The verse for this month’s Word of Life is taken from the book of Genesis. The words are spoken by Hagar, Sarah’s slave who was given as a wife to Abraham because Sarah could not bear children and ensure offspring. However, when Hagar discovered that she was pregnant, she felt superior to her mistress. The mistreatment she then received from Sarah eventually forced her to flee into the desert. And it is there that she had a unique encounter with God and received the promise of offspring in a way similar to the pledge made by God to Abraham. The son to be born was to be called Ishmael, which means “God has heard” because God took upon himself Hagar’s anguish and gave her a lineage.
“You are the God who sees me.”
Hagar’s reaction reflects the belief commonly held in the ancient world that human beings could not sustain very close contact with the divine. Hagar was surprised and grateful to have survived the encounter. She had felt God’s love precisely in the desert, the privileged place where we can experience a personal encounter with him. Hagar was aware of his presence and felt loved by a God who had ‘seen’ her in her painful situation, a God who cares for and surrounds his creatures with love. “He is not an absent, distant God, indifferent to the fate of humanity or the fate of each one of us. So many times, we experience this. He is here with me, he is always with me, he knows everything about me and shares my every thought, joy, and desire. He bears with me all my trials and worries.”1
“You are the God who sees me.”
This Word of Life renews certainty and gives us comfort: We are never alone in our journey through life because God is there and loves us. Sometimes, like Hagar, we may feel like ‘strangers’ on this earth, or look for ways to escape from challenging and painful situations. But we must be certain of God’s presence and our relationship with him: He sets us free, reassures us, and always allows us to start again.
This was P.’s experience of living alone during the pandemic. She recounts: “Since the start of the total shutdown of all activity in our country, I have been alone in my home. There is no one with whom I can have physical contact or who can share this experience with me; therefore, I try to fill the day as best I can. As time goes by, however, I feel more and more discouraged and find it very hard to sleep at night. Sometimes, I feel as if I will never escape from this nightmare. However, I also feel strongly that I must completely rely on God and believe in his love. I have no doubts about his presence: I am certain that he accompanies and comforts me during these lonely months. I realize that I am not alone because of the little signs that come to me from my neighbors. One example was the time when I was celebrating a friend’s birthday online and, immediately afterwards, my neighbor left a slice of cake at my door.”
“You are the God who sees me.”
We, too, can be messengers of God’s love because we are kept safe in his presence. Indeed, we are called to see the needs of others, to help our neighbors when they feel they are “alone in the desert” and to share their joys and sorrows. We are immersed in the world, and effort is needed on our part to recognize the needs of humanity around us.
We can stop and draw close to those who are searching for meaning and answers to life’s many questions: They may be friends, family members, acquaintances, neighbors, work colleagues, people in financial difficulty, or perhaps people who are socially marginalized.
We can remember and share those precious moments when we encountered God’s love and rediscovered the meaning of our lives.
We can face difficulties together, and when we feel we must “cross the desert,” we can discover the presence of God in what is happening around us, and this will give us confidence to continue our journey.
Patricia Mazzola and the Word of Life team
1 C. Lubich, Word of Life, July 2006
