God Cares for Us

Fr. Varghese Shiju

A couple of days before, I was driving from Bhopal to Sohagpur. It was in the middle of the night. Suddenly I lost control of the vehicle and it went out of the road. By God’s grace nothing serious happened. But it could have been a very serious accident. I was shocked for a while and during the rest of the journey I was thanking the Lord for protecting me from a possible accident. As I began to reflect on this incident and the similar countless dramatic and miraculous escapes from various kinds of accidents that I have experienced in my life as well as in the lives of many whom I know, I wonder at the protecting and caring hand of God at work in the lives of all of us.

Bible teaches us that God cares for us and protects us from all dangers. But very often we limit His care and protection only to the dramatic and miraculous experiences of His protection in times of danger that we experience once in a while in our lives. We tend to forget God’s care and protection for each one of us at every moment of our lives. If we limit God’s care and protection only to these dramatic and miraculous interventions of God in times of danger then majority of the people in the world do not experience His protection and care in their lives. Because daily thousands die in various kinds of accidents, many are unjustly punished; natural calamities, illness and hunger take away the lives of countless people around the world. Are they not cared by God?

In this season of Christmas let us look at the lives of Mother Mary and St. Joseph at the time of the birth of Lord Jesus. We see in their lives something similar to our own daily experiences; On the one hand we see God miraculously protecting the holy family from various dangers. For example; we see how God protects the Holy family dramatically from the onslaught of King Herod. But on the other hand we do not see such dramatic interventions in their daily lives; We do not see the miraculous protecting hand of God when they had no place to stay in the cold night, when they had no proper room to give birth to the Son of God and when the family had to flee to Egypt and to be away from their near and dear ones.

This is not only the story of the struggles of the Holy family but it is also the struggles of each one of us in our daily lives. On the one hand once in a blue moon we experience the care and protection of God miraculously in our lives but on the other hand such care and protection seems to be absent. Does this mean that God cares for us and protects us only once in a while and not always? Look at Jesus he was the person who preached about the care and protection of God throughout his life. But at the time of his crucifixion we see him crying, saying “my God, my God why have you forsaken me.” He strongly felt the absence of God’s protection for him at that moment. Does this mean that, what he preached throughout his life about the Heavenly Father’s constant care and protection for his children was wrong? Not at all; let us prayerfully listen to the words of Jesus that followed; we hear him saying, “Into your hands I commend my spirit.” It is here that he once again affirms very strongly his faith in God’s care and protection. On the cross while he was dying, when God’s care and protection was invisible, he continues to teach us that which he was preaching always in his life; whatever happens in life happens with the Heavenly father’s knowledge and will and within his Sacred and caring hands, even though when at times we do not experience his care and protection in life.

Bad things happened in the lives of Mother Mary and St. Joseph. But they believed and trusted in the all knowing God, who cared and protected them even though at times His care and protection was not visible in their lives. During this holy season of Christmas let us ask Child Jesus’ blessing to deepen our faith in the most loving Heavenly Father who cares and protects us always even though at times the signs of His care and protection seems to be absent.
Merry Christmas!