Goodness

The book of Genesis makes it clear that God is at work in bringing all things into creation, with the recurring statement, “God saw how good it was.” Awareness of God’s presence in creation and an appreciation of the goodness of creation, including our own goodness, is a key to a healthy spiritual journey.

Our role as Christians is not so much to bring Christ to others or to bring others to Christ, as it is to help others recognize the divine, loving presence already active in their life and to help them discern the movements of the Spirit present in their own experience and in the world around them. Christ is at work in the world and in our life. Our job is to tune in to that presence in all that we do.

The presence of Christ is a powerful, healing presence, as witnessed by the encounters Jesus had with the sick in the gospels. People were attracted to him certainly because of his power to heal, but also because he spoke the truth about God’s power to heal and to save, God’s power to call us to service, God’s power to communicate to us our goodness and the goodness of all creation.

Through the intercession of the saints who have gone before us, may we too experience a divine love so strong that we give our life in response, and may God’s love for each one of us continue to move us forward and to bear fruit in the vineyard of the Lord.