look with God as God focuses in on the particulars of my own life. I notice what God sees as God gazes upon me.

With God, I expand my view to those who are near to me — those in my household or neighborhood, those in my workplace or group or team or church. God and I observe as they go about this part of their day.

Together we zoom out to the surrounding region.

Then we consider those who are dear to us but who live farther away. Then we see those in our country.

And nearby nations. God and I look upon these people and places and happenings with love.

We watch weather patterns and traffic patterns. We observe as the events reported in today’s news continue to unfold. Our gaze moves to the other side of the world, where it is the opposite time of day, the opposite season of the year. I envision God's vast love and compassion for all reaching and stretching across all the earth — the entire cosmos.

It is as if I can hear the Divine Persons saying, We continue to work for the redemption of the whole of humanity. Creation still groans. We still respond. The Word became flesh and still dwells among us. Emmanuel, God-with-us.

In the beginning, now, and forever — into this chaos, God comes.

Amen.