“Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have perfected praise.” (Ps 8:3) Some of the most difficult questions to answer come from the mouth of babes and infants. And the attempt to answer them puts the most intellectual adults to shame. For, even children, seek to understand this existence we live in. Some of the most hard-put questions I have received come from rapid-fire question-and-answer sessions with children... and I welcome them! Because of this, I am certain: if I can’t explain the truth to a little one, how can I be certain I understand the truth myself? Sometimes a multiplicity of words, erudition of vocabulary, and a preponderance of syllables only succeed to obfuscate truth rather than elucidate it and make it understandable. Some of the most basic, childlike questions, are such as these: Why do we exist? Where do we come from? Where do we go when we die? And for all our intelligence, such questions asked of adults are often met with stumbling, stammering answers. But God, who is the source of all intelligence and understands all truths far beyond human imagining or reckoning, finds joy in an infant’s cry and a toddler’s questions (and so do I).
Why do we exist? We exist to know, love, and serve God to be happy with him in this life and in the next.
Where do we come from? We come from love. God is love. So, we come from God who knew us, and loved us, before the foundation of the world. Before there were plants and planets, water and earth, light and darkness, God knew us. (Jer. 1:5)
Why did God want to create me? For Him to love you, and for you to know the joy of loving others. God gave you life so that you can experience joy and friendship. So that you can breathe deeply, play hard, grow strong, and have friends. So that you can see beautiful things and praise God who made all things beautiful.
If God created me, why did I come from mommy’s belly? Because He made us like Himself, able to love and to create. God, who is love, made us to love. And God, who gave life, made us able to give life to others as well. So, He made mommies and daddies who share God’s love and, the fruit of that love, gave you life through them.
If God made me to feel love and joy, why do I sometimes feel sad and angry? Because we live in a world where some people make bad choices. Bad choices hurt. And, sometimes, one person’s bad choices can make other bad things happen, like throwing a rock into the water: one rock can make dozens of ripples. Sometimes we are sad or angry because we experience bad things (or do bad things ourselves) and we know that it’s not right. Sad is a good response to bad. And anger is sometimes a good way to know that we need to make bad things right. But, also, not all bad things happen because one did something bad. We live in a hard world and sometimes accidents happen, and that is sad too.
Where do we go when we die? We go back to God. If we live life in love, then we will live in God (who is love) forever. But if we live life in hatred and sin, then we can’t fit into God, because only love fits into God.
If we go back to God, why do we bury people in the ground? Because our soul lives on and waits for our body to join. You see, in our mother’s womb, we began to live when God put our soul into our body. Each one of us is unique because our soul is unique, like our fingerprints. No one in the world has your fingerprint. And, just so, no one in all of creation will ever have your soul. So, when we die, our body lies in the ground, but our soul goes to God and waits with Him until everyone who ever existed will get their bodies back.
All of these questions I have answered in the past, and, I presume, many of you have had to answer too.
Interestingly enough, the answers to these questions form the foundational truths to Catholic bioethics which is the study of moral issues concerning health care by applying the truths of the Bible and revelation to modern-day practices. At the root of bioethics is this: we are made in the image and likeness of God, who made us in love, so that we can live in a loving manner. We are called to treat people with dignity and love, choosing to do good and avoid evil, and respecting every human person as an immortal soul created to ultimately return to God from whom we all came. As we continue to publish “Morality Matters” we will be including discussions of specific issues of healthcare ethics, all of which begin the answer with truth way: Life begins and conception and ends at natural death. God gives life. We live it and protect it, always with a view to eternal life, where we will live in the love by which God created us.
Father Jarrod Lies, Pastor