Centering the Universe - By Averthanus L. D’Souza

GOA, Dec. 23, 2010, 16:00 Hrs (Averthanus L. D’Souza):

Before the days of GPS (the Global Positioning System) sailors used to steer their vessels by reference to the “Lodestar” which was the central point of reference to determine the direction which their ships should take. On cloudy nights when the stars were not visible to the human eye, they used sextants which were slightly less reliable, but which consisted of the lodestone which was a magnetic device to indicate the direction North. No navigator in his right mind would venture out without being familiar with the Lodestar or without carrying his sextant with him. In fact the sextant was a permanent fixture of a ship and the captain would always use it as his point of reference.

The modern, technically advanced navigational aid described as the Global Positioning System has made navigation far more reliable than the primitive lodestar or the sextant. The GPS has become ubiquitous not only in the battlefield but also in cars on city streets. Today’s technology revolution has made it possible for school children to pack the GPS in their hand held mobile phones.

The point to be noted here is that we still need a reliable point of reference to navigate through our modern world – whether geographically or commercially or ethically. A casual look at the world today makes it very clear that modern man is badly in need of a lodestar or a point of reference by which to steer his course through life. The world today is characterized by confusion of all kinds. Confusion in thinking; confusion in art and culture; confusion in commercial transactions, and, above all confusion about a final destination. We are all going somewhere, but we do not seem to know where. We confound our confusion by becoming more and more immersed in our creation of more confusion. The more we rely on our own competence the more we seem to get bogged down in confusion. Our economic systems are in a shambles; our political ideologies don’t seem to produce the results we hope for; our military strategies not only do not achieve their results, they actual cause more destruction and more hatred around the globe. In Biblical terminology, we seem to be wandering around in the desert- going around in circles. We do not have the point of reference which is so necessary to bring us to our destination.

In addition to our lack of a clear and reliable navigation system, we do not even know where we are headed. The more we rely on science to help us, the more we seem to be unable to prevent social unrest and even military conflict. International relations are determined by deep seated suspicions instead of being built on mutual trust. We do not trust even those who profess to be our friends: we suspect their real motives. Professional analysts and political “experts” are constantly dissecting events to arrive at some reasonable conclusions about specific events and trends. Only the intellectually disabled will deny that the modern world is in a state of utter confusion.

It does not take extraordinary acumen to see that we are living in darkness and wandering around in the valley of death. The eminent psychologist Carl G. Jung described the human condition in a brilliant book which he titled: “Modern Man in Search of a Soul.” Similarly, Viktor Frankel indicated that modern man is in a frantic search for “Meaning.” (“The Unheard Cry for Meaning.”) Economic prosperity, the achievement of the political dream, the attainment of military superiority have not satiated the deepest strivings of modern man. The increasing number of suicides in the more affluent societies, the dependence on alcohol, sex, drugs and other narcotic substances are clear indications that modern man is not satisfied with all the prosperity which is touted to be the solution to all his problems. Greater prosperity has given rise to more psychoanalysis and more psychotherapy. Medical science now insists that even the clearly clinical diseases have a psychological basis. The modern treatment is almost always psychosomatic.

The crisis of our times can be described as a spiritual and moral crisis. Underneath the economic, the social, the political and the cultural confusion lies the absence of meaning and purpose. We do not know where we are; we do not know where we are going, and we do not know how to get there. We clearly need a point of reference by which to steer our course. Fortunately for us, we have not been left to our own devices. The Creator of the Universe is always there to guide us and to help us along the way. He not only reveals to us the purpose for which we have been created, He also gives us the means to reach our final destination. We might wander in the desert for forty years or for four hundred years, but we can always depend on the pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day to know the direction in which we have to travel. In fact, God has gone further. He not only shows us the way; he actually provides us with food and drink to sustain us on our journey. What was prefigured in the Mosaic exodus from the land of slavery to the freedom of the Promised Land has been actually realised in our own times.

God not only guides us from afar like the lodestar; He not only leads us as Moses did, He actually is present with us in our journey through life. He has unequivocally told us: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” He also declared “I am the Light of the world, the one who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have light and life.” (Jn. 8: 12). To nurture us along the way, the Incarnate son of God, Jesus the Christ gives us His own flesh to eat and His blood to drink. “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in me shall never be thirsty.” (Jn. 6: 35) “I am the bread of life. Though your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, they died. But here you have the bread which comes from heaven so that you may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which has come from heaven; whoever eats of this bread will live forever. The bread I shall give is my flesh and I will give it for the life of the world.” (Jn. 6:48-51.)

Our lodestar, our guide, our navigator is not remote from us. He is Emmanuel – God with us. This is the reason for our hope and confidence. Our salvation is not dependent on our own efforts. It has been procured for us by our Creator Himself. However, St. Augustine reminds us that God who created us without our consent will not save us without our consent. Our willing cooperation is necessary for our salvation. Humankind is unique in that we have the freedom to choose our own ultimate destiny. We can either fritter away our energies creating false gods among us like the golden calf crafted in the desert, or by attaching ourselves to the Truth which makes us free. As branches of the vine we can partake of the life of God Himself, or if we detach ourselves from the vine we die and become fit only to be cast into the flames to be destroyed.

The universe is truly centred in the Creator. Only He knows the reason why He created the universe, including ourselves. Unless we acknowledge this fundamental truth, we will labour in vain to create a world that is truly meaningful and life inducing.