Jesus - Emmanuel God

Jesus – Emmanuel God

Cl. Mario D’Couto SDB


Albert Althruber once said, “The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that I can tell you that you are the co – pilot in your life along with God Almighty.” The word “Emmanuel”, as we all know, means “God with us.” But the presence of God is not some kind of “one – time” affair where the Lord shows His face and then suddenly disappears. He is present with us. It would seem that this aspect of accompaniment is only a “one in a million” situation. But our Lord was ever present right from the beginning of time and this can be seen in more than one way or the other. Our God is a God who accompanies. There is a story told of a saintly man who once had a vision where he was walking with God along the shore of the sea but he could only see the footprints. However, as they walking suddenly he saw that instead of two people’s footprints, there were only one set of footprints and then he asks God, “Where are you Lord? Why have You left me?” To which God replies back, “I was always there with you. When walking on those stony and rocky paths, I was carrying you on my back.” Of course, this is a paraphrased version of the original story but the message is clear. Sometimes we think that God has left us in our troubled times and we have no one to fall back on. Even Jesus felt the same way when He died on the Cross. Yet that does not mean that God’s absence is a sign that He no longer loves us; for God always loves the sinner but He hates their sins and that is why time and again He is always ready with open arms to welcome back the lost son or daughter as is beautifully portrayed in the story of the Prodigal Son as found in the Gospels.   

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