4 November | Youth
«While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.» 2 Corinthians 4:18
On the border between the Koreas, there is an intermediate zone that is 248 kilometers long and four kilometers wide. It is a region created in 1953 after the Korean War, whose purpose is to separate these two countries in conflict. This area is neutral land that does not belong to either side.
In matters of faith, many people occupy the borders. There, those who cannot admit the existence of God take refuge. They think that life is limited to what is material, tangible, and visible. For them, the formula for life consists in being born, working, accumulating goods, and dying.
The issue deepens even more when crucial problems occur, such as losing a job, our parents separating, or a loved one dying. Then questions arise: “If God exists and is love, why do we suffer?” In the absence of plausible answers, the Christian faith comes to be seen as a crutch in the hands of the weak. The conclusion that many reach is that, in life, the most important thing is what we see.
Contrary to this argument, the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard told the parable of a rich man who rode in his luxurious, warm, and lit up carriage. It was guided by a peasant who, riding his horse, was exposed to the cold and darkness. But precisely because he was sitting so close to the artificial light inside, the rich man missed the landscape of stars outside. The peasant, while suffering the chilly weather, enjoyed the glorious vision of that night.
In our day, the artificial lights of science, media, and materialism are casting shadows on the invisible world around us. Leo Tolstoy stated that materialists are mistaken in limiting life to itself. Perhaps you are one of those who consider what is visible to be the “greatest” reality, the only reality. Watch out! It may be that the lights of the world are clouding your view of Heaven.
My invitation today is: abandon the borders of faith and go to God’s side. Even without feeling or under-standing, choose to see the Invisible. This “inverted” view is what really matters.