Vol. II July 1999

Alone in Houston Station

It was early on Monday morning. I made my way to Houston Station in the hope of catching an early train heading South. To my disappointment I discovered that the next train would not leave until 10:30 am. As usual I had a book ready, books being indispensable travel companions. I found a vacant bench and sat down in the hope of a few hours reading. However, before I had the chance of opening the book an elderly man sat down beside me. My conscience tickled me: maybe I should abandon my reading plans and start a conversation with this old man. At first I resisted, but before I had got through the first page of my book the poor old man turned to me and struck up a conversation:

He had been brought up in a orphanage down the country. He did not know whom his Mom was; he had never met his Dad. He did not even know if he had any brothers or sisters. Maybe he actually had, maybe one of those people sitting near by was his own brother, maybe the woman who served him coffee that morning was his own sister, but he did not nor could not know. He was not married. He knew not his own ancestors and knew that he himself would have no descendants. He was like a point in the history of our little country. After he died he would be forgotten.

But even though he could describe himself as being a point, without known lineage or the possibility of descendants, yet he had no point. He could never put his finger on a map of Ireland and point to his own home town, to the place where he was born. His roots were unknown to him, his nights spent in lonely Dublin hostels, and his days wandering in search of company. One could say he was searching for a home. He was lonely, he was longing, longing for a home.

There was however one place where he did seem to feel at home: in Adam and Eve's Church on the Quays. He told me that he often went to four or five Masses. There he was with God, and, if we may add, with his only two known ancestors who are mine and yours also: Adam and Eve. This Church is his refuge in the world, but it is also his gate to the new world. Yes our friend is desperately lonely in this world, but God has a home for him. He will be consoled. His longing will be rewarded, and when he does arrive home there will be absolutely no trace of his sadness, all his tears will be wiped away. And if, in the company of the blessed, he does happen to meet his own Mom and Dad there will be no bitterness. All wrongs will be forgotten and happiness only will last.

But for now he must soldier on. We must realistically say that for this man life is destined to be terribly lonely. He should remind us, who are fortunate enough to have parents, and to know and love them, that even we should not settle down in this world. There are many people who do not like to hear it, but it must be said: "this world is a valley of tears". Not to accept this is to ignore reality. "Here we have no lasting city" (Heb13,14). Our hopes are for something greater than what this world can give us. "We seek the city which is to come" (Heb 13,14). We hope for God.

Our Hopes

At this point we could ask ourselves: what ought we to hope for? What ought we to desire? Maybe the most opportune answer we can give to this question is: fulfillment. Deep, lasting and profound fulfillment is what we all long for. But where and how can we achieve fulfillment? In what does it consist? Undoubtedly it consists in the most perfect union possible with the greatest Good of all. If you were in possession of the greatest possible Good you would undoubtedly be perfectly happy. The greatest Good of all is the Good God. Perfect union with Him is perfect happiness. It is for this reason that the penny catechism tells us that God made us to know Him, love Him and serve Him in this life and to be happy with Him forever in the next life.

But is there nothing we can hope for in this world? Do hopes and desires refer only to the life to come? Are we not justified in dreaming, in desiring, and in working for an improvement of our earthly lives? Every day we say the Our Father, and in it we pray "Thy Kingdom come". The Kingdom of God can and should be present in Marriage and the Family, in the Neighborhood and the Parish, in County and Country. But is this possible? Contemplating the ever growing number of marriage and family problems, considering the ever growing need to have locks, alarms and insurance to protect oneself against criminals, and looking out on a world that seems incapable of freeing itself from war and hatred, one is justified in asking: is it intelligent to desire an ever growing establishment of God's Kingdom on earth?

We must answer that such a hope is most reasonable. Jesus promised: "I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt 28, 20). St. Paul reaffirms us with the words: "If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also give us all things with Him?" (Rm 8,31-32). Yes, God desires to give us all that is necessary for our happiness, but there is a problem on our side. We seek things in the wrong order. We do not give due attention to the admonition of Jesus: "Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well" (Mt 6,33). If our first intention and greatest desire were the fulfilling of God's Will, if we were totally dedicated to pleasing Him in all things, if we were deeply convinced that God's Will is our happiness and apart from God's will all is utter delusion and deception, we would not only be guaranteed of a place in His Eternal Kingdom, but would also witness an ever increasing happiness in this life.

Hoping for Help

We can and ought to hope for the goods of this world. Praying for health, peace and prosperity is good, provided that we will to please God in all things. But how can we please Him. How can we overcome our own selfishness to the extent of loving Him as He deserves to be loved, and of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves? And how, how is it possible to subject all earthly fulfillment and happiness to the definitive fulfillment of Eternal Life? How can we come to the point of recognizing that all striving after the good things of this world should be put to the service of our striving after the Goods of the Eternal World?

To reach these goals we need the cross and the grace of God: We need the cross to remind us that we cannot settle down in this world, we must long for "the city which is to come" (Heb 13,14); We need God's grace we need His help day in and day out. True love of God and of neighbor is only possible with the help of God's grace. For this reason we should desire all those actual graces, those little helps, that God can and desires to give us every day. It is in this way that we will realize His Kingdom in our midst and thereby help others to reach the Kingdom of perfect happiness.

Let us pray for, let us hope for, let us confidently desire the graces that we need in order to fulfill God's loving plans. His plans are our happiness.