Manresa lecture explores the great mystery of God
Father Nick Schiro enters Loyola Hall to deliver the third of 11 lectures to the July 2004 retreat group at Manresa. He begins with the same beautiful prayer the men have already heard twice. Several men strive to commit the words to memory as they travel swiftly from the priest’s lips. The retreat master rearranges his materials upon the lecture stand. It does not seem the few papers and books he holds were ever in disarray, and he has no need to wait for either silence or attention. Some men wonder anxiously, “What’s up? What is he waiting for?” At this early point in the retreat, not all of the men have slowed down yet. Others feel the presence of the Spirit, and savor the moment. Gently, Father Schiro breaks the silence. “If you were asked ‘Do you believe in God?’ you would probably answer yes. But if you were asked ‘Why?’, your answer would require an act of faith.” “There are three possible answers,” he continues. “Theist, atheist, and agnostic.” Father’s ensuing elaboration holds several revealing surprises for the men. The theist and the atheist have something in common: both make an act of faith. The theist says “I believe there is a God.” and the atheist says “I believe there is NO God.” Father Schiro goes on to explain that like any decision, faith is based upon evidence. It is like being on a jury. The evidence that there is a God is stronger than the evidence that there isn’t. Faith is not just a blind leap, it is based upon evidence. The priest offers examples from several famous people throughout history: Karl Marx was the father of modern Communism. Marx said that faith keeps men from feeling the pain of unjust social oppression and from doing something about it, so faith is bad. The German philosopher Nietschke said “God makes rules.” He said we should “get rid of God and make our own rules.” Sigmund Freud, the father of modern psychoanalysis, said that God did not create man, but that man created god. The priest rearranges his materials upon the lecture stand. Most of the men continue to reflect upon the philosophies they have just heard. A few shift in their chairs. Father Schiro tells the men that Thomas Aquinas gave “Five proofs” for the existence of God, and in the interest of time he proceeds to condense them. Aquinas said that there has to be something outside the system that causes all to be, but is himself uncaused. He said that we measure things against a standard – there must be something that is perfect and absolute against which all other things can be measured. He said that the existence of an object (such as a watch or the universe) presupposes intelligence (such as watch maker or God). Father Schiro now refers the retreatants to the nineteenth century English theologian John Henry Newman. He says that Newman argued the existence of God using the convergence of antecedent probabilities. Newman said that one thin fiber cannot support a heavy load, but if many such fibers were twisted together to form a stiff cable, they could do so. He said than many hints and clues about the existence of God similarly add up. One clue is the existence of a conscience, which is the way we consider if something is right or wrong. Another is the order and beauty of the universe. Another is that throughout time most societies believe in God. Another is that many very intelligent people and many intrinsically good people such as Mother Teresa believe in God. Father pauses just long enough for some to wonder if the thirty-minute lecture has concluded. In a room so quiet that you can almost hear your watch tick, he finally asks, “Having said that God exists, what do we know about Him?” Answering his own question, Father Schiro continues: “Not much.” He goes on to explain that in all religions, God is a terrifying and a fascinating mystery. As such, the way that people pray to God is based on their images of God. Our images of God are not abstract philosophies, they come from God himself in Scripture. He gives us three types of images: 1. Masculine- such as shepherds and warrior kings – these images come from the experiences of the Jewish people at the time. 2. Feminine – just as a mother gives birth and nurtures her children, God is our creator and provides for us. 3. Impersonal – such as a rock, fortress, or shield in the Old Testament, or other images in the New Testament – protecting, saving us. Before concluding, our retreatmaster references Karl Rahner, who said that “God is the horizon of our being.” By this he means that we see and interpret all reality against the background of God. As Father Schiro explains it, “We do not actually see the horizon, we just see things against it.” At this point, the men now have nearly six hours before the next lecture to examine their lives before the horizon .