I think that claiming to know God and talking to people about Who God is a lack of true knowledge about God. Then, if we do not possess this knowledge, how easy can it be for us to show others the way that we ourselves do not know or that we perceive in our own ways? I am very fond of a memory of how our parents introduced us to Christianity and literally showed us the way to God. Maybe one can say that this task of showing the people the way to God is easy that way. I remember candidly how, during childhood, my mother would prepare us for church. She would wake us up very early on Sundays in order to prepare for Mass. At the church, she would show us where and how to sit, either at the Sunday school or in the space reserved for children in the main church. During the offertory, she would come to where we were seated to give us some money or other items for the offertory. This was very helpful in teaching us how we were to worship together with other faithful. At home, we were taught the common prayers which become part of our daily routine.
It is this kind of orientation that formed a very essential impetus for the realization of faith and vocation for some of us. With such a mechanically well-defined Christian background, I became fond of the Catholic teachings and practices. I developed and pursued a desire to be an altar boy and even pursue education in a minor seminary with the hope of discerning about my priestly vocation. No doubt this has immensely influenced my vocation as a Jesuit.
This manner of leading people to God may seem so appealing but I think it is not necessarily applicable as people become of age and as modernity with its dynamism defines our societies and self-identities. we are living in a time when secularism is taking over the fabric of our lives. Traditional Christian beliefs and practices are no longer followed by everyone. People are rather preoccupied with their individualistic pursuits- schooling, career work, state of life, relationships and weighty commitments. So how can we still show these people the way to God in such a secular society?
I think that our role is not trying to change the nature of modern society. Rather, we want to offer a deeper alternative to secularism. We want to have a mature secular society that will allow a greater and better exercise of religious freedom recognizing the greater dimension of human freedom. While doing this, our desire should be to accompany people as they discern complex choices in their social, economic, cultural and political spheres. Our role should be to create environments that favour free personal processes independent of social or ethnic pressures.
I had an opportunity to direct some young people in a Retreat in Daily Life during the Lenten season. One of the two was not a Catholic. I was so moved by the unique ways in which the two retreatants experienced God in their lives. It was not possible to follow the retreat material that I had prepared beforehand. It called for a more spontaneous direction. I came to appreciate that while we want to lead people to God, we must be very cognizant of their experiences. It is through their unique experiences that they discern God’s presence. It is easier and more fruitful to lead people to a God that they can relate to in their unique experiences.
Thus in order to know how to lead people to God, we must be ready to learn from the experiences of these people. Our own experiences may not be relevant to other people’s situations.
Reflection by Abel Ogonah SJ.